Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

All about online-ASOS and Myer get Aussie’s web surfing

When it comes to the world of retail right now, its all about the invasion of the overseas labels. We’re talking Zara, Topshop and now coveted shopping haven ASOS, which opened a dedicated Australian site last Thursday.

Since launching in 2000, ASOS has grown exponentially with the number of loyal customers expanding day by day. Think those cute, fluffy buggers that multiplied into squillions of gremlins when they get wet. Ok I don’t think the ASOS crew has been chucking water on their computers but you get the picture.

The Australian recently reported some pretty amazing ASOS figures proving the era of online shopping is well and truly here, including:

• ASOS’ annual turnover is currently ₤340 million ($531m) compared with Net-a-Porter’s ₤230m ($359m)

• ASOS boasts more than 990,640 facebook followers (update: now more than 1,032,111!)

• ASOS provides its top shoppers with a printed magazine-that’s 450,000 recipients!

The site not only features hot little numbers from the house design team, but also from a ton of highly respected international fashion houses including Chloe, Jil Sander, Elizabeth and James, and our own Elke Kramer; ensuring the site covers every corner of

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

FY 2011: Would you like a bag for that?

As FY 2012 kicks off with a well-heeled sole, we take some time to reflect on the year gone by, one that saw some of the country’s biggest retailers bite the dust. As Ragtrader reports on soft sales for the June/July clearance period, Myer and DJ’s prepare to announce profit losses and every second article is an ode to the amount of dollars being sent offshore to ‘unfairly advantaged’ cheaper retailers. So what is really going on?

In our office, there is a distinct lack of change in our own spending habits. As Gen Y’s we like to spend what we earn and generally on things that sit above our pay line. Is it irresponsible? Perhaps. But as long as we can keep paying off that credit card, maybe we are actually being more responsible that our overly conservative counterparts who stash their dollars for the market bust that looms ahead. You see, when K Rudd handed out the stimulus package, oh did we spend it. And when we get our tax back? Yep, we’ll probably spend that too. Perhaps our disposable income is exactly what this country

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

On the couch with: Elle Ferguson

Considering that we spend a good 2 or so hours of our working week trawling the posts on www.theyallhateus.com (sorry Mel), we took it upon ourselves to hunt down the beautiful Elle Ferguson, part of the ’Elle and Tash’ duo.  As the current National VM Manager at General Pants, Elle has what we rate as a dream job – not to mention a dream blog, wardrobe and legs!   Here’s a sneak peek into the life of one of our favourite fashionistas….

Elleshia Ferguson

Blogger (www.theyallhateus.com)

Women’s National Visual Merchandising Manager at General Pants Co.

1. How did you break into the industry?

I studied Visual Merchandising for 12months and then transferred into a 4-year degree in Interior Design. At my final exhibition I got offered the National Visual merchandising job for One Teaspoon. After that, it was hard work and long hours.

2. What do you love most about your role?

For me it’s that no day is ever the same as the next. And my role allows my to be creative and passionate about the thing I love most: FASHION!

3. Do you agree that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?

I do and I don’t.

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Holly Curtis.. the beauty behind ‘Am I There Yet?’

With an office which spends a decent amount of time each week reading blogs, we got chatting the other day at Market Lane Coffee (our latest coffee hangout – we don’t like to get too attached to any one place) about the wonder of these magical online spaces. To quote the master, Perez Hilton says that 19% of young people aged 12-17 have their own blogs. Gen Y never ceases to amaze.. who knew they could even touch type at that age.

So, what better way to find out more, than to get it straight from the horse’s mouth? Or, in this case, a very pretty Peninsula-born pony. We sat down for a chat with ‘Am I There Yet’ blogger extraordinaire, Holly Curtis (this time at The Cullen). Part Uni Student, part Beauty Editor for Onya Magazine, part Tiffany & Co sales assistant and part blogger, if you haven’t yet read this busy girl’s blog, it’s time to get on board. The perfect mix up of make up and madness, we love Holly’s way with words.

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

If the shoe fits..

This week I met a woman who sells shoes to women with big feet. And not just sensible shoes: glamorous shoes, quirky shoes and borderline S&M shoes. Being six foot tall herself, she understood the pain of not being able to find a striking pair of high heels in a size 12. Now she’s making shoe shopping a joyful experience for the large-footed women of Australia (not to mention quite a few drag queens!)

Even with my bog-standard size 7.5 feet, I felt happy just stepping into her store, Glamazon. I recognised it as a place that could change lives, perhaps because I’d stepped into just such a store about five years ago myself. You see, despite my ordinary size 12 frame, my bra cup size comes from the middle of the alphabet. Yes, there is life beyond a D cup. And until I moved to the UK and discovered Bravissimo, the store for women with more than a handful, it was a pretty dismal life lingerie-wise.

When I entered a Bravissimo store for the first time, what really struck me – apart from the fact

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Retailers in denial

After a lacklustre Christmas, a consortium representing more than 2200 Australian retailers, including David Jones, Myer, Target and Harvey Norman, has decided that the reason they’re losing business to foreign online sellers is – wait for it – the GST.

To which we say WTF?

In our view, the GST is way down the list of disadvantages that our larger retailers face when competing with foreign online stores. (And in any case, surely the 10% tax is usually offset by the hefty cost of international postage?)

