Did you catch Oprah’s speech at the Golden Globes last week? No? Head on over here. I’ll be right here waiting for you in nine minutes’ time.
I know everyone isn’t a card-carrying member of the Oprah fan club – and that’s ok – but I AM. I’ve been so since I was a young adult. She was offering me self-help advice long before I knew I needed helping.
I watched her Golden Globes acceptance speech last week on my phone, earphones in, sitting on the balcony, looking out over the beach.
“I want all of the girls watching here now to know, that a new day is on the horizon. And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, ‘me too’ again.”
I think a little sea spray got in my eye. A LOT of sea spray in my eye.
There is a real shift happening in the world right now. And it’s not just the Oprahs of the world leading the way. There are a lot of incredible women making big and small stands that cumulatively add up to a whole lot of good.
You might come and visit me here at Styling You to find confidence in your style but you might have also noticed that there is a community of women here all doing a whole lot of good to ensure that all women are visible, no matter what their age, shape or size.
Every day, I witness women in this community lifting others up, with a comment, a helpful suggestion or a “like”. I see women sharing images of their outfits, safe in the knowledge they won’t be cut down for their choices. I see women get themselves into a swimsuit for the first time in many, many years. I see women not afraid to ask a style question because they know they will not be laughed at for asking for help. I see women who wouldn’t have known each other except for this community become friends. I see women blossom and grow as they feel they have found the support they need to unlock their style.
Wearing: Bohemian Traders blazer | Belle Bird at Birdsnest cami | Fairley Jewellery earrings
Photography: The Photo Pitch; Hair and Makeup: Dale Dorning/Arc Creative
To outsiders, it might seem superficial … all this talk of clothes, shoes and accessories … but we know it goes deeper than that, don’t we?
At the core of all that I share is CONFIDENCE – things that help me feel a little more confident in my everyday life. Things I hope help you feel a little more confident too.
It might be sharing a new way to wear an old frock. It might be sharing a new accessory that immediately lifts an existing outfit. It might be sharing a new foundation that gives you an illuminated glow when you feel less than illuminated.
It might just be getting up every day, getting dressed and getting on with it.
I’m a big believer in that whatever it takes to help you get on with it, has to be a good thing. And that what helps me get up and go may be different from your motivators.
I started this blog 10 years ago this year (and yes, there will be a party – save the date – July 28 in Brisbane). Originally Styling You was a way to keep sharing my obsession for fashion and beauty after 20 years of being a journalist but it became something more meaningful once I started working one-on-one, styling women of all ages, shapes and sizes.
I haven’t worked one-on-one for six years because the blog enabled me to every day reach more women than I could every physically achieve in a lifetime. I’m grateful for those one-on-one sessions. More than 150 women let me into their wardrobes and it showed me that I was not alone in just how much of our psyche is connected to what we wear – in a good and (sometimes) a bad way.
It also showed me that no matter what size a woman was, we are seemingly hardwired to NOT love our bodies. This was a lightbulb moment for me. I’d always thought that if I were just a size or two smaller, I’d be happy with my body, but here were these women, up to three or four sizes smaller than me, unhappy with various aspects of their bodies.
This was a big turning point for me personally as well as how I shared ideas here at Styling You. It made me realise that EVERY woman is real. DERR. So, on the blog and in my online programs, I try to be as inclusive as possible, sharing options to suit ALL sizes, because our community is made up of women from petite to plus-size and everything in between.
I love that the Styling You community supports ALL women. What I’d love to see is more of this support and acceptance beyond our community because our own body confidence needs to start with dropping the judgement of others based on size and appearance. Our personal judgement comes from our own hardwired presets in regards to what we think our ideal body weight should be – or how a woman should look.
How we choose to dress as we age is another area of judgement that thankfully we’re also chipping away at. My motto is: dress for your attitude, not your age.
I started this blog in my early 40s and I turned 50 last year. I refuse to become the cliched “invisible woman”. Most of the women in this community are aged between 30-45 but we have women here in their 20s through to their 80s. We have daughters, mothers and grandmothers … women who will not put a use-by-date on their personal style. Amen to that.
Every day, each and every one of those women offer inspiration. They share their personal style, they’re not afraid to try something a little different and they dress to suit their personality and lifestyle.
