Fashion Virgin
My fashion statement/philosophy is basically:
Shop the world
Be brave and customise
‘Life too short to blend in’
My casual fashion blog @ Anyarena under the name of Quirky Bird.
I worked for Portmans store in Auckland for 2 years when the High Street store was just opened. With a great team of Kizzy, Helen, Rachel, Sophie, Emma….some of whom aren’t just workmates. It was a great 2 years, I was only sales-person at the time but I got my fashion lessons there. Esp learning what fashion is all about, merchandising, and I was more or less fashion addicts. Most of my salary went back to the shop, with great staff discounts, even many pieces I still have some now for almost 4,5 years.
Portmans was not the high end line, part of the Just Group, it’s brand positioning is mid market with the young, trendy and fashionable product lines. It has all the great selections: suits and pants for serious working outfit (entire suit would be 300NZD at the time max, good deal actually), party dresses (in trend, chic, around 160NZD max), good basic for mix and match, and great choice of accessories. Basically the trends of the season, key pieces can be found there. We always get excited when receiving the new stock, what’s coming in store, and how we are going to present out products. That song: Portmans girls was so addictive. Plus we had great model/brand ambassador Miranda. For NZ, Portmans market share would have been in a much better position than in Aus due to less competition and value for money, say compare to the local designer fashion line.
After that I worked for a local designer brand : Kimberleys, a very different experience. The store I was working at was in the St Lukes mall, with a foreigner boss. Kimberleys overall caters for older, richer target with a typical NZ women shape and size. Clothing quality is much better than Portmans but has a more serious tone of voice and style. Kimberleys also stocks European designs like Antik Batik, SPY, SaveTheQueen and others (mainly from Italy and France). It was a totally different environment of work and style but our challenges remain the same: changing the store looks frequently, displayed outfits, and yes sale more! The kind of person who wears Kimberleys clothing is much older 35 plus, middle class, and of course has that European connection. An average piece would cost 70 NZD minimum.
My exposure to fashion started then when I enter the world of Portmans. High street was a great location in terms of shopping, and soon I was surrounded by many brands, shops, and yes I almost got to know all the neighbouring shops, who knows…good relations to the neighbour might bring more discounts and favours one day. Plus Auckland CBD was not big.
When I looked back….still recall my fashion disaster when I paid my first abroad journey to Sydney, horrific clothing. I felt so out of place.
I now dont own all the clothes I would love to….but my interest in fashion does not die.
