Dressing for work
Episode 168 - How to organize your back-to-office wardrobe, with Silvana Patrick
Silvana Patrick is a stylist who has the advantage of having worked globally as an executive before embracing her love for fashion. She knows how corporate attire plays into forming a professional brand and how important it can be in career development, job search specifically.
Dressing for work is a challenge for many professionals who struggle with a lack of motivation, changing fashion trends, new office dress codes, and knowing what to dress to work from home. So, I invited an international award-winning personal stylist, Silvana Patrick, for a chat.
About our guest, Silvana Patrick
Silvana Patrick is an international, award-winning personal stylist and brand expert whose work translates into powerful results for her clients. Having worked in several countries, she brings a vast understanding and experience in optimizing one's image in the corporate and professional environment. Silvana uses the power of style to transform our perception of self and others, leaving her client feeling more confident and increasing their presence and impact in all aspects of their professional roles. She is a keynote presenter for several leading organizations and is part of the career and professional development initiatives at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.
Want to connect with Silvana? Then, check her Instagram, YouTube channel, or you can buy her book here.
Timestamps to guide your listening
02:51 What's the issue with dressing for work?
04:40 Today's guest is Silvana Patrick.
06:35 Silvana Patrick's career path.
09:58 The one piece of clothing that elevates a look.
11:10 Silvana Patrick styles women and men all over the world.
13:15 The different standards for dressing in other countries.
13:59 The importance of dressing correctly in the office.
16:36 The trend styles we're looking at.
20:00 How to dress for zoom interviews and back to the office.
22:33 Dressing is about knowing where you are and what you want to represent.
28:24 Advice on how to climb the corporate ladder.
30:26 Suggestions of great places to shop.
33:08 Dressing if you've gained weight or are on a weight loss journey.
35:32 Advice for older women who want to elevate their style.
36:23 Dressing for your body type is the most important.
Transcript of this episode
[00:00:00] Silvana Patrick: You know, my clients, they always say, oh my God, I'm 50. What, what should I wear? What should I wait? There's not such a thing. Dress for your body.
[00:00:18] Renata: hi. I run out of the Natty and this is the job hunting podcast, where I interview experts and professionals and discuss issues that are important for job hunters and those who are working to advance their careers. So make sure that you subscribe and follow and let's dive right in dressing for work.
[00:00:37] Renata: Post locked down is a real challenge. Now for the past two years during this pandemic, we've made a lot of jokes about working from home, finding the motivation to get ready for some women in people that enjoy. Putting the makeup on, do we really need to understand, you know, zoom filters and finding [00:01:00] a balance between being ready for work at home and feeling comfortable.
[00:01:06] Renata: So that was, you know, all kind of what we've learned to do for the best two years. Now, we're in a situation where some of us are going back to the office either full time or a few days a week, finding the motivation now and finding the pieces. So fit you after two years of not wearing corporate wear, not being a keen, to being uncomfortable in your clothes.
[00:01:29] Renata: As we used to be in 2018 and 19, it's really challenging. Some of us are dressing up. Some of us have just decided that they will dress down, never wear heels again. The working from home has definitely changed the way that we understand the corporate were just doing a little bit of research for this episode.
[00:01:49] Renata: Over the web. I found so many articles and many of them with contrasting and opposite ideas about what we should do. I have. Being in [00:02:00] inspiring my clients to book. And they are days in the office with social meetings and networking. So if they are going to go to the trouble of getting out of the house, dressing up, might as well, make that opportunity to see somebody in their network that they haven't seen for years having a drink later in the day with a friend.
[00:02:20] Renata: And so. I invited an international award-winning personal stylist and brand expert for a chat Sylvana. Patrick is a great person to talk to in the job hunting podcast, because she has had the advantage of having worked in the corporate world as a corporate professional in many countries before. Going back to her early love for fashion and styling.
[00:02:42] Renata: She knows how corporate attire plays a very important role in forming your professional brand and how important it can be for career development, specially in job search. As I always ask my guests, the question, tell me about your career. What we end [00:03:00] up learning is that Silvana has done a couple of career changes as well.
[00:03:05] Renata: So pay attention to those times where she describes moving away from her early love, from fashion early on in her career and going into the corporate sector. And later finding the opportunity to go back into fashion and styling. So you might be able to learn a little bit about how people do career changes and how they happen in other people's lives.
[00:03:28] Renata: She then explains in a very inclusive and understanding way, the important. Carrie and dressing for your body shape and your personality, not following fashion trends that are not suitable to you and embracing how you want to dress. So let's hear now my conversation with Sylvana, Patrick, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did today.
[00:03:51] Renata: It's all about you. And I think the great thing about. You providing advice about styling and what to wear [00:04:00] for the group of people that is in my audience, which are job hunters and people in the corporate sector is that I've been there and done that. So you come with the knowledge of how. You actually wake up every morning, go to work nine to five and have to dress in a certain way.
