We all know how confident you feel when you look sharp.

Never underestimate the power of the outfit. Especially when in the corporate world; I find it amusing how we spend hours polishing up on our credentials, industry news and skills, however when it comes to our wardrobe, people just don’t invest the time to curate their visual resume.

Now, I am not talking about spending hours getting ready and outlaying copious amounts of money. More on focusing on simplifying, getting your core basics right and investing in a few beautiful pieces. This not only makes you feel great, it makes your everyday outfit selection easier.

When I started Hills & West, one of the most refreshing things I did was declutter, clear and minimalize my wardrobe. Ok, I started the process by travelling 5 months from one backpack, however when I got back there is something incredibly liberating with a few core outfits that you just know you feel great in.

Then I met Tara Castellan.

We were introduced by a mutual friend and told to sit in a room and let the ideas flow.

Well we did.

Fun, creative and incredibly inspiring, she works with women to creatively curate a dream wardrobe that is chic, stylish, and completely functional.

Obviously we had a lot in common, with Hills & West being all those things, I thought I would share a bit about what Tara does and some questions I love to ask.

Styled by….

Tara works 1:1 in a 3-step process (Edit Wear Love) that is hugely personal, educational and fun!

Many of her clients are looking to up the ante in their day to day dressing (read: make it chic, stylish + inspired ) and to have greater ease, less overwhelm + more enjoyment with their wardrobe choices. They want a wardrobe that represents them perfectly where they are in their careers + lives, and makes them feel like the best version of themselves!

Tara’s vast knowledge and love for what she does, has not only seen her transform many wardrobes, but the attitudes and confidence of her clients… which is what it’s all about!

A little about Tara.

I’m Tara, I currently call Sydney, Australia home and I have an irrational love for dogs, music, the ocean and traveling!

Tara’s motivations.

I do what I do for a few reasons; I love everything about the creative process, the challenges, the way it makes you think outside of the box, I love fashion (of course) but mainly and most importantly, I love seeing my clients happy and thriving.

A typical day in the life of a stylist.

There is no typical day! One day I could be sourcing clothes for clients, the next I could be in their homes curating outfits. The following week I could be on a shoot, creating a mood board or having a Skype meeting.

Some of the projects Tara works on.

I’ve worked on some amazing Campaign shoots for labels (men’s and women’s) which means I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with some amazing creatives and create some good work!

Some of my proudest moments though, have been when I worked with women (who run companies or have high powered positions within these companies) to up level their day to day way of dressing into the stylish, chic and functional wardrobe they have always dreamt of.

My philosophy as a personal stylist is that the days of boring, feminine stifling dressing are over. Smart, brilliant, beautiful women can dress in a stylish, classic, fashion forward and confident way through out all types of businesses, as long as they are confident and educated in what they wear.

Favourite tip.

Start with what you have. You’ve bought what you have for a reason, so let’s work with that and introduce some other key pieces that extend your wardrobe, but still allow your personality to shine through.

What is in the pipeline?

Working with more beautiful clients, finishing my website, and travel!

Favourite website, blogger and Instagram account.

I have to say; Instagram is where I hang out the most for inspiration.

I love @anthropologie for all things beautifully styled. For art, I’m a massive fan of Melbourne based artist @mirandaskoczek, for fashion I love @scanlantheodore and @zimmermann. I also love @manrepeller , because no matter what she does, she stays true to her and somehow pulls off every crazy outfit with humour and style! I adore the platform Samantha Wills has created for women on @samanthatwillsfoundation. And of course I follow lots of travel and wanderlusty accounts to keep my gypsy tendencies at bay!

Style icons.

My style icons are my clients because they have thoughtfully invested in themselves. They have learnt, expanded and embraced a new and exciting way to dress and the outcome is them being more assured, confident and ready to take on anything.

Three items on the wishlist.

A navy quilted 5.5 Chanel handbag (that’s a BIG wish)
Acne boots (in navy please and thank you)
And a bottle of my favourite perfume, Fracas by Robert Piguet (a tuberose dream)
5 things on the bucket list

Only 5? Yikes. Ok ….

I want to travel around India.
I want to go to Morocco and get lost in the souks.
I want to swim with wild dolphins.
I want to visit the City of Love, Paris.
I want to travel around Mexico.
I want to meet and visit my family in Venice, Italy
Sorry, that was 6!

I also love taking photo’s, so I’ll take a great camera to capture and document every amazing moment!

One thing not many people know about Tara.

I danced for 10 years and completed all the levels of tap dancing. I stopped just before I could go on to become a qualified tap dance teacher. Do you think I missed my true calling?

Tara’s favourite Hills & West accessory (totally self serving).

The Morgan 3 in 1 backpack…. never in my life did I think I would covet a backpack so much! It goes with absolutely everything and looks so chic when worn in any of the three ways. LOVE!

Tara has been a part of the creative and inspiring fashion industry for over 10 years. As well as being a qualified styling teacher, she has worked with global fashion brands in management, sales and styling, but soon discovered that the next natural step was to work with clients in a personal styling capacity.

Want to know more?

Get in touch via tara@taracastellan.com ( make the subject line ‘EDIT WEAR LOVE”) to set up a time for a chat about working together and her styling services!

You can also follow along on Facebook : Tara Castellan / Styled By and Instagram @taracastellan

We have a few exiting project coming up and can’t wait to share.