Styling For All Your Needs
Isn’t it interesting how powerful an idea can be? A seed is planted, and one cant rest till it is blossoming. Octavia Shoes & Fashion began beacause I was so very frustrated with the shoes on the mainstream market. I do love a beautiful shoe but the more beautiful it was, the more torturous it was to wear. If I wanted comfort, then I had to sacrifice style. I wanted to provide women with a choice. I wanted to offer them both comfort and elegance. A great deal of research went in to designing this collection. I made many calls to Footwear Retail Association (FMAA) and searched high and low wanting to find an Australian manufacturer. It was sad to find this industry had suffered greatly and production was no longer viable in Australia. I was determined to design the shoe myself and ensure these designs offered the right support in the right places, that were comfortable and beautiful. I wanted women to have a staple accessory season after season, not a passing trend. I managed to find an engineer with over 20 years of experience in the shoe manufacturing industry. It was like finding gold.
The next step was to find a manufacturer overseas since Australia was no longer a possibility. I didn’t want mass production, I didn’t want someone else’s designs, I didn’t want them too high and I didn’t want them chunky. I designed a slim heel and the engineer made a beautifully balanced heel mould. We sourced 125 manufacturers and narrowed it down to 80, then 50, then 20 then 3. We flew to the factories (in the middle of winter) to ensure the conditions were ethical, sustainable, produced quality and agreed to my mould and designs. Only one manufactured fit that brief. The business partnership quickly developed into a friendship, they assisted me with sourcing all the materials, and the designs were hand-cut and hand-sewn. These fourth-generation shoe artisans took great pride in their factory, supporting their whole village community, it was beautiful to witness and be a part of their family.
Once the shoes arrived in Australia and the Octavia Shoes & Fashion brand breathed its first breath, I began fitting clients. Very quickly a distinctive pattern was unfolding before me. As I worked more and more one on one with fitting my clients I was saddened by the degree of self-criticism that unfolded, it had an air of jest to it, (but not really). After a couple of years, I knew I wanted to shift this, I wanted to somehow become a catalyst for helping clients feel good about themselves and work from a place where I can help people know the value of who they are. It’s so funny… the moment you decide on a clear path, a door opens. From the out of the blue, I received information from The Professional Styling Academy in Melbourne, within 3 days I began my training and instantly felt in the right place.
Styled By Elizabeth became the platform that allowed me to cater to my client’s needs with carefully designed services and products that supported their desires to look and feel great. I was able to offer clients tailed garments and comfortable stylish shoes when they were not able to find them through the mainstream channels. I was able to fill their desire to have a garment made that fit them well and was unique to their style and silhouette.
At SBE we also offer Interior Design Services to fulfil clients’ desires for all their styling needs. We style homes, offices or clinics, we are about creating connections.
With a background in Marketing Management (Griffith University), Diploma of Applied Fashion Design & Technology (Sydney Technical College), Certified Stylist (Professional Styling Academy Melbourne) & Interior Designer (Open Learning Institute) I am well qualified in supporting my clients with a skilled eye and with over 30 years’ experience in my industry I am skillfully equipped and equally heart driven to chaperone my clients and guide them to a place of feeling greatness, feeling confident, and feeling connected.
We are here for you.
Styled By Elizabeth– offers Personal Styling Services & Personal Branding Solutions; Our product categories are designed with care and are specifically catered to providing the best possible styling representation for our clients professional, social and leisure platforms.
We help clients embrace their body shape, educate what suits their shape and what doesn’t, and why, as well as which fabric best suit their silhouette. A coulour consultation explains what colours suit our client’s natural skin undertones. A Wardrobe Analysis will organise an easy-to-utilise wardrobe space, and declutter clothes that don’t suit, that don’t fit (which can be altered). We show clients how to save lots of money by only purchasing clothes that suit their silhouette and their needs, their style and their skin’s natural undertones. We create a clear stress-free pathway to styling by shining a light on teasy to apply methods, eliminating confusion, the unknown and related anxieties. Styled By Elizabeth provide clear methods, solutions and support that present client in a way that best highlight their unique style. We love how this experience has our clients feeling inspired, feeling greater confidence and feeling greater self-appreciation.
Octavia Shoes Collection: offers exceptional comfort, that are elegantly handmade designer leather shoes for women. Our Mark II Collection is customised to clients’ wishes and needs. Clients can choose the style, material and colour of their heels.
Octavia Bespoke Fashion Collection: Caters to client’s personal requirements. The plus, size market range is unlimited in fabrics, style, colours and prints. The XXS & XXXS market sizes are seldom available, Women are forced to shop in the children’s section. And clients in between, are offered a customised product, that is of high-quality finishes, unique design and great value.
Interior Design: Design is a matter I am incredibly passionate about, it is so much more than just creating a beautiful space that is functional, safe, and inviting. It is more than determining the space requirements and selecting essential and decorative items. I believe these attributes are the foundation to Design creating an environment that welcomes you warmly, that embraces you and fits you perfectly.”
I take great care in listening to my client’s needs so that I can truly understand them and turn their vision into reality. Some clients come to me because they struggle with the vision and I am able to create designs for them that truly represent their unique style, their personality, their lives, their needs and create a style that instils joy.