[00:04:17] Renata: So I'd love to hear first, a little bit about your career before you became a full time stylist. What did you do before and where were you? Cause you you've been all over the world too. That's fun. Well,
[00:04:29] Silvana Patrick: I started in fashion. And there wasn't a no brainer decision for me because I know I love fashion since I was a very young girl.
[00:04:37] Silvana Patrick: So I am a fashion designer by background and I studied fashion. I didn't do anything in the creative side of it because I ended up in a, in a fashion magazine and I say that it was a fast ascending career start. I ended up in New York working for a luxurious magazine that was really fast. And I was very young as was kind of overwhelmed.
[00:04:58] Silvana Patrick: Thrilled to say the [00:05:00] least, but as much as I love the idea, I hated the industry itself and I just couldn't stay. Was it, was it
[00:05:07] Renata: like devil devil wears Prada? Do you recognize yourself in that
[00:05:11] Silvana Patrick: he resembles it resembles quite a bit it's it is very much a cutthroat industry. It is right. It's huge insanely prepper talking about New York, right?
[00:05:21] Silvana Patrick: Maybe in other area, you know, the places, maybe it's a bit different. There was way too much. It was not that it was a lot of work. I'm used to LA you know, doing a lot of work. I, you know, I come from a worker's family, we really roll up our sleeves and get things done, but the culture didn't fit. I didn't fit in at all.
[00:05:42] Silvana Patrick: So excited to back my thing, Google back home, I was kind of lost for a long time because I didn't have a plan B at all. Right. I threw all the eggs in one basket and that was disappointing because we're talking many, many moons ago, 25 years ago, maybe more. And there was no [00:06:00] styling going on. And if there was, was for celebrities, right.
[00:06:03] Silvana Patrick: So that's what. Today people still think it's what I do is just for celebrities or rich people. But back in the day, it was only for celebrities and rich people. So, um, it didn't even cross my mind. Right. So I just packed my things, went back home, got lost for a little while. You know, he didn't come straight away and then.
[00:06:23] Silvana Patrick: Eventually I said, I have to do something and enter the corporate world, went back to uni, got a business degree and entered the corporate world. So long story short, it was a very difficult transition as being a stylist to a corporate woman. I was still dressed like a young style. Not getting much out of it, except for my differential was English.
[00:06:43] Silvana Patrick: I was getting jobs because of that, but nothing else was sustaining me. Didn't have experience. I was not dressed the part and at the doors were getting clothes all the time. And I didn't know, nobody will ever tell you, you need to change you not dressed appropriately. Nobody will ever [00:07:00] tell you they were just close the doors.
[00:07:01] Silvana Patrick: So one day I had this aha moment, actually, my mom gave me this moment. She said, did you really go to the interview dress like that? You know, I was just a bit more, you know, bold or, you know, of course, and then I said, maybe I should change.
[00:07:22] Silvana Patrick: Took me a long, long time. Right. And, and, and when I did it, it's unbelievable my career to cough. It was simply like, you know, I got my experience and all that. And once I remember what you,
[00:07:33] Renata: what you decided to wear when you realize that you had to dress differently for your job interview. Ah,
[00:07:39] Silvana Patrick: just wear a blazer, you know, put a blaze along, you know, that kind of thing.
[00:07:43] Silvana Patrick: It changes completely, you know, if you can wear anything pretty much underneath a blazer and it will instantly put you in the right mood, especially in the corporate world. So that, that was something very, very interesting that happened. And then, you know, like I got successful in that [00:08:00] career for a long time.
[00:08:01] Silvana Patrick: I stayed there for 15 longer. Traveling places and moving around and stuff like that. But then it was time to really pursue my dream. And then when I started my consulting business, it was the whole styling thing was much more approachable, more pop. And then it's been, you know, 11, your fast forward, and three different continents after five different camps.
[00:08:28] Silvana Patrick: I lost the track, you know, the number
[00:08:30] Renata: of interesting. So you've been styling women. Do you style men as well? So Ghana, I do.
[00:08:36] Silvana Patrick: It does depend on where I am. For example, in New York, it was pretty much 50 50 in, in the middle east, obviously a hundred percent women here. I say 20, 80 men, men, 20 and women 80. So it, yeah, it's various in Europe.
[00:08:53] Silvana Patrick: It's probably 60, 70% women. It's a little
[00:08:57] Renata: bit. Yeah. And this is [00:09:00] really interesting. I want to talk to you about the difference between how. People show up in the corporate sector, in different continents and countries. Have you noticed a big difference? Because I noticed I'll tell you a story. When I was moving to Australia, that was thousand and one, I moved.
[00:09:16] Renata: So it was in 2000 and mom, my auntie and my mom decided to buy me a few things for me to wear when I went to uni. Cause I came as an international student pain. Beautiful leather bag that wouldn't fit any of my, my notebooks or textbooks because it was small and high heels. And I thought it was great.