This diversity in style is what women want to see. They don’t want to see the same fashion on the same models. Most women cannot picture themselves in a clothes featured in a fashion campaign, on a catwalk or an advertisement (that’s why I started my Model and Me series seven years ago). They CAN picture themselves in clothes on women of similar shape and size, living their daily life similar to theirs.
In recent years, it’s been refreshing and welcome to see new fashion labels realising this need for diversity in their marketing, particularly if they’re selling online. There is a long way to go but I know if I go to an online store and they have photographed what they’re selling on more than one model type, I’m more inclined to buy. We do this in our own store.
I’m also grateful that fashion brands have chosen to include me in their marketing as part of that diversity. It makes me laugh that as a 50-year-old, I have as many professional photoshoots each year as many younger models. Who’d have thunk it?! Whatever it takes to slowly chip away at the “old” way of fashion marketing, I say.
As we start another year here at Styling You, I thank YOU for making this community what it has become. Yes, Oprah, a new day has arrived and, rest assured, we’re doing our little bit in this corner of the world to be confident, visible women.
New to Styling You?
- Join our Facebook group
- Follow on Facebook
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow our #everydaystyle hashtag on Instagram
WIN
I’ve got 5 spots in my upcoming “back-to-work” capsule wardrobe program (launching early February) to give away to 5 Styling You readers. To enter, leave an answer to the following questions in the comments’ section below:
1. Tell us how long you’ve been reading/following Styling You.
2. What has helped you the most during that time?
3. What’s your favourite thing in your wardrobe right now?
Entries open on Tuesday, January 16, 2017 at 3pm (AEST) and close on Tuesday, January 30, 2017 at 5pm (AEST). The winners of the “answer the question” competition will be judged on originality and creativity. The winners will be emailed and their name will be published here. Entrants must include an email address when the filling in the commenting system below to be eligible to enter. Full terms and conditions here.
Comments 49
I have been following Styling you for a few years now.
The thing that has helped me most during that time is to think before I buy. I now buy much less, and think about how an item would work with what I already have etc . I also am a swimwear confident size 18 .. rashies are for sun protection, but otherwise I strut my stuff in a ‘cossie ‘ I think is very flattering for my size and shape . 2. What has helped you the most during that time?
My favourite thing in my wardrobe right now is a lovely maxi dress I bought from adrift. Perfect for summer bbqs .
I have been a member of the Styling You community for only a few months.
The most important thing I’ve gained by being a member of the SY community is that women are at their very best when they support each other. The positivity and inclusiveness of this community gives me the courage to post photos of myself.
My favourite item in my wardrobe at the moment is the black off the shoulder jumpsuit I wore for Christmas, which I would never have tried on before following Nikki and Styling You.
I’ve been following Styling You since last year when I heard you talking with Darren Rouse on the Problogger podcast. Your Ultimate Capsule Wardrobe sounded like just what I needed, and I was right! It has increased my confidence in how I present myself so much. It helped me declutter my wardrobe, gave me ideas for wearing what I already had in different ways, and gave me the confidence to go op-shopping (do you call it that in Australia? – charity shops) for the first time. Every day now I feel good about what I am wearing.
My favourite thing in my wardrobe right now is a black and white printed maxi skirt that I got for free from a clothes swap evening. I am a petite size and have been told that I should only wear skirts at knee length, so I had not worn a long skirt for years. But I decided to give it a go with your encouragement. Guess what? Everytime I wear it I get compliments, so of course it’s my favourite item now! Who would have thought?
Author
Oh I’m so glad the program was of help!
I’ve been reading or stalking silently on the blog and Insta for too long. Since the beginning I think!
The down to earth writing and beauty and style advice has really resonated with me. Transitioning from a younger woman to a mum and I run a small business and forgot to look after myself or find a new style. I’ve stopped breastfeeding for quite some time yet the mumsy dresses are still in rotation. I’ve watched and read and I’m working on myself now. Small steps. But even seeing your own personal health transformation has had a major impact. So not just what’s on the outside but how I feel!
My favourite thing would have to be a series items that incorporate stripes! If you’re off the shoulder, I NEED to step away from the STRIPES!
1. I have followed since December 2014 I first saw Unlock Your Style in Myers. I thought it looked interesting then I found that Nikki was around my age and lived in Australia!! Then she had a blog! Signed up straight away.
