A week in work outfits with fashion lecturer, Thea Basiliou

What a teacher wears.

It’s never easy trying to come up with new outfit combinations for the working week. Instead of having a set uniform, 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 what am I meant to do when my favourite pants are in the wash?

Given that dressing for a nine-to-five can be a daily struggle, we’re asking our favourite local creatives for outfit inspiration. This week we’re digging through the wardrobe of multi-hyphenate creative, Thea Basiliou.

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Splitting her time between styling, consulting and teaching fashion, Thea is also a skilled vintage shopper (which is how she found her beloved Yohji Yamamoto skirt at Swop).

However, she rarely relies on a single piece of clothing to make her outfit. Instead, she places equal value in accessories, whether that’s with upcycled vintage earrings, a ’90s Chanel brooch or by twisting a black slip skirt to make a cummerbund belt.

“The way I explore and wear clothes hasn’t really changed since I was 17,” she says. “I dress for mood, often informed by something that I have absorbed from a book, a film, a photo, music, a piece of art or a conversation.”

A Queensland native, Thea originally owned an iconic multi-brand boutique called Blonde Venus in Brisbane, which helped hone her eye for styling. “I was lucky to always be wearing new season designer but would often individualise a look by adding something vintage,” she remembers. Having now lived in Melbourne for 11 years, she’s found herself experimenting more with her day-to-day outfits, whether that’s to teach a class or run errands.

Monday

I work from home on Monday mornings so had a Teams meeting, emails, messages and some marking! In the afternoon, I head to Collarts Fitzroy campus to teach a Fashion Styling and Image Making class, which is so much fun.

I’m wearing a vintage hand-knit Greek cardigan, an Arnsdorf skivvy, Dries van Noten midi skirt, Tabio tights, Martiniano mules, Dominique Jackson upcycled vintage earrings and an Maryam Nassir Zadeh scrunchie.

I tend to wear light neutrals with colour accents but in winter, it’s so easy to fall into wearing lots of black and grey, which is chic but can get a little boring. The Dries skirt was a recent purchase from Swop and I was saving it for spring but I just couldn’t wait.

Tuesday

Tuesday is a full day of teaching at Collarts. Today, I took my Fashion Retail Environments class into the city on a retail excursion to research and gather notes for their assignment. Here I’m wearing a JW Anderson coat dress (Pre Fall 2015), an Arnsdorf skivvy, a vintage slip skirt, Tabio tights, Maryam Nassir Zadeh pumps, vintage clip-on earrings and a Muji tote bag.

This coat dress was a Matches Fashion purchase (RIP). I don’t wear it a lot but it comes out a few times every winter, and I absolutely love the collar and the colour, plus it’s a great example of Jonathan’s earlier womenswear.

I have some beautiful handbags but I bought a few of these tote bags for work, and now I’ve just been using them every day! They’re so easy and unpretentious, and I love teaming them with a pretentious outfit as a utilitarian contrast.

That night, I went to see the fantastic film, The Invite. I’m gearing up for the Melbourne International Film Festival and have already booked 12 films with more on my wish list. It’s an annual Melbourne highlight.

Wednesday

Wednesday is another full day of classes at Collarts, and I took my Visual Merchandising class on an excursion to explore local retailers with a unique perspective in Fitzroy and Collingwood. After we seemed to lose so much independent retail, it’s exciting to see another wave come through and I’m looking forward to seeing even more growth in bricks and mortar retail again.

I’m a Phoebe Philo fan, and I have purchased a few pieces from her newer namesake brand but this sweater is a classic from her days at Céline. I’m also obsessed with this vintage Yohji Yamamoto skirt which has a slight curvy, fishtail shape.

My mum passed away from breast cancer in 2003 at only 57, leaving behind a lot of great clothes from the ’90s and some have made their way into my wardrobe. This coat is one of those pieces – it’s a great utility piece and reminds me of Prada from the period. The Chanel camelia brooch is from my own archive from the early ’90s and my beautiful earrings are handmade by a friend in Berlin who has a fabulous jewellery atelier called Nikita Brooks.

Thursday

Thursday was my first day back at RMIT for the semester. At some point this winter, I started tucking my trouser legs into my socks and now I can’t stop. At first it was to keep warm but I’ve become obsessed with the look. It’s not quite a balloon pant, though I’m desperate for a pair of the Chloe ones!

I’m wearing a much-loved Simone Rocha knit, from her first runway at London Fashion Week in 2012. I’m proud to say I debuted that collection in Australia at my store Blonde Venus, and this is another great example of buying special pieces that stand the test of time in quality and style.

Today, I wanted a wide belt, so I scrunched and twisted a black slip skirt to make this cummerbund shape. This is my fourth pair of Lemaire shoes and they are such a dream to wear. They’re so soft and comfortable but interesting.

Friday

I’m mostly teaching at the moment with some freelance styling, but I also do a lot of mentoring with emerging designers and creatives. This often means a lot of messages and weekly Zooms, but my favourites are the face-to-face catch-ups. Today I caught up with a mentee for a brunch date at Marios in Fitzroy, followed by a fun time at the Evoiia designer vintage pop-up on Brunswick Street.

This cape knit is another kooky, early Jonathan Anderson piece. I rarely wear it, but when I do, it’s a ridiculously fun day. I again managed to tuck my trousers into socks with my well-worn Mari Giudicelli shoes.

In the afternoon, I met another friend to check out yet another designer resale pop-up. This time it was Relik Editions from Sydney, who I met at the Vogue Vintage Market at Australian Fashion Week. We exhausted ourselves in a fashion frenzy and needed hot chips and hot chocolate at Entrecote afterwards.

That night, I went to the new collection launch for Kahe by Kacy Heywood in Curtin House. I saw it on the runway during Australian Fashion Week but it was great to see pieces IRL and catch up with some friends. Kacy is making everything here in Melbourne, so it’s inspiring to see emerging designers doing good things and really giving it a go.

Keep up with Thea here.