[00:09:39] Renata: But then I arrived in Australia and I realized that I wouldn't be able to wear that bag or those Hills to go to uni at Melbourne uni with a huge campus where I could only wear sneakers, of course, and I needed a backpack immediately. So that's kind of the cultural difference. Yeah,
[00:09:57] Silvana Patrick: shot. It is almost a [00:10:00] shock when you born and raised in a city like San Paolo, and you spent a lot of time in a city like New York, and then you move to Australia, which is even compared to, to Europe.
[00:10:10] Silvana Patrick: And of course I've no, I won't even mention the middle east, the standard. Way to hide. They're like people, women are already made up at 6:00 AM in the morning and really professionally made up, you said, oh my God, shit, you hire a makeup artist to do her makeup 5:00 AM in the morning or something.
[00:10:28] Renata: I had no idea.
[00:10:30] Renata: That's
[00:10:30] Silvana Patrick: amazing. Yeah. So that's a, that's an extreme, but coming to a place like Australia, New Zealand has, are one of the most laid back countries that I know. And, but, but in saying that there are lots of internationals here and, uh, besides like being Brazilian, we, you know, from some Powell we have high standards, you have to have your nails done.
[00:10:52] Silvana Patrick: You cannot have your roots showing you, you know, there's a lot of pressure on top of that. I have an Italian background, so my [00:11:00] mom is still even, even more strict. She wouldn't let us wear as kids. One way or , you know, like they wouldn't leave the house. She wouldn't even buy Havaianas for us, mind you, you know, go to malls or things like that.
[00:11:14] Silvana Patrick: So we were brought up in a very high standards like that. And what I noticed when I speak with my friends here who have Italian backgrounds or any European backgrounds, it's the same thing. Standards. Right? So, so w w what it means, what it means for a professional we're dealing with clients, we're dealing with potential clients and, and things like that, where, you know, a job interviewer or something, we really have to.
[00:11:41] Silvana Patrick: Think about their standards and conform to their standards because there are going to be, we're going to be judged. That's an undeniable. So that's extremely important that we know who we are interacting with in order to, to be on the same level or as much. Possible. And the same lab [00:12:00] was this person do some research, stock them.
[00:12:02] Silvana Patrick: It's easy to do that these days with social media. So that's the thing. I mean, you can be in Australia, but you are still interacted with internationals. And even if you're, you know, the world's getting smaller and smaller, we're dealing with people from all over the world. And that's the thing that we have to really bear in mind because I've heard so many bosses all these years saying.
[00:12:27] Silvana Patrick: Promote my super smart employee because of the way he or she dresses, I cannot take them to a board meeting with my, you know, VIP clients. That kind of thing really happens. And it's not going to be communicated to the employee.
[00:12:41] Renata: That's not a thing. It's a very hard thing to communicate. Yes,
[00:12:45] Silvana Patrick: yes, exactly.
[00:12:46] Silvana Patrick: Right. There's a lot of things involved in that, you know, there's prejudice, you know, all this ethic things involved. That's why there's no communication, but the reason. Say for the salvage, you know, like you can get stuck [00:13:00] simply because of the way you present yourself. That's
[00:13:02] Renata: right. I mean, we've mentioned the pandemic when we were getting ready.
[00:13:06] Renata: Silvana because it's been, you know, I've been in a lot of lockdowns in Melbourne and you are in Sydney, not so many lockdowns, but towards the end, Sydney did get locked quite a lot as well. And of course, with the lockdowns, it meant people weren't going into the office. They were working from home all the time.
[00:13:24] Renata: That's happening all over the world. In kind of a flow kind of way. Sometimes, you know, a country will have no lockdowns and then the next month they will. And then they finally experienced that.
[00:13:36] Silvana Patrick: And God knows if it's gonna be, you know, for much longer, we never know. Right. That's going to be
[00:13:42] Renata: actually after 2020 with the more serious lockdowns we had here in, in Melbourne, we I've noticed the weight.
[00:13:50] Renata: Changed in the way that they dressed both when they were out and about, and also in zoom meetings and Skype meetings. And so on. Have you [00:14:00] noticed that as well? Are you paying attention to how people have changed their attitudes towards dressing up for work and putting makeup on what, uh, what are the trends what's what should we be, you know, looking at,
[00:14:13] Silvana Patrick: look, the trends are put into a category.
[00:14:16] Silvana Patrick: Write it on a personal level because net let's, let's not even mentioned the fashion industry because it's an industry that's wants to sell. So what they're doing at the moment are trying to do cause a huge influence on us to get out there and get dressed. That's what, that's their thing.
[00:14:35] Renata: Right. They want to sell a tire.
[00:14:38] Renata: So the Italians to go get dressed.
[00:14:41] Silvana Patrick: Exactly. Right. So for on an individual level, there are, you know, like I said, two categories of people, the one who, and me included in this category, I like to dress up. I'm not as like. But I feel pleasure, right? I absolutely love, I love fashion as an art. So for me, that's something [00:15:00] that elevate my mood, increase my productivity.