2. What has helped me most is the advice re dressing for my age or should I say not for my age! Have so much confidence now.
3. My favourite item right now are some Country Road shorts – just love them.
Happy New Year Nikki. I started following you early – mid last year when I discovered Instragam. I’m a bit old school (ha ha) . I actually couldn’t believe it when I discovered you as I thought we had so many things in common. Number one clothes, we both turned 50 last year and went to Italy and love to workout. Or perhaps I just want to really be like you confident. I am so inspired by you. Your confidence, your clothes style, your gym work outs, your holidays and really I feel I can relate to you in so many ways. I talk about you constantly to my colleagues at work and they laugh saying I think you are my best friend. But no you actually make me feel good about myself. I to believe you should be able to wear what you want and not be judged about what you wear and the way you look. In the last year you have changed my way of thinking around swimwear. Probably for the last 15 years I have been covering up my body when going to the beach or a pool. I would wear a tankini which covered just about every part of my top half of my body and then I would either wear a swim skirt or board shorts on the bottom. During that time I have fluctuated between a 12 -16 currently now I am a 14. When I was in Italy in July I felt so overdressed on the beach and by the pool I was actually embarrassed and miserable about my bathers. Since your blog on swimwear where you modeled one piece and two piece bathers and look magnificent in all of them, I have now gone out and bought two pairs of beautiful one piece bathers which I feel fantastic in and it shows skin yes my skin and I even went and had a bikini line wax which I hadn’t had in years. My girlfriend who knows me very well said aren’t you going to wear board shorts with your bathers and I said no I’m not and that I feel good in them. I feel I have robbed myself of confidence for the last 15 years and have missed out wearing some beautiful bathers. I am still working on feeling comfortable in a 2 piece maybe next year. Thank you Nikki for making me feel better about myself and body in my bathers.
My favorite thing in my wardrobe at the moment is a blue and white off the shoulder dress from Seed.
Hi Nikki. I’ve been following your blog for 5+ years, always reading your articles and looking at the clothes enthusiastically. I’ve also got your book and every now and again, I re-read it. I am in the 50+ category for age, am in a professional role, but can’t afford most of the clothes that you advertise or model. I am an astute op-shopper and have scooped up some bargains over the years in this way. I love a good Country Road “find”. For me, it’s all about wearing good colours for me, as I’ve embraced my “precious metals” aka grey hair and your colours definitely change when you do this, and also, it’s about wearing a good cut, regardless of the size, or the fashion label. Keeping it real! I’d love to be a part of your back to work group. I may even embrace Facebook this year. I know……!
I found your blog about five years ago and was really inspired by your attitude to style and the labels you feature.
After 11 years of study and motherhood my wardrobe was mostly tshirts and track pants, and there wasn’t much inspiration in the magazines for a fortysomething who wasn’t a size 10. Your blog inspired me to dress well again and showed me lots of ways to look gorgeous at any age. Reading stories about health, fitness and beauty was also really helpful.
The most helpful feature has been the Model and Me – I have loved discovering new Australian labels and seeing them on a lovely real person as well as the models.
I can’t choose between my two favourite dresses – my spotty navy Leina Broughton work dress (feel like a million dollars in this one), and my Ruby Yaya maxi sundress (feel like a boho princess in this one). Thanks for the lovely community you have built, it has helped lots of women feel stylish, confident and supported.
1. I have been following you on Facebook and Instagram for about two years
2. It started with your posts about the Offspring fashions but since then I have been inspired by your model and me posts, your clean sheets days and just your general attitude to style and women.
3. I don’t have many favourite things in my wardrobe and I would really love to change this. I am nearing 50 also and have gained weight and also some wisdom so my style feels like it is changing. I work in a professional role and feel I really need to update this area as well as the weekend me.
Hello Nikki.
Happy New Year and Contratulations to you on the upcoming SY 10th anniversary!
I’ve been following your blog for 6 years now. There have been so many pearls of styling wisdom I have picked up over that time. (As well as enjoyed a few laughs.) One of the most valuable lessons I have learned has been how to organise and rethink my current wardrobe so that I can make the most of it and be more thoughtful with new purchases. My current favourite outfit is a blue ribbon patterned DVF wrap dress I got on sale. Effortless style!
Keep up the great styling work Nikki .
Best wishes, Sam
Happy New Year!
