Fashion & style; same same, but different.

“Fashion, shopping and style are so much more than a material obsession. It’s about confidence, positive self-talk and empowerment! In today’s fast-paced world, flooded with social media imagery and targeted marketing, I want to help my clients navigate their style and shop with intention.” — Jessica Ryan.
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Jess is a talented powerhouse: Founder of Curate & Style, Gippsland’s freshest personalised styling business, and a mumma of one (with another on the way). Yup, this lady is getting her hustle on.

As a former Manager of the female fashion store Supré in Mid Valley Shopping Centre, Morwell, Jess comes from humble beginnings. (To jog your memory, Supré was the store with its music too loud and the skirts too short!) At 21, Jess moved to Melbourne, moved on from ra-ra shirts and fabric belts, and worked her way up in the world of retail—managing increasingly important stores for a number of years.

Fashion and styling have provided Jess with confidence, valuable tools and a clear path to follow as a young woman.

After over a decade in the fashion industry, Jess had some pretty serious shopping habits and was on a runaway train to becoming a fully-fledged ‘shopaholic’. It was after this realisation that Jess set about living with an intentional, curated wardrobe inspired by the Minimalism movement—an approach she has since applied to her whole life.

Jess found this new awareness and its results to be life-changing, which sparked a passion to share these values and principles with others through her personalised styling service.

After our chat with Jess, it became apparent that we all need a little bit of ‘curating and styling’ in our lives too.

Jess, who is your ideal Curate & Style client? Who can benefit from your services?
No two people have the same style, shopping habits or needs. I help inspire and empower people of all ages and stages in their life. You may be an ‘over-shopper’ looking for some accountability while still maintaining a sense of style, or in the midst of a big life change such as a new job, becoming a mum, losing or gaining weight, or maybe you love styling and shopping but want some guidance in shopping smarter for your wardrobe.

If you’re overwhelmed by your wardrobe or knowing what to wear, or can’t seem to stay on top of household chores—I have so many tips, tricks and advice that can turn it all around. Even if you dislike shopping, don’t have a clue about what clothing suits you or simply want your clothes purchased for you, I can help.

My passion is to make styling and intentional shopping attainable and fun for everyone.

So, talk us through your process. What happens once we’re booked in?
We’ll have an initial chat about your expectations and needs for about 30 minutes at the beginning of our session (over coffee — of course). For an in-depth style consultation, we delve into your wardrobe and how you feel when getting ready each day. We outline your current style, goals and what you’d ultimately like to achieve from your sessions with Curate & Style.

What are some of the services we can utilise?
I offer many! These include pre-shopping consultations, wardrobe detox, personal shopping and capsule wardrobe sessions. You’ll be inspired, learn lifelong skills regarding the clothing that suits you, your body and your lifestyle, and discover how to manage your wardrobe with ease.

Is there anything we should hide in our wardrobe when we you come over?
(Laughs) No, not at all! I get this question all the time. You may have sentimental items, forgotten clothes stuffed at the back of the cupboard or some horribly daggy pieces that you’ve kept ‘cause they ‘feel good on’. Please ignore the feelings to tidy up, don’t go hiding your square-shouldered skeletons as you’ll get much more from the experience by leaving things exactly as they are.

Care to share a little ‘pro’ styling tip on how to look and feel amazing every day?
It’s not always about what you have, but what you don’t have that works best. Curate your life; carefully choose what you surround yourself with to make your choices simpler and more joyful.

What are new and exciting ventures coming up for Curate & Style?
New online experiences, including virtual styling consultations, personal style profiling and DIY style overhauls, also group shopping trips and group styling workshops with your pals.
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Jessica Ryan of Curate & Style has experience in professional wardrobe editing via New York-based styling school The Studio for Image Professionals. She has studied personal styling with the Australian Style Institute, and to top it off, has a Diploma in Interior Design.

You can find Jess at www.curateandstyle.com and @curateandstyle_ on Instagram.