[00:15:03] Silvana Patrick: I exercise my creativity in the way I dress and express myself. So there are people who really need that. Right. I have to say that for a while. I relaxed, I said, oh my God, that's so good. Not to be ha having to do to show up, you know, and dress up and make all the effort it's about. But there was a point that I missed that.
[00:15:23] Silvana Patrick: I said, oh my God, I miss wearing my nice clothes and putting a little bit on makeup. And there's the other group people who really don't like doing any of that. They just did because they had to, and then they, you know, it's very selective. So people who are in this category, they will read articles and opinions of people who resonate with that view.
[00:15:45] Silvana Patrick: So. Really start. Okay. Now I can relax because wall street said it's a bit more, the dress codes, relax. I relaxed. That's what they wanted to hear. And other people say, oh my God, that's time to go back to that thing and, you know, and show up and dress [00:16:00] up and, and, and never give up kind of a model. Right. So, yeah, so it's, it's very personal.
[00:16:05] Silvana Patrick: And like you said, there's no. That's never
[00:16:09] Renata: right or wrong. It was very confusing for a while. And it still is in many ways because people were invited for job interviews, doing lockdown. Those were video interviews and there were no instructions on what to dress. And it's kind of weird to dress. In a shirt, tie and suit when you're at home, you know, like, should I dress as if I was going into a job interview or do I acknowledge the fact that it's locked down and I am at home and I just wear a nice shirt, for example.
[00:16:39] Renata: So I used to get a lot of clients and people that book also stations with me, asking me for advice. And then eventually Sue Renner, some organizations, especially the larger ones would send the request for an interview with some instructions on what to wear. Go now. And that's smart because it's, it is quite bizarre.
[00:16:58] Renata: Like I like, like [00:17:00] you, I, I feel like I need to dress in order to get in the zone of work. So I I'm the sort of person who has been dressing out, I'm wearing a belt. I mean, that's, to me that says a lot, like, why don't you wear a belt to work from home? Yeah. Some people just didn't know how to present themselves and acknowledge the fact that you are not going into a boardroom interview.
[00:17:21] Renata: It's a work from home into. So it was confusing for them.
[00:17:26] Silvana Patrick: Yes. Theoretically, you should treat us as if you were in a boardroom, right. To, to be respectful to the person who isn't on the other side, but it's totally understandable if you don't want it like a man wear a suit, be that Ty, you know, to be sitting like.
[00:17:42] Silvana Patrick: You know, like, first of all, I have to improve your posture too, to be able to show people what your, you know, your wedding and all that at the end of the day, I think it is a personal thing. What you think it's vast and more, a holistic approach of the whole picture. People will definitely be more [00:18:00] understanding
[00:18:00] Renata: that's for sure.
[00:18:01] Renata: It's very interesting. And now of course we are going back into the office and some organizations have asked their employees to come back twice a week, or, you know, they, they. Considering some flexibility, but asking people, please come back. And I'm wondering if you have been out and about in Sydney, watching people go back to work.
[00:18:21] Renata: I went to the Melbourne CBD a few weeks ago and I was actually impressed. You know, everybody was so well-dressed as opposed to where I live, which is Bayside near the beach. And whenever I go out here, Like not really very keen to dress up, to go to the beach or to go to a coffee shop. They just want to wear, they have yanas and shorts and a shirt and that's
[00:18:46] Silvana Patrick: it.
[00:18:46] Silvana Patrick: Yeah. Yeah. It's exactly the same. I just had a business lunch yesterday and felt so normal and people dressed and wearing suits everywhere and it was refreshing to see after a long time. [00:19:00] So it's pretty much going back to where we started. I think.
[00:19:05] Renata: So it's funny what you said before about the fashion, trying to make us dress up again, because I am watching what's happening in the fashion festivals of fashion, parades around the world as some fashion weeks happening in Europe and, and here in Australia as well in Melbourne, I think it's happening as we speak.
[00:19:22] Renata: And there's a lot of talk about power dressing. Exactly. Have you read it? I'm like, why, why would we be talking about power dressing? If anything, I felt. That the natural tendency would be for people to be a bit more casual and natural about the way that they work, especially here in Australia. But maybe it, do you think it's a, a sales campaign or do you think that people are very keen to go back into power dressing like we did in the nineties?
[00:19:48] Renata: Oh, well
[00:19:49] Silvana Patrick: I think. It will depend on what, you know, what you do with the information, like, right. Again, like I said, you know that they're, they're flowing out there. That's what fashion [00:20:00] does. And then you pick whatever, you know, it depends on you, what you, what you want from with to do with that information.
[00:20:06] Silvana Patrick: That's no other way to, to explain it. So for me, All about people, knowing where they are, what they stand for and translating that into their lifestyle, their, everything, their specifics, their body types and everything. So if you are in a mood to really make an entrance, as we say, Go for it. And if you want to get more relaxed about the whole thing there's room for that as well.
