Stylist Sally Mackinnon on the season's biggest fashion trend

She’s one of the country’s most renowned personal stylists, and it was a love of fashion, along with willingness to take a risk that saw Sally Mackinnon, a former primary school teacher, swap a career spent in the classroom, to one centered around helping people find their confidence through clothing.

Her Melbourne-based business, Styled by Sally has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2007 – the team has grown to four, and it’s not only their expertise that is highly sought after, it’s their approach. Far from being dictated by trends, they help clients unearth their own personal style.

And while styling services are still core to Sally’s offering today, her personal brand has grown exponentially.

She creates aspirational content for her 250K+ Instagram audience multiple times a week, you’ll often find Sally commentating on style in the media: think Broadsheet, Fashion Journal and ABC News Breakfast to name a few, and she has developed a limited edition t-shirt.

Next on the list? Sally is set to become a published author later this year, with her book, Styled – How To Dress as Your Most Stylish Self, coming out in November.

Sally recently took time out of her busy schedule to kindly answer some of our questions – read on to uncover her styling tips, the designers she’s loving right now, Sally’s concept of the ‘no trend, trend,’ and more…

What inspired you to pursue a career in styling?

After years of watching What Not to Wear with Trinny and Susannah, I knew that there was a demand for personal styling services for the everyday woman. I’d always loved fashion and enjoyed shopping and styling outfits on myself and friends, and in 2007 I took a leap of faith and started Styled by Sally, while still teaching grade five!

What do you love most about what you do?

I love that I can transform how someone sees themselves in the mirror in an instant. Clothing is a powerful tool, and the connection between how we feel and how we dress is often underestimated.

I love seeing a client’s face light up when they see the person they want to be looking back at them. It’s highly satisfying to be able to do that for men and women of all shapes, sizes, ages and budgets.

When did you know it was time to build on your offering with a dedicated team, and how do you complement one another?

It didn’t take long before I realised I couldn’t meet the demand of enquiries! I think it was about three years before hiring my first stylist, and today I have a team of four. I would describe us all as having an innate sense of style, something that can’t necessarily be taught, it just comes naturally.

And although we all have very different personal styles, our approach to styling is the same.

We listen to our clients and strive to meet their individual needs. I think this intuitive approach is a big part of our success and why we have a strong return and referral client base.

Could you talk us through an “average” day?

Every day is so different for me, but assuming I’ve got a client then it can look something like this… It might start with a morning style consultation over coffee at a café in the CBD followed by a personal shopping session.

I work exclusively in the Melbourne CBD as this is not only where I live, but I have built strong relationships with the city retailers, meaning my clients receive both great service and great discounts.

I’m then more than likely creating content in the afternoon. This is the biggest change in my day to day since the pandemic. I now create some kind of video content most days – it’s exhausting and relentless!

There’s not only the content creation side of things, but the formulation of ideas, setting up, packing up, editing, copywriting and engaging with the audience, and I currently do all of this myself.

Nearly three years ago I finally got a PA who manages all the bookings and invoicing. I don’t know what I did without her! But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any administration for me – I manage brand collaborations, marketing, media work and a few special projects including my own graphic t-shirt – it’s a lot!

Do you have any styling rules or “no no’s”?

I used to have lots of rules. Every stylist did. But I’m no longer about the rules, I’m more about ‘the feels’. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not.

Whether it’s a colour, something you’re trying on in a shop or an outfit you’ve put together at home. Trust your instincts; they’re likely to be right.

If there was only one piece of styling advice you could give, what would it be?

Dress to please yourself, no one else.

What are your capsule wardrobe non-negotiables, and why?

I don’t really believe in one! My ideal wardrobe is what I call a ‘modular wardrobe’. You can read about it in my book, Styled, coming out in November!

How would you describe your style?

This has always been a hard question for me to answer, because I can be quite the style chameleon. I like to change up my look day to day, I like to experiment and I like to look different to others. But in terms of the words I lean more heavily towards, it would be polished, modern, and considered with an edge.

Which labels or retailers are you loving right now?

Locally I would say Camilla and Marc is my fave Australian fashion label. I think they blend a modern, contemporary aesthetic with a feminine edge. I also love Essen for shoes, designed in Melbourne and made in Italy.

My favourite brand is the New York based Tibi. They just do things differently, in every sense. I’m not really a slave to brands – even though I do admit I have a slight Tibi obsession at present – I generally just like what I like, which can be from any brand, anytime, anywhere.

Trend wise, what can we expect from the upcoming spring/summer season?

Another good question! I think as I get older I’m less interested in trends and more invested in individual style. So, I would say the ‘no trend, trend’ is going to be huge this spring/summer 2025 (SS25).

Style up with Sally

Visit her website
Follow her on Instagram‍