If local retailers are serious about competing with online sellers from overseas, we think they should stop focussing on changes to our tax regime – which look unlikely – and start thinking about what they can do better, including:

• Getting online themselves. And doing it well. A lot of people shop online because they can’t or don’t want to leave home – or because they live miles from the shops they need to visit or don’t have time to track down what they need. Price is only part of what drives these shoppers. They want convenience. We really believe that if large Australian retailers offered a

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Take the silly out of your shopping this Christmas season…

As all our favourite stores go online (think Country Road and David Jones as of late), we have been busy recruiting the latest role to appear in the job market, the Online Store Manager. In order to, you know, ‘research’, we then thought it was necessary to check out the market by trawling the websites of our International retailers as these guys have been doing it much longer that we have…

While this has been educational in seeing the different ways in which stores both here and abroad structure their online offerings, this has not been so good for the bank balance. Excuses such as “oh its my Christmas present to myself” and “but it was free shipping so I saved heaps of money” are being thrown around the office, so we thought the least we could do was share our “research findings” with you so all can benefit and like us, “get organised for Christmas.”

So, as Santa oils his sleigh, take advantage of our strong dollar and leave those car keys and carpark rage in your handbag. Its time to get online.

While many people are tentative to shop

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Spring Carnival Fashion: Bra, yes. Straps, no.

With another Spring Racing Carnival down, it’s the perfect time for a fashion wrap-up. Please welcome Lucinda Ormonde, our guest blogger for the week. Part writer, part bookie and avid tea-drinker, she takes us through the fashion do’s and don’ts of Flemington’s big week.

After many, many years of working on the racetrack over the Spring Carnival I’ve seen it all – the good, the bad and the very, very bad. And on that basis, I’ve compiled this little list of common fashion failures and how to avoid them.

Ladies:

Bra straps, let’s talk about them. There’s a reason it’s called underwear and there’s also a reason God/Calvin Klein invented the strapless bra. The only time a black bra should be seen is when Carrie Bradshaw is wearing it. And you know those “invisible” plastic straps? I can see those too.
And still on bras…. If you’ve got boobs, I suggest you wear one.
Flesh coloured tights. Yes, I know many of you think they’re non-existent, but here’s a little secret: when you wear them with SANDALS, the seams that gather at your toes make those “invisible” …

Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Open your mind & watch for opportunities…

Meet Clare. Clare is a London based copywriter who currently works for cult fashion and lifestyle brand Anthropologie. In the past, she has also spent time scouring the London streets as a freelance trend predictor – now that’s a job! Her career has led her to some pretty enviable organisations including Harrods, Cath Kidston and even our beloved Net-A-Porter. Clare is testament to the fact that passion is what ultimately leads you to finding job bliss. Clare’s also a digital social butterfly and blogs about all things vintage, fashion, art and music here.

When you were in school what did you want to grow up to be?

I went through various ideas – from air hostess to hairdresser to film star – I think every girl wants to be an air hostess at some stage in their life. Although, with so many budget airlines now, I’m not quite sure the ‘glamour’ exists as it once seemed to.

Where did you start? Did you have a career strategy when you went out and got your first job?

I’ve taken many, many paths but I didn’t work out that I wanted to

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

Our Digital Dollars Going Offshore!

Something we bemoan a lot around here is the failure of Australian retailers to offer us a compelling online shopping experience. Don’t they know that Australians LOVE to shop online? Why are they letting more than half our (multi-billion dollar) online spend go overseas, often to stores which are smart enough to actively court the Australian market, such as Topshop and The Book Depository?

We have heard various excuses thrown around – the market’s too small, early adopters were burned years ago when the market wasn’t established, franchisees won’t support it – but none of them are washing with us. We think the industry needs to put on its big girl pants and face up to the realities of 21st century retailing.

The fact is that Australians are big online spenders, and given that many of us are geographically isolated (from high-street retailers at least), and all of us are spending more time online, we’re only going to spend more this way.

There are a few local retailers who are getting it right: JB Hi Fi, Dick Smith, Sportsgirl and Witchery are notable for their online success. Just recently Big W

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Fashion & Beauty

A blog about all things career-related.

On the sofa with wardrobe organiser, Yvette Sormann

Yvette, you bravely took on the job of sorting out (GXYSearch Director) Mel’s wardrobe. What did her wardrobe say about her?

She’s a very casual, chilled-out person with a sense of fun.

Well, nothing says fun like a dozen fake fur gillets! What is the scariest thing you’ve found in a client’s wardrobe?

Sex toys aside, a particularly hideous ball gown that looked like something from a Disney film. It took me a while, but I finally helped the client to see that it did her no favours (even a cartoon Cinderella would have struggled to pull it off!) She eventually agreed to give it to her daughter as a dress up.

What makes someone call you?

It’s usually one of two things: they’re bored with their look and ready for a makeover or their wardrobe is a total mess and they can’t face tackling it alone.

What exactly do you do for your clients?

A range of things: whatever it takes to get their wardrobe working for them, basically. Usually a clean out, an audit and some help with shopping and putting outfits together. I can help organise other areas too: desks are a favourite of mine.

Are

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