[00:20:34] Silvana Patrick: But I think the main point Renatta is that the whole point of even writing the book is to, so people don't need to be trying to figure out what is the trend or what is the, what I should be wearing. They should know. What works for them and forget about what are the others think about it or age appropriate our dress code.
[00:20:58] Silvana Patrick: I think, I think for [00:21:00] the corporate people, the one thing that is the most important is really resonate with who you are interacting. You know, you're not going to be dressed up to dressed up. If you're meeting with the ground floor employee, or you're not going to be under dressed for talking to the CEO of your company or a potential client.
[00:21:17] Silvana Patrick: VIP client, that kind of thing. So that's the main thing to look for, but on a personal level, you really have to bring the awareness within that's the core message and not look for external clues or nothing wrong with admiring people. And, and that's what we do as human beings. We look for people, celebrities, movie stars, back in the day, now, influencers, whatever you call them.
[00:21:40] Silvana Patrick: And so I, I would love to, to look like her, but look, you are not her. You can get inspired. She's a different person. She's got different lifestyle, different personality, different bodies, specifics. She's in a photo or video, you know, that's not real. So learn what works for you. Make time [00:22:00] for yourself to learn what works for you, because you're unique.
[00:22:03] Silvana Patrick: Don't take that away from you. That's your power. And
[00:22:06] Renata: it's interesting that, you know, you and other stylists that I know focus a lot on showcasing your personality, understanding your body type, but there's because of what we're fed in the media. We tend to not shop for us. We tend to shop for what we see out there.
[00:22:24] Renata: So there's this alignment of messages and I think you're so right. The other thing I think it's interesting is that we don't actually know what our body types are.
[00:22:33] Silvana Patrick: Oh, for sure. It's look, it's changed. Like it's not going to drastically change, but no, we go through so many things as women, you know, menstruation, menopause, ma maternity, all this change our bodies, and it's difficult for the brain to keep track of the changes.
[00:22:52] Silvana Patrick: So even. Clients for me like lost 20 kilos. For example, when we go shopping, they still go straight to the [00:23:00] old size. I said, you no longer that size, what you're doing there. You know? So just, just to give an example, I was talking to somebody the other day and we're talking, you know, about jeans and the whole skinny jeans, seeing that it's over now and all that she said, oh my God, when I, when the skinny jeans came out, I hated them.
[00:23:19] Silvana Patrick: I found them so weird. So body conscious. You know, to tie it and showing the, but they're not, I grew to love them and now they're gone and I'm feeling well, what am I going to do? You know, that she was conditioned to love skinny jeans. And just to illustrate that for me was quite the opposite of. Worn jeans.
[00:23:39] Silvana Patrick: And two very recently that the whole skinny jeans disappeared. Then they started to be more democratic and do white legs and do straight legs and things like that because skinny jeans was never for me now. I hate it. I would feel conformed to that. So I didn't wear jeans for a long time. And now my daughter said, mom, not.
[00:23:59] Silvana Patrick: [00:24:00] 10 pairs of jeans. Yes, because now I love them because they are for me. And if they ever disappear, which is probably going to happen in a few years time, or what knows when and they skinny jeans return, I'm still going to wear them because they're for me, they're for my body. I'm not one swapped just to follow the trend.
[00:24:19] Silvana Patrick: I follow my, my body. That's exactly what I was trying to see. I follow my body regardless of trend. If I love green, green is such weighted in fashion. Now I, I would win because I love bringing. I've always done. I've always. And if the fashion phase, the trend phase. Doesn't matter if people think, oh, you are not on trend.
[00:24:40] Renata: You used the opportunity to buy things during that time that it's trending. And then you use it whenever you want. Right, exactly. Right.
[00:24:47] Silvana Patrick: And you know, like a, not to concern about people's opinion, you know, my clients, they always say, oh my God, I'm 50. What, what should I wear? What should I wait? There's no such a thing dress for your body.
[00:24:58] Silvana Patrick: You
[00:24:58] Renata: know, you have a [00:25:00] lot of clients that are working in the corporate sector. What are their main sort of concerns when they reach out to you
[00:25:07] Silvana Patrick: from the, you know, the 30 year olds, they want to get somewhere, you know, somewhere else they're aspiring
[00:25:13] Renata: a career. They want to dress
[00:25:14] Silvana Patrick: for the next job. Yes. Correct.
[00:25:16] Silvana Patrick: The 50 year old are already there. So what happened is quite an interesting phenomenon. Like it seems to be like a, quite a hallmark for the fifties, their reach, their potential, you know, the reach, their career goals. The kids aren't gone and they have financial independency, but because they spent so much time working on their career, looking after the family and all these things is forget about themselves.