1. I have been following this blog for two years. I found your instagram post first in a instagram rabbit hole session.
2. First your “model and me” posts were my inspiration. But then you started posting you workhouts & runs, at the same time I was embarking on my fitness reboot. It was seeing someone my age with authentic, supportive & kind engaging cohort. Gave me motivation to keep up my efforts & self belief.
3. I have an “inherited” floral shirt dress in violet/ blue. I put it on & I feel great and ready to face the world. I have recently been promoted to a leadership role & this dress helps me step up & step out with confidence.
Dressing confidently definitely helps us all to play our varying roles in life.
Happy New Year!
1. I have been following this blog for two years. I found your instagram post first in a onstagram rabbit hole.
2. First your “model and me” posts were my inspiration. But then you started posting you workhouts & runs, at the same time I was embarking on my fitness reboot. It was seeing someone my age with authentic, supportive & kind cohort engaging. Gave me motivation to keep up my efforts & self belief.
3. I have an “inherited” floral shirt dress in violet/ blue. I put it on & I feel great and ready to face the world. I have recently been promoted to a leadership role & this dress helps me step up & step out with confidence.
Dressing confidently definitely helps us all to play our vatying roles in life.
1. Tell us how long you’ve been reading/following Styling You.
Less than a year! Mainly on instagram
2. What has helped you the most during that time?
Finding brands, I’m now in love with FRANKiE4 shoes and just bought my second pair. I also live in the same area of Brisbane so love seeing where you shop locally!
3. What’s your favourite thing in your wardrobe right now?
My FRANKiE4 shoes, and my trusty denim skirt.
Oh gosh, I’m such a newbie – I’ve been reading Styling You for about 8 months. We moved to Melbourne from the UK, but we also spent a couple of years in Singapore. My style has been all over the place in the past few years, but I think that makes sense – I went from the chilly UK corporate world to having 3 children quickly, and in their early years I juggled mumsy practical style, tropics AND UK winters, and now Melbourne weather (hello layers!). I’d like to say my weight has fluctuated, but really it’s just been a steady pile on of extra kilos with the odd blip along the way. I hardly recognise myself now.
Anyway, now I need to dress for a new climate, and hide a few extra rolls along the way. You’ve shown me some great new boutiques, some ideas about layers, and following on from your recent article, I bought my first pair of white trousers (OK, pants) – something I never believed I would embrace! My favourite top is a long black cover all from Motto, a boutique I never would have found without your recommendation.
2018 is going to be my year – back to work, back into shape, find that elusive balance and confidence, and to find my place in my new world. I have a long way to go – I still struggle to find what suits me – to cover my figure but not look too shapeless and ageing.
1. Tell us how long you’ve been reading/following Styling You. Heavens its been a long time!!
2. What has helped you the most during that time? Absolutely seeing other ladies suffering like me !!LOL and also getting so much support and encouragement to get us through some difficult decisions . Allowing me to get on the beach in a two piece!
3. What’s your favourite thing in your wardrobe right now? My favourite things are what is left from my culling and chucking!! I still have a bit but honestly just love my shoes – they really make that little dress standout..
Hi Nikki
I have been following the blog for about 5 years now. I am turning 70 so am a fair bit older than many of your readers. However , no matter what age you are, I think we all like to look our best. I really like your packing guides and they have helped me pack for several overseas trips. Also reading your blog has given me the confidence to wear clothes that I might otherwise have thought “oh I couldn’t wear that” . This summer has seen me wearing more dresses and showing off my legs which I have hidden in pants for the past decade. My favourite dress at the moment is a silky T shirt style that I bought while on a Queensland holiday last year. It packs beautifully and can be dressed up or down with the right accessories – another trick I learnt from you. Many thanks.
Welcome back Nikki!
I love this message, women supporting women, not tearing them down, lifting them up, encouraging, learning and supporting, when we all live hundreds if not thousands of klms apart. That is only one of the reasons I continue to follow along, checking in everyday here, on Facebook and Instagram. And I am also a diehard Oprah fan, as many women are. I truely love her.
I am originally from the Sunny Coast and remember coming across you somehow so long ago. I can’t even remember how? But I do remember thinking, this is a mum, who is relevant to me, as I also had a young son then, as well as being local to my area. So at a guess, maybe 7/8 years?
