A Week in Work Outfits with personal stylist, Sally Mackinnon

What a stylist wears.

If you don’t work in a corporate environment, 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, Melbourne-based personal stylist, Sally Mackinnon, steps us through her working wardrobe. Dressing for work is never easy – unless it’s something you do for a living. As a personal stylist, Sally’s job is to help people find clothes that seamlessly fit into their lifestyle and make them feel good. It makes sense then, that her own wardrobe (full of coveted local labels including Zimmerman, Bassike and Essen) is the perfect blend of colourful, comfortable and versatile.

Having started her business, Styled by Sally, back in 2007, she now has a team of four stylists, a personal assistant and an impressive 254,000 followers on Instagram. Sally’s typical working week varies from personal shopping sessions with clients, to industry events and content creation, no two days are quite the same.

Monday

I start off my week with Mondays ‘off’, in the sense that I don’t work with clients. I’ve been working on some exciting projects behind the scenes this year (though I can’t say too much!) so Monday is technically my work-from-home day.

Even though I pop out usually twice a day for my coffee runs, I still like to make an effort because you just never know who you’ll run into. Here I’m wearing my Frankie Shop blazer with pieces from one of my favourite Australian labels, Bassike. I’ve got an old grey cotton tank with new-season black Bermuda denim shorts and mesh, crystal-embellished ballet flats from Senso (so strange, but I’m loving them) and a bag from Elk.

Tuesday

Today I’m back in the shops to meet a client for a personal shopping session. On these days I can do a lot of walking, so mixing comfort with style is important. I still like to wear a heel even though I’m tall.

As the weather changes, I love to revisit old wardrobe favourites and style them in new ways. This old leather skirt by Zimmermann is easily over five years old and I still love it. I’ve teamed it with a cute graphic T-shirt by Brisbane label Mode Mischief, sandals by Tibi and an equally old bag by Balenciaga. My style can change from day to day, as is probably obvious from my first two outfits.

Wednesday (night)

This is not my usual Wednesday night attire but I was hosting an event for Melbourne Fashion Week that called for serious colour. The event was a panel discussion on Dopamine Dressing and I hired this fabulous Aje dress. I knew it would be perfect for the event and I felt so amazing in it – the precise dopamine effect of wearing colour!

The dress (and event) was an absolute hit. I teamed it with the perfect accessories from my wardrobe; an old sequin bag from Asos, old pink suede sling-backs from Witchery, earrings from Etsy and a pop of pink lipstick! You can watch my reel featuring the dress, along with the other almost four million viewers.

Thursday (day)

Another day, another shopping session! At this time of the year, we work with many of our regular clients to help them buy a versatile, mix-and-match summer wardrobe. Our clients can need everything in a two to three-hour session, from workwear and casual wear to underwear, beach attire and outfits for events.

Today I had back-to-back clients so comfort was important, which for me always starts with flat shoes. These white ballet flats are from one of my absolute local faves, Essen. I teamed them with a dose of double denim – embellished jeans by Ksubi, a jacket by Glassons (great Toteme dupe), a graphic T-shirt by Être Cécile and my Balenciaga bag. My multi-focal tinted glasses are Moscot NY which I get from Trend Optic in Melbourne.

Thursday (night)

When I go to events, I really try to wear something that aligns very closely with my style. I want to feel like me because that’s when I feel the most comfortable and confident. Here, I’m wearing my new season Camilla and Marc vest and trousers with some older Acne pieces including mesh skivvy and blazer for an industry event. I’m wearing this with white heels by Bassike and an Aesque burgundy clutch.

Friday

Part of my working week now includes content creation. Covid gave me an opportunity to create video content and it’s opened an entire new part of my business, not to mention a revenue stream.

Today I’m creating content to promote one of my ‘projects’ – my own graphic T-shirt! It’s been an exciting and fulfilling process (having them designed, printed and manufactured in Melbourne) and now we’re at the fun stage of promoting them. I’m wearing it with an Acne Studios blazer, Arthur Apparel printed jeans, Tibi pumps and one of my Uniqlo cashmere jumpers over my shoulders. I love that this outfit reflects so many aspects of my signature style; a graphic T-shirt, a blazer, great denim and a pointed-toe heel.

Follow Sally here.