Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the eccentric wardrobe of Sydney-based stylist, Fleur Egan

“I don’t believe in ‘occasional dressing’ – if you wanna wear it, just wear it.”

We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years) and our series Hey, I Like Your Style! dives into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.

While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves, and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. This week, we’re taking a look inside the eccentric wardrobe of Sydney-based, British fashion stylist, Fleur Egan.

Growing up in London, Fleur’s style was influenced as much by her parents’ Ghanaian and English heritage as their occupations – being the daughter of an antiques dealer and a fashion model meant she gravitated towards vintage clothing from a young age. Fleur found a passion for seeking out unique pieces, even if they weren’t always on trend. This, she says, is how her style journey began.

Fast-forward to today, Fleur is known in the industry for the incredible looks she puts together on fashion shoots, celebrities and on herself – she’s a regular street style highlight at Australian Fashion Week. She’s dressed Rita Ora, The Veronicas and Ayesha Madon, and had her work published in Vogue, Wonderland, Russh and Fashion Journal, to name a few.

When she’s on the job, Fleur prioritises comfort, opting for a uniform of “an oversized blazer, a great slip skirt and a more structured top underneath,” she says. But in her day-to-day, she leans into the eccentricities of bright colours and textures – a nod to her Ghanaian heritage. With a particularly enviable wardrobe built over years of working as a stylist, Fleur takes us through her most meaningful pieces, style memories and items on high rotation.

Fashion Journal: Hey Fleur! Tell me about yourself and what you like to wear.

Fleur: Hey, I’m Fleur, an English fashion stylist living in Sydney. I come from English and Ghanaian descent, and fashion and art have always been things I’ve been passionate about, whether it’s experimenting with colours and textures, seeking out amazing vintage or just creating an individual style that feels super personal to me. [Style] is something that always came naturally and I decided to make it a career. I really dress based on my mood and I don’t believe in ‘occasional dressing’ – if you wanna wear it, just wear it.

What has your style evolution looked like?

Gosh it’s so funny when you look back at some of your fashion choices. I think I was always seeking out things that were a bit different or things not everybody had, and I definitely wasn’t always doing it successfully, but I think I’ve kind of found my feet.

My work uniform is an oversized blazer, a great slip skirt and a more structured top underneath. The key is layers, as I like to be super comfortable but still stylish when I’m dressing other people. Outside of work, my style I would say is quite eccentric. I take lots of influence from India (where my husband is from) and my Ghanaian heritage, which plays a key factor when it comes to me being drawn to bright colours and textures.

Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets? 

The only regret I have is that I didn’t keep some pieces, as so much of it has come back into fashion. I had this amazing faux-leather, pale blue snakeskin hat that I absolutely loved and I left it in a park. When I went back to the park, I found an elderly gentleman wearing it and didn’t have the heart to ask him for it back. That’s a big regret but I gotta say – he was wearing it with some serious style. 

What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?

As a stylist, I’m lucky as I get to go to so many amazing sample sales. The longer you work in the industry, you create great relationships with designers, so we [stylists] are really fortunate to be given some of the amazing pieces. 

When it comes to buying for myself, I love consignment shopping. Probably one of the most valuable pieces in my wardrobe is a Chanel leather trench coat from the 2017 runway show. It’s timeless but it has patent trims, so it has a modern edge as well. That’s something I’d never part with.

What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?  

I’ve got one piece of jewellery that I absolutely love. It’s a vintage charm bracelet from the Victorian era that used to be my mum’s and every year, my dad would give her an extra charm on the chain. She gave that to me a few years ago and that’s really meaningful to me, I intend to keep adding charms so that it lives on.

Who or what influences your style?

My style is heavily influenced by my heritage and just the way I’m feeling that day. I always start with how I wanna feel in an outfit and then I kind of build the outfit from there.

What fashion piece are you keeping in your closet despite being ‘out of trend’?

There are definitely some things in my wardrobe that I might not want to wear now, but I’m hanging on to, because I know it’s gonna come back around. I have an orange ’70s vintage Courrèges safari suit that is just resting for a while.

What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat? 

On repeat is my Ann Demeulemeester black slip skirt, my Gia Borgini square toe boots and all my Acne pieces I’m always reaching for on the daily. 

Who are your favourite local designers?

I’m super excited about some of the new ones: Haluminous, Ethan Bergersen and Rube Pedder. To wear on the daily, I have a lot of Bassike pieces on rotation that are simple and classic, but can be dressed up with accessories.

Keep up with Fleur here.