A week in work outfits with Melbourne-based HR professional and curve model, Bedi Othow

“Coordinated, tailored essentials and bold sets.”

Working in a creative role, it can be difficult to know how to dress for the day. Instead of having a set uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black pants (as much as I love both), an ever-changing schedule means every morning requires a set of questions. Am I running around, or just sitting at my desk? Do I need to dress specifically for a project? And most importantly, will I be in the background of someone’s TikTok?

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This week, we follow a work week of South Sudanese-Australian entrepreneur and curve model, Bedi Othow. She spends her Monday to Friday balancing her roles as the Head of Corporate Services at the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission, curve model and the Founder of DivTal. “Wearing so many hats can make my life a little chaotic,” she says. “So I simplify my dress time by relaying on clean, coordinated, tailored essentials and bold sets.”

Seesawing between days at the office, meetings and walking the runway at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Bedi says “Every day and event means a chance to explore and unlock a different side of fashion… I get to play around with all kinds of styles and looks, so I’m never bored!” Read on to see how she’s styled her outfits.

Monday

Comfort and coffee were the goal today, so I went with a black Uniqlo tee (shamelessly, I have them in every colour – my go-to tee) and a black silk skirt paired with chunky black loafers and a classic trench coat from Asos. I am a gold girlie through and through, so my standard office jewellery stack is the Calvin Klein watch, thick round hoops and my Baileys gold-rimmed glasses.

That day I had a full day of back-to-back meetings all day, and only managed to sit back at my desk to complete and tick off some tasks from my long to-do list. Monday was a normal day at the office for me but hey, at least my outfit was a vibe.

Tuesday

Some weeks my worlds collide and the days get long but fun, too. On the to-do list today was working from home, running down to PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival to watch day two runways then straight to Flemington to speak on the career pathways panel. And the most important question was, ‘What do I wear?’

I went with a beautiful brown oversized power suit and black, pointy slingbacks. It’s one of my favourite finds – a well-tailored suit that’s well-cut and flattering to curvy bodies. It was giving boss and ‘I’m that girl’ energy.

I topped the look with black sunnies, a black bag and my black pointy slingbacks. Yes, I have these in multiple colours ’cause when you love it, you get it in every colour… or that’s just my theory. Don’t quote me. Somehow I made all the events and most importantly, I really enjoyed every part of the day.

Wednesday

On hump day, it was time to switch hats from being a corporate baddie to being a model and walking the runway at Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival. Runway days are very long days of rehearsals, makeup and more rehearsals before show time… so I opted for a comfortable street-style vibe for the day.

Yes, another set – but this time a dark denim shacket with dark denim jeans, both from Dazie, topped off with my favourite white Reebok sneakers. My tote bag was filled up with lollies, Red Bull and water to keep me going for the day. By the time it was showtime, I was able to get out there and kill it on the runway.

Thursday

I woke up ready to conquer my Thursday and started my day with a hot mat Pilates class. It was the perfect start to my day, especially because I had a big day of board meetings and presentations. I choose to wear some colour and bring out one of my favourite crepe sets from Seed.

I layered this with a white shirt from Cos and completed the look with my white pointy slingback heels… This ’fit gave me the hit of confidence and vibrance I needed to smash my presentations that day, and that’s exactly what I did.

Friday

After a full-on week, I welcomed a quiet Friday where I worked from home (WFH) and caught up on my to-do list… I know most people who WFH love a good PJ set or sportswear and believe me, I do too… But I’ve realised that if my WFH ’fit isn’t coordinated, I don’t feel as energetic and ready to conquer my day.

My go-to WFH fits are yeah, you guessed it – lounge sets. On this WFH Friday, I’m wearing loungewear pants I picked up from Kmart with a long-sleeved white top and… my must-have fluffy slippers.