[00:25:38] Silvana Patrick: And exactly like you said, the boy changed menopause and all this, and they don't know themselves. They don't know what works, what they should be. They get stuck in the thing. What should I wear? What should I wear? That kind of thing, that this are pretty much my main clients.
[00:25:54] Renata: Let's talk about those two clients.
[00:25:56] Renata: What advice would you give for somebody who is trying to [00:26:00] make it and wants to dress for their next job? What would you usually recommend that they do? So,
[00:26:06] Silvana Patrick: regardless of where they are. They really have to start thinking about where they want to be and really focused there and a great part. You know, when you are projecting yourself and, you know, developing skills and really imagining yourself in the position, you want to be, imagine how you would be driving.
[00:26:28] Silvana Patrick: As well, look at your boss, look at, you know, people, you admire entrepreneurs, Wedemeyer, you know, it's so easy to get this information. This day is much easier than in the past. So really have a clue of, obviously it's going to depend on your industry if it's more or less conservative, but you really have to start making, you know, buying a better bag or, you know, spending time investing.
[00:26:53] Silvana Patrick: Right. Because you're going to get in that. You're going to get it back and remember that people in Australia have an [00:27:00] advantage because everybody else is more laid back. So if you do one little bit extra, you are way about, so that's the big thing. If you are in a city like New York, you were there with so many, you know, even if you would improve your look, there's going to be somebody that's better.
[00:27:17] Silvana Patrick: And we don't have that here yet. So take advantage of that. Invest in quality pieces less is more. Neutral tones, impeccably dressed. You don't need to break the bank. You can buy in an affordable brand that has good quality, obviously good enough quality and tailor. So that's one piece of advice, invest in a capsule where you don't need to buy too many pieces.
[00:27:43] Silvana Patrick: And I put all this in my book, you know, like four out of 12 pieces, you can make out 40 different outfits. Yeah. So they multiply right before your eyes. If they're the right pieces, they are neutral classic, you know, and then you, all you have to do is just spice them up with a little [00:28:00] bit of accessories, put your personal touch, your signature style, and then that's all you need to, are there
[00:28:05] Renata: any, if we're talking about Australia, are there any go-to shops?
[00:28:09] Renata: Like if people are in a hurry and they have a job interview coming up very quickly, is there like a go-to shop that you would recommend? Yes.
[00:28:18] Silvana Patrick: Yeah, it's a budget thing. It depends on the budget, but I would say, you know, Q you can find some nice jackets or even Witchery, you can, you can find queue Veronica main country road, this stores, you know, you can find some Satori or costs.
[00:28:36] Silvana Patrick: I love cost quite a lot. It's a bit more Scandinavian style, but they still have some things that, you know, shirts and stuff that are really well made. What
[00:28:45] Renata: about us? What would be your go tos in America? If you were in a hurry and you needed something straight away, there are
[00:28:51] Silvana Patrick: phenomenal brands there. And the thing well, for, for tailoring, I love, I love Joseph.
[00:28:56] Silvana Patrick: I love Vince. Um, they're fantastic. Anything pretty [00:29:00] much you get from these stores, their theory. You know, they are a little bit higher, but look, if this is, this is a completely investment, like I said, you don't need as many pieces, but the thing is they will last for many, many, many years. So that's the investment it's Cosper.
[00:29:19] Silvana Patrick: Right. And you, you really have to treat that as an investment in your career.
[00:29:25] Renata: Yeah. So when, I don't know if you've been faced with this situation, but a lot of people have gained weight during lockdowns. And now they're, you know, that in that sort of in-between zone where you can't wear what's in your closet, what do you usually recommend when people don't want to overinvest in statement pieces when they're not at their ideal weight and they're currently.
[00:29:49] Renata: Dieting or something like that. I know that I have gone through that in my life as well. When I've been above my weight, had a big event coming up and I can even tell you birds nest, do you know birds, [00:30:00] nest? They are, they are websites where you can go in and shop.
[00:30:05] Silvana Patrick: Oh, it's very Ozzy.
[00:30:06] Renata: And the ladies that work there are fantastic.
[00:30:09] Renata: I would, I remember going to an event and I was very overweight. It was, this was before the pandemic and I had to be dressed very sort of, well for that event. And, uh, I went on the birds nest website and I said, can you please deliver tomorrow? Because I have an event in two days. And I got my, my package the next day with a note.
[00:30:28] Renata: I hope it makes it makes it on time, but it's really hard sometimes when you are, you know, you re you really do not have anything to wear. And it's because yes, you've gained weight. And I know a lot of people have during lockdown. So I wonder if you have any advice for them.
[00:30:46] Silvana Patrick: You know, like the first thing is you, you really committed because you know, like let's face it.
[00:30:50] Silvana Patrick: It's not easy to go back right. To the old way. So you're really serious, you know, you're going to lose weight. Of course, you're not going to buy an entire world, you [00:31:00] know, only to lose it, invest in Monday. That will suit you today. That's because, because like I said, you know, before a blazer changes, everything elevates any look and if it's pretty well, you know, feeding blazer of that suits you.
