Every year, most media companies all do a big-ass presentation to advertisers that's called an 'Upfronts'. It's our chance to showcase all the new content that's coming up next year and try and convince brands to send more of their ad dollars our way.
Hype, baby, hype.
The planning of what we present and how we do it is a whole thing which I'll go into another time but today, I want to show you a small part of that planning: how I decide what to wear.
You know I hate 'occasion' dressing but Upfronts aren't like The Logies or my son's wedding because it's a work-adjacent event and work is my favourite thing to dress for. That's because I get to style an outfit rather than just wearing a frock.
This is just the right amount of challenge and stakes to stimulate my brain and spark my creativity. Like a border collie that's given just the right amount of sheep to herd. Good day at the office for that dog.
So, the brief for an Upfronts presentation. Well, we do ours during the day (either breakfast or arvo) and everyone who comes is also in work-mode. It's not a party but it's elevated and as the co-founder, on a stage with my colleagues, talking about Mamamia, I need to bring some main character energy.
Whenever I'm solving a style puzzle like this, I think about what my outfit needs to DO and there are three parts to that:
- How the outfit makes me feel
- What it needs to say
- Any practical considerations (eg: weather, location, whether I have to sit on a stool etc)
For Upfronts, the complicating factor is that we do them in three different cities — Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney — and each has a different style vibe and temperature.
Brisbane is more colourful and warm; the most fun. Melbourne is cool, more understated and also cooler in temperature. Sydney is smack bang in the middle, geographically and stylistically.
I've learned the hard way not to rely on the idea of an outfit that exists in my head because on my body, it's often a whole different thing.
Which brings me to... The Try-On.
Welcome to my wardrobe.
Here's the video version — outfit details below.
1. This is a new skirt I bought from Blanca which I'm still trying to work out how to wear. I thought it could work with a long top to cover my bum and I bought the matching top to see what I could do with it but as you can see, this is going to require some more thought and Upfronts is not the time to take a big risk. This is the kind of thing I could play with in the office but…..no.
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2. Not ready to give up quite yet. With this A.Emery shirt and black jewel flats, I quite like it! But still too much leg and it's distracting. Part of how I want to feel is 'not trying too hard' and this doesn't pass that test. Fine for the office but not on a stage.
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3. I was really into co-ords for a while. This one is fun because of the flouro yellow but somehow this look doesn't feel current to me right now. I've also since learned that this is not a good colour on me - too cool in its tones. Which is a shame because I love flouro yellow. At least I don't have to steam it if it's going back in the cupboard.
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4. A.Emery shirt from earlier with these pants. Nice outfit but the loose PJ vibe is not how I want to feel on stage for Upfronts. Cheap Zara flats with spikes.
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5. Another co-ord. This one always gets a lot of love when I wear it: Alemais. But again, I'm not feeling the looseness of it.
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6. I'm very into the whole Copenhagen look ATM and this oversized shirt (Uniqlo) is a nice contrast to the gold pants (Rabens Saloner). Red shoes are a bit random but the pants also won't look good on stage. They make my legs look very short. Probably I should wear heels but I feel like a bit of a goose in heels these days.
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7. Trying a different shirt — this one has some gold through it and the red ties back to the shoes but again, the proportions aren't right. These pants are tricky.
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8. Ah! This could work. A Zimmerman two-piece. Very Brisbane. Fun. Flat shoes from The Iconic. Revella I think is the brand. Or Dazie. They've both done the Ganni-inspired flat.
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Tucked in is better. Now you can see the belt detail and it gives it some shape. Heels? These are wedges with perspex straps. Leg-lengthening but I feel odd in heels and shorts. I need to feel grounded when I'm on stage and flat shoes are the best way for me to do that.
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9. I said I was done with co-ords and now I'm liking the co-ords. But these are both short so maybe that feels different? This is a shirt and skirt from SJC Made For Travel and I wore this to the premiere of Strife last year. The boots are insane and I haven't worn them yet — mesh, pink, sparkly from Steve Madden. Could this be their time to shine right after I insisted I needed to wear flats? I'm nothing if not inconsistent.
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I also own this set in the clay colour so I thought I'd see how they looked together but nah.
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10. Here's the SJC wrap skirt in clay with the Ganni tee and a faux-suede coat from Zara. I adore this coat because it's so lightweight and has no shoulder pads or lining. Which could read cheap and probably does, but it's super comfortable.
This is a work look, though, not special enough for Upfronts.
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11. Gosh, OK this is a really old Ginger & Smart skirt I just rediscovered and had taken out. No idea how to wear it. Not like this though.
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12. I like this better with the coat but still not for Upfronts. I can't wear a coat on stage and I don't like the outfit without it.
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13. Good God. No. This Cue jumper is a great colour but cuts in a weird place and just no.
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14. This is fun. The Lover tee is old Sportsgirl and the sparkle tutu maxi is from Little Party Dress, an Australian female-founded label. There's something here — giving Carrie Bradshaw but it's a bit too deranged for Upfronts.
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15. Oh this I like. The slip dress is Joes The Label and I haven't worn it for ages but I'm dragging all my leopard back out and this works with a jacket and boots. I like the colour combo.
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16. Ohhhhh. I like this even more. The proportions of the dress and coat work better. I think because the hem is uneven it elongates the whole thing. Could I make an exception for my no-coats-on-stage rule? The boots are Rag and Bone.
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17. Another diversion — another Ginger & Smart skirt I got taken out and gold Zara sneakers with my new Ganni tee. But no. Work not Upfronts.
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SO. What did I wear?
Here's Brisbane…….with the MM dream team — the Zimmerman won and I felt really good.
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I can't show you what I wore in Melbourne because we got there and while I was in my hotel room recording Outloud, we had to cancel because of the riots (thanks 'peace protesters') - as I explained in my Insta-babble.
Sydney Upfronts next — I'll keep you posted on what I wear.
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