What has helped me the most is your packing and travelling blogs and the packing guides. Also your annual Cossie Confidence message has changed my perspective on how I spend my beach and pool time. Im also very inspired by all your health and wellness updates.
My favourite thing in my wardrobe right now is my ever increasing Frankie4 wardrobe!! I just love these shoes and wish I could afford to have only this brand of shoes to wear everyday, for every occasion.
Hi Nikki, this morning I wrecked my lovely pink Wyse TShirt by using too much soaking powder to remove grease stains. I loved it so much that I thought I would buy another one. ALL SOLD OUT. However thanks to your last capsule wardrobe series I knew that if I bought it in the lovely pewter grey it would still go with most of the clothes in my wardrobe, and would also take me through Autumn and Winter…..As you would say Win Win. Xx Nola
I’m fairly new to the SY community, following about 18 months, and I love seeing women of all ages open their hearts and minds to become the best they can be. I joined because I was about to turn 50 and I wasn’t happy. I’m lucky in that I have a great job and a terrific husband but my warring dialogue with the inner me was exhausting. My list of things I couldn’t possibly wear because I was too short, too plump, too old and too scared was never-ending. But not any more. You Nikki, and this great group inspired me to have a go. Now OTS is my best friend and I wear a bikini if I want to. Fave wardrobe item: white Witchery OTS lace dress. Thank you!
Welcome back for 2018, Nikki!
I think I’ve been following since about 2010 or 11. My guess is that it might have been a ‘How to dress like Nina Proudman’ post that popped up on a Google search.
What has kept me coming back are the introductions to great Aussie brands and the chance to see outfits on women of all shapes and sizes, the enabling of all of us to just wear what we like and get on with our lives. What helped me most were your posts of yourself in swimming costumes. We get so used to airbrushed images of 18 year olds that we’ll never live up to: Vive la Difference!
Looking forward to seeing much more of the Model and Me in 2018.
My favourite thing in my wardrobe right now is a gorgeous dress that when I wear it with flat lace up sandals, makes me feel like I’m walking around Capri or Santorini on a summer holiday,on my way to lunch at somewhere with an amazing water view. What a dress!
Hi Nikki, I have been following your posts for around two years now. The thing that has helped me most in that time (apart from the love and support from the fb group of the last capsule) is learning to think about what else a new piece of clothing might go with what I already have or to think of different ways I might wear it. My favourite piece right at the minute is a black OTS dress, knee length with 3/4 bell sleeves. I wore this on a day trip to Brisbane just last week – wooden beads, flat embroidered sandals and raffia tote for shopping and just switched for a gold loopy necklace and nude heeled sandals and clutch for a Theatre production in the evening (I probably would never have thought to do this before reading your pages as the dress was with the “occasion”wear)
I am a relative newbie – been following you for the past 6 months
The most important thing I have learned that you don’t have to be a 20 something size 10 to be stylish.
I am more confident with my clothes choices. But I still need to learn how to cull my extensive wardrobe. I am a complusive clothes buyer.
Through your instagram I have discover Birdsnest and I love their Bird Keeper pants….which I have in various colours.
Love Love your work !!!
I don’t want to be in the competition but I have to say that I sought out your blog after hearing you mentioned on Media Watch! I think the presenter said something like ‘popular blogger’ and I was like, who? How can I not know this popular blogger?? And then I was in. How many years ago. No clue. Couldn’t guess. But I googled – October 2012. Wow! Six years then 🙂
I’ve been reading the blog and following the Facebook page since seeing A piece on free tv last year about makeup not having to cost a fortune to perform well .
My favourite thing about the styling you community is looking at the great photos that readers ( much braver than me ) post. I’m waiting for a style fairy to bop me on the head with a magic wand.
My can’t do without every day is a pair of earrings of some description.
About maybe 10 years???? I’m a Sunshine Coast local and the first time I saw you gracing the front cover of profile and then saw you in the play ground when I was picking up my niece from school I knew I needed to look you up and start following you from then! What has helped me the most …. I have always had a strong sense of style however as I am getting older and approaching the 40 mark I am baffled as to where to shop and what’s appropriate for my age to remain stylish yet age appropriate! Teaching me the confidence to rocked it really at any age! Fav item in my robe … have to be the same ellery eye wear we share!!!! Hahah! Got them, love them and feel stylish in them!! Xx
I have been following your life saver Facebook page and Instagram for maybe a year. I am making small steps.