[00:31:15] Silvana Patrick: So that's gonna completely change the, you know, the elevate you look like I said, but if you're really serious, And you know that you're going to lose weight. You can always outer the blazer a little bit, you know, when, when that's done and you don't need to buy the most expensive blazer, like I said, you can always buy something and tailor it by something that's neat.
[00:31:39] Silvana Patrick: You know, like not too low. That's got good quality still. Or you can sell the, you know, the item later, you know, or, you know, donate whatever. But you know, like in fast, we're not talking about investing in only one piece. You can invest in a couple of pieces, you know, to keep you going until you reach your goal.
[00:31:55] Silvana Patrick: But the most important thing of doing that is that you keep the [00:32:00] momentum going, you fuse continue looking good and encouraging yourself to lose the extra, you know, to share the extra kilos, because it's important for you to. To look in the mirror and lack of what you see, you know, and I saw I'm looking good.
[00:32:13] Silvana Patrick: I'm going to it, it triggers a positive cycle. You, you know, more often people don't want to interact with people because they don't feel good about themselves. And then, you know, okay, what's the point of going to the gym and continue, you know, eating the way they did. So, but the opposite can also happen.
[00:32:30] Silvana Patrick: And if you've motivated, you get out there, interact with people and then you. Oh, an exercise. I want to improve my diet, you know, like, and all these things. So it can happen both ways. It can trigger a negative or a positive cycle, depending on how you
[00:32:45] Renata: react. And Savannah, then you said you have those amazing 50 plus year old corporate women that come to you.
[00:32:52] Renata: I'm assuming they are very comfortable with where they are, you know? I'm 50 now. I'm very comfortable with my size. I don't [00:33:00] care what other people think anymore. I just want to, you know, dress well for whatever occasion is coming up. Um, what would then be the difference in working with those women and what would you suggest that they do?
[00:33:12] Silvana Patrick: I wouldn't say that a hundred percent. You know, many of them like that,
[00:33:18] Renata: frankly. I think it's just, yeah, my first love it. I never really cared what
[00:33:22] Silvana Patrick: other people thought of me. Yeah. So that's, that's something, that's probably the case because often like seriously, except for a few exceptions that people really hire me because they can be bothered shopping.
[00:33:35] Silvana Patrick: They just don't have the time, you know, that kind of thing. They have a fantastic style already. I just, I'm just a shopper for. But they are the minority. The vast majority are people who are not comfortable with who they are. Like I said, they focus too much on their career or family or a combination of both.
[00:33:55] Silvana Patrick: They are not in their ideal way, or they're not happy with their body [00:34:00] because they don't know how to dress for their body. That makes all the difference. That's what people don't get. You can look slimmer taller, or the opposite. If you want to close can do magic for us, literally magic once they learn that.
[00:34:16] Silvana Patrick: And then, you know, that's a whole other story, but until then, there's a lot to be, you know, working on and, and, um, understanding and learning. Yes, it's, it's an individual thing,
[00:34:30] Renata: but I have no trouble shopping. Like I really enjoy clothes. I always liked it. But once I started shopping with a stylist, I was introduced to a whole bunch of items that I would have never tried.
[00:34:46] Renata: I hear that a
[00:34:47] Silvana Patrick: hundred percent
[00:34:48] Renata: bizarre. And once I put them on, it makes total sense. And then I tend to keep them for longer in my wardrobe. Because they are perfectly fit for my [00:35:00] body type like a glove. And I don't know what magic happens, but it just makes more sense to me. And I find that even though I have to pay a fee for the stylist, I end up saving money in the long term.
[00:35:12] Silvana Patrick: Absolutely because you stop. Bad habits. You said, right? We are creatures of habit. This, this lady is wearing skinny jeans, just because everybody else is wearing, she'd never stopped in socks. This is not great for me. You know, that's what everybody else is wearing, but it's not for me. And then that's what people do.
[00:35:32] Silvana Patrick: You know, they just like my mother-in-law, for example, what she does. She goes to a store and she buys the entire mannequin. Exactly what. The mannequin is the mannequin look at their body. It's a mannequin. It's, it's like this we're curvy. We have you, we know we have real bodies. That's obviously not going to work.
[00:35:50] Silvana Patrick: The callers that are, there are not for you. A stylist is sturdy. That that's what we do for a living. So I, I bought my wedding dress in line because I know my body [00:36:00] that well, I buy 100% of my clothes online pretty much. And I returned twice returned a bag because it was not exactly like the photo. Bear or pants or something, because there was a big cutout at the end.
[00:36:12] Silvana Patrick: It was not showing in the photo, but I know what some people say, how do you know what works for you? Because I read the description because I understand fabric because I know color. And because of it, I know. I pay a little bit of, you know, attention to all the details that are there and after read
[00:36:30] Renata: anything, that's why I keep returning everything.
