BEING Seen

Shopping can be exhilarating or exhausting and it’s easy to lose our sense of style. If you find yourself despairing that you have “nothing to wear” while looking at an overcrowded and overwhelming wardrobe, help is at hand thanks to Sunshine Plaza’s latest initiative, as Deb Caruso discovers.

Between leaving the corporate world and the change in lifestyle and body shape that comes with motherhood and ageing, I was lost in a style void as black as my wardrobe! It’s my go-to colour for several reasons: it’s slimming; I can add wild earrings; wear it day or night; mix and match; and if I spill my coffee, it doesn’t matter.

Truth is, I lacked the confidence, time and sense of direction to find the right ‘style’ for this phase of my life.

When we heard Sunshine Plaza was partnering with Fashion Stylist Sheree Johnstone of Unseen Styling to offer Personal Shopping Sessions, our Fashion Editor Carlie Wacker put my hand up!

Fashion is in Sheree’s DNA and from a young age, she joined her mother on buying trips and worked in her Mooloolaba boutiques. She travelled the world modelling in campaigns and on catwalks for global brands and later launched her own boutiques, Unseen, Unseen Bazaar, Sesheke and Burnish.

Sheree now offers styling services for women and men wanting to refresh their wardrobe or looking for an outfit for a special occasion. For Sheree, the name ‘Unseen’ was all about presenting fashions that hadn’t been seen before and helping customers find something different and not be afraid to ‘be seen’.

A personal styling or shopping session with Sheree can save you time, money and stress showing you what styles, colours and shapes best suit you.

Our consultation started with a wardrobe audit which is optional. Sheree helped me find workable solutions for a few problem pieces and encouraged me to part with items that no longer worked.

I was surprised at how fun and freeing this experience was with Sheree acting as an honest and non-judgemental friend!

Following our wardrobe review, Sheree had a look around Sunshine Plaza and arrived with a plan for our shopping date. For the next two hours, I head to the fitting rooms while Sheree hunts down outfits for me to try.

She had sourced some essentials, such as black pants and a leopard-print skirt that would work great with all my black tops and black boots and presented several options in different stores which were all winners!

More importantly, she handed me items I wouldn’t have otherwise tried and safely introduced me to pops of colour and styles that I would never have chosen but I love.

The haul did not break the bank and I happily made a few purchases.

Now that I better understand my style and what to look for with regards to colours, styles and fabrics, I have added a few more pieces to the range and no longer dread choosing what to wear every morning!

I’m now stepping out in style – and attracting lots of positive comments. I’m not afraid to be seen!

“I love the feeling of making people feel happy and receiving compliments –it’s really rewarding and I’m very excited to explore Sunshine Plaza with my clients,” she said.

To book a shopping session with Sheree visit www.sunshineplaza.com