I look forward to model and me, the Monday outfits and the Travel and what to where on a plane was invaluable.
My summer dress by Blue Orchid is lovely but maybe too short!
About four years ago I was first enlightened by your blog (yay). Your advice on the SY blog has been invaluable to me especially regarding the concept of capsule wardrobes! Wow why had I never heard or thought of this before! These days I try…T R Y really hard to buy items I need and that work with existing pieces in my wardrobe. I also am a fan of your travel packing and swimwear tips. Plus I love your shop and bought the comfiest bamboo leggings a couple of years ago and they are still going strong. My world has also been enriched thanks to SY, to an abundance of online Australian designers , my husband is still cursing you insert evil laugh here…
My favourite item at the moment is a maternity/nursing maxi dress that I bought in San Francisco and I pretty much wear it daily (lucky I bought it in 2 colours – black and blue).
I am returning to work in April and could really use this prize to prepare a work capsule for this new Mumma who doesn’t fit in to any of her previous work clothes.
I’ve been following Styling You for about 3-4 years now. In that time I’ve found the seasonal capsule wardrobes such a valuable source of inspiration. But a shout out should also go to the SY Facebook page – so much great advice from the amazing community of women that has grown up around Nikki.
Favourite thing in my wardrobe right now – a pair of wide legged silk culottes I purchased for my recent 50th birthday party. I almost talked myself out of buying them – too old for them – but took the leap. I felt fantastic in them at my 50th birthday party – not younger or thinner but just an amazing version of me.
1. Reading for around 4 – 5 years
2. Knowing that I ‘can’ because you do
3. New Sacha Dress for work, fake it till you make it !
I’d love to a win a back to work wardrobe styling group session.
I’ve been in this group for ages !
I’ve been reading your blog for about 9 years after stumbling on in on essential baby .
My favourite item is a French connection gingham dress. Easy to dress up or down and makes me feel fantastic .
I love all the helpful hints and tips everyone is always willing to share.
It feels like this is one cosy family .
I started reading in 2011/12, I think
What has helped me? I think the whole concept of making the best of how one looks is a very helpful one. The concept of taking care of yourself, that your are worth the effort. That is the most powerful thing that has helped me.
Favourite thing in my wardrobe….Hmmm. Metalicus blue flowy dress. A couple of sunny girl light blazers. Some Gap jeans. So many. But everything works really hard.
I too am inspired and in awe of the only positive comments I have read and experience on the group website, my girlfriends and I discuss it regularly.
1) I’ve been reading the blog for about 4 years, in fact it was one of the first blogs I ever followed and your recommendations to other blogs have given me so much more to read and learn than I ever dreamed.
2) I think I’ve had the most value from the travel and packing advice. I really noticed the difference these holidays where I packed for two weeks in a winter climate with only 12kg. This would have been unheard of for me previously and I never missed anything while I was away.
3) My current wardrobe fav is actually a navy blue work dress I got from Big W last summer. It cost about $29 but is my go to work dress in summer. I struggle to put together work clothes I feel smart in but also comfortable and this dress is it, so it gets a workout.
I would love some help in this area.
No Thank you Nikki I have made many friends over the years including you who I haven’t met In real life…. as yet!
I have been reading your blog for a very long time and will continue to do so,you made me get a little teary at all the lovely things you do for us and the Everydaystyle community and the things we get in returnXx
Nikki I am so glad that I found your blog back in 2011. You have helped me try new things that I would never have tried. I remember seeing a picture of you in a dress and thought maybe I could wear that. You introduced me to bb creams, new lipsticks and so much more. I bought your book and went to the Brisbane launch, and thought “go girl”, I really need another one of those Nikki clear out sessions. So much advice and sharing, what a community. I can’t thank you enough. My fav thing in my wardrobe would have to be my ots dresses and tops. I know for sure I would not have gone there without your guidance. So this year I’m on the road to 50, a trip to Greece is planned….I would love the opportunity to learn more from you. Thanks keep up the inspiration in 2018!
Hi Nikki,
I love your blog and all that it stands for.