[00:36:34] Renata: The
[00:36:34] Silvana Patrick: maintenance is important. You want to be, you know, doing dry cleaning or hand washing stuff all the time. We're busy people, right? Dry cleaning, not only racks the fabric, but it's costy, I don't want to buy anything that it's dry, clean. All the time I buy a blazer, but you know, you never, you know, do I clean a blazer once a year, but there are pieces that I only dry clean about simple in tops like this, you have to wash every [00:37:00] time you wear, you're going to be dry cleaning every that's insane.
[00:37:03] Silvana Patrick: So this kind of things that are a stylist is ahead of the game because that's our business. What we live for and we have a knife for style. I look at you regardless, if you are in person or, you know, in behind the screen, I know what works for you, obviously numbness in your entire body, for example. But if I see your entire boy, I know what works for you and what
[00:37:28] Renata: what's in your shopping cart these days.
[00:37:30] Renata: What is it that you are looking forward to
[00:37:32] Silvana Patrick: purchasing? We're entering a winter here in Australia. So I'm looking to renew my blazers, having more fun with color. Perhaps I am a huge new person all year round. Really.
[00:37:48] Renata: I love them so hard to wear. I call it the sleep out of my shoes.
[00:37:52] Silvana Patrick: You know, you get used to that.
[00:37:54] Silvana Patrick: And I exactly why I liked them so much because there's no strap and the strap tend to die, you know, and, [00:38:00] um, make nicknames uncomfortable. Yeah. Vasques and blazers and turtlenecks and things like that. Entering the new season are my, are in my car to the moment. Okay. And then
[00:38:12] Renata: my, I like brogues, uh, shoes for winters.
[00:38:15] Renata: So I like that kind of more masculine style of shoes for winter. I haven't had one in a while then I want to have one again and. So keen on blazers as well. And I'm keen on colored blazer, like a S like a bright color, but not red because I don't feel red suits me. So I'll be looking for something like maybe a green blazer.
[00:38:39] Renata: I don't know something different. And yeah, that's all I need. I feel, frankly, I feel like, because I've been in lockdown for two years, my clothes have, they haven't aged. I haven't used them that much, so I don't feel like I need to be shopping exactly
[00:38:52] Silvana Patrick: if they are. What's the need to buy. Right. Uh, what I often do with my clients is [00:39:00] just get rid of stuff instead of buying new, because they have too much, you know, and that makes it difficult for them to know what they have in style and things like that.
[00:39:08] Silvana Patrick: So I'm, I'm just posting a new YouTube video on wardrobe declutter. So I'll send you all the details later, so you can share with your audience a big, big wardrobe declutter for fall 2022.
[00:39:20] Renata: So I'm going to include in the episode, show notes, your YouTube channel and the video for the wardrobe, declutter and the link to your book so that people can learn more about their body types and get ready to get out of lockdown and into the world wearing clothes that fit them properly.
[00:39:37] Silvana Patrick: But Mo more than anything, modern eye styling book, this book is an impact. That's the message that I wanted to pass on Mo more than anything.
[00:39:47] Renata: Yes, I received it a couple of days ago and I love page 42 and 43 the most because of the colors. I really like that combination here. This one here I told you before, I don't [00:40:00] think I can wear red, but I think I could wear this.
[00:40:02] Silvana Patrick: There are reds and right.
[00:40:04] Renata: Right, but this is fine, you know? And I'm like, oh, I never thought of that. So it softens, right? Yes it does. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming on the job hunting podcast. Silvana I hope that by listening to you, the listeners get inspired to get out of tracksuit pants and into tailored pants and blazes and the gopher jobbing to views face to face again and get ready.
[00:40:29] Renata: Even if. Working from home and doing zooms all day that they feel comfortable butting back on their work clothes and getting to business mode. So thank you so much for coming on board. Talking to
[00:40:41] Silvana Patrick: us. Thanks so much for having here. It's always a pleasure to share a little bit of styling tips and stuff, but most more than anything else, get out there and just find out what works for you for your specifics.
[00:40:54] Silvana Patrick: That's the most important.
[00:40:56] Renata: To learn more about Silvaners work, [00:41:00] please follow her on Instagram and on YouTube. She also has a website where she selling her book. The book is called the image of success, how to influence, persuade, and perfect your personal presentation. All of the links to silver Anna's work will be on the episode show notes as well as links to my website and the work that I do.
[00:41:21] Renata: Thank you so much for spending time with me and with Silvana and I will see you at the next episode.
About the Host
Hello, I’m Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach professionals (corporate, non-profit, and public) the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.
If you are an ambitious professional who is keen to develop a robust career plan, if you are looking to find your next job or promotion, or if you want to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market so that when you are ready, and an opportunity arises, you can hit the ground running, then this podcast is for you.
In addition to The Job Hunting Podcast, on my website, I have developed a range of courses and services for professionals in career or job transition. And, of course, I also coach private clients.
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