1. I first started reading around 5 years ago.
2. I find your health and fitness journey inspirational (you’re looking amazing by the way). Following my separation 3 years ago, I stopped exercising and gained a lot of weight, at 46 is harder to lose than it used to be. This year I’ve decided is my year to shine, look after myself and you never know I might even have the courage to go on a date! #scaredtodeath
3. My favourite outfit is jeans, t-shirt and blazer (when it’s cooler), but right now it’s a black CR silky pleated top – it’s my go to top, covers everything and good for work and out.
I have a corporate HR job and have recently started a small business too.
Hi! I’ve been following for one (inspirational) year. After having two kids in two years, I felt like ALL my mojo and style was completely gone. My entire mind was on my little minions. Nikki and SY helped me focus a bit on ME again! I’ve loved the real life women in real life outfits you show the most. I get so much inspiration from you and from all the wonderful weekly outfit posts. My favourite thing in my closet right now is a high-neck sleeveless light pink top with some lace on the front & bottom- It’s so comfy and I can dress it up or down depending on mood. I’m currently job searching for the first time in 4 years so the ‘back-to-work’ capsule is perfect timing!
I’ve been reading SY since my first flutter around the internet when on long service leave about 6 years ago. SY is the only style blog I still follow because the content is fresh and positive. I didn’t realise how much I valued SY till I missed posts over the Xmas break (but yay for taking a decent break).
Reading SY has helped me navigate from a mid-40s mum of two at home teenagers, living in tropical NT to 51 year old with kids at home part time and living in regional beachside SA; I have learnt that it IS worth putting in an effort to look good and it’s possible even if I’m not 17 and size 10. I teach teenagers who are the most honest and perceptive of critics, and the girls watch how we treat ourselves – it’s important to be a decent role model.
Sorry I need to tell about 2 favourite items. I have learnt to be a discerning op shopper (rather than grabbing anything because “it’s a good brand”. If I don’t love it, it doesn’t deserve me. I love my blue and white patterned summer dress, brand unknown but it feels and looks fantastic and what a bargain at $6. I also love my black bamboo tshirt that cost a fortune from my local (one main street) shop. I would not have considered paying such a price had I not absorbed the SY lessons; money very well spent. Thank you!
Hi Nikki, Happy New Year and I love Oprah too. I hope she does run for the U.S. presidency and wins it. Yours is the blog I read faithfully. I have learned a lot from Styling You, even down to the amazing platters I made over Christmas and New Year. My favourite piece of clothing is a BT kimono, I wear it for sun protection, over undies while applying makeup, as a robe and sometimes just because I love it. My wardrobe is going to make some changes. I have moved ‘home’ to Wynnum to care for my parents. Now it will be shorts, tshirts and a big hat in the garden instead of a uniform. I will continue to read Styling You though, and keep up with the outside world xx
I got a bit of sea spray in my eye reading this, Nikki! Thanks for creating this wonderful community. Xx
Happy New Styling Year Nikki and Team! I have been following your blog and of course been fortunate to meet you a few times thanks to blogging since 2011!
But it was not until late 2017 that I took the plunge into dressing every day with purpose and caring for myself more. And it probably is partly to do with losing a lot of weight over the previous 3 years but also because at last my inner confidence started to match the “confidence I always showed on the outside but wasn’t quite as comfy with inside”.
So, now about 75 daily pics in #everydaystyle #ootd thanks to you, Em Hawker and Jan Wild, I am not stopping!
So thank YOU and all good wishes to your lovely inclusive community!
Denyse xx
I’ve been reading Styling You since I first “met” you and discovered your blog on Twitter, back in 2008. I had a newborn baby and it was the cool days of Twitter when you could have positive conversations and find friends of all walks of life, all around the globe.
You, Nikki, and your Styling You community have helped me in so many ways – great new styling ideas; the confidence to try new styles that I would have written off as “too young” for me; access to Nina’s wardrobe style and how I could make it my own. I’ve also learned a lot by watching you as a business woman – your consistency, your strategic approach, your customer service and your willingness to help other people – even those who might be considered your “competitors”. I’ve used Styling You as examples in so many social media and marketing workshops because I think you’re doing an amazing job.
My favourite thing in my wardrobe right now … my navy and white striped off-the-shoulder maxi. I’m carrying a few extra kilos and have fallen a little out of love with my clothes lately, so it’s time to figure out new ways to wear them all. And I need to up my work wardrobe game in 2018 – my work from home status might be changing up a bit, so a little less active wear and a bit more professionalism are on the cards.
Congratulations on all you’ve achieved Nikki – I can’t wait to see what comes next.
What a lovely post Nikki, your heart shines through in it. I’ve been following along and sharing my daily photos for quite a few years and have absolutely LOVED getting to know you in real life. It was a complete fan girl moment when we met, who needs Oprah when we have you! x
Hi Nikki
I’ve been following along for a long time. I think it’s been eight plus years. I know I’d been reading for a number of years before I fell pregnant and my eldest turns 6 in March.
Wow where to start. I have learnt so much from you and the many women in this community. Seeing women of all ages, shapes and sizes embrace fashion and using it to make a statement has been incredibly powerful. I have always struggled with my style (I’ve always been envious of women who make fashion look so effortless) and in my mid 30s I finally feel more confident and comfortable in my style and how I project that to the world.
My favourite item in my wardrobe would have to be a couple of beautiful floral shirts/blouses. I love the soft feminine tones and beautiful florals that are popping up online and in store at the moment. I’m looking forward to the weather cooling down a bit (Brisbane based too) and pairing them with shorts and jeans.
I found the Styling You blog about 5 years ago, not long after I had turned 50 and was looking for some style confidence for my age and stage (having 5 beautiful children, I was a long time domestic engineer!). I have been a blog reader, instagram follower and program participant in that time and I have thrown the board shorts to the vinnies bag, slapped on a bit of self-tan and got the legs that hold me up and get me around every day out to the beach! I have discovered fabulous long-leg undies that allow me to get the aforementioned self-tanned legs out and about in a dress! The most life-changing thing since joining this community however, is the fact that I am now a ‘carry-on’ girl! I have gone from being a chronic overpacker to embracing the capsule wardrobe and I have travelled overseas for weeks at a time with my small wheelie bag, a cross body bag and a trusty sun-hat! It is SO liberating. I have spent the last three years completing a Masters degree to retrain and re-enter the ‘paid’ workforce so I am really in need of help to changing the focus of my wardrobe! My favourite thing in my wardrobe at the moment is a little something I haven’t worn yet! I just bought a lovely sun dress (WITH POCKETS) to take (in my carry-on bag) when I head off to Vietnam with my sisters in a couple of weeks to start the festival of fifty for my fabulously stylish sister! Thanks Nikki!
I think it was either 2010 January on holidays I was still living in Melbourne. Then I did nearly five years in Brisvegas and I’m now at Northern Beaches Sydney. I’ve moved as many times as your hair has changed . I love how the blog keeps growing and evolving and I’m pretty sure over 50 of my facey friends now follow you because of the real ness & diversity. The community at SY is very empowering and nourishing congrats on 10 years. Wardrobe goals are to fit back into most of it and grab a new work wardrobe with some Frankie4’s for sure as at just about 45 I’m reentering paid work – latest purchases are sale items T-shirts,dresses, pants, casual stuff whilst I’m in between sizes. I do want a great pair of jeans this winter too and a statement outfit for a reunion
1. Three years
2. Being able to embrace to boho look in a classy stylish way- Your Nina Proudman obsession was liked by one of my Facebook friends- I was hooked after that!
3. Tshirt dresses and flowing frocks- I have done the opposite to you- moved from Brissie to the beach! Emptynesting, turning 50 and beach living oponed up a whole new way of looking at life
1. 2 years following
2. When I was 40 I became a widow, I am now 45. I spent a few years in a zip up fleecy cardigan from target that was already 10 years old, just because it was comfort and I could not even think about me, as I have three kids. This blog, Instagram and Facebook posts have helped me consider just shopping my own wardrobe for colour, adding a bit of flair if I can to help me feel better and more together. I also love Offspring and love the posts about those.
3. A boomshankar skirt that is so bright and colourful I would never have previously bought it and a denim skirt with frayed edges from adrift that is my absolute go to.
I started following you on Instagram a few years ago and that eventually lead me to your blog and now the community. I live in Port Macquarie, however have spent most of my recent years in Qld. I’m on my early 40s and about to embark back into full time work after having my girls. I’ve just been and bought up a storm at Metallicus as I love the versatility and comfort factor of their clothes. My wardrobe aim this year is to turn it around from stay at home mum into a working mums wardrobe.