Girls, we got this

So, as we all know, last Thursday was International Woman’s Day. It was so amazing to see women everywhere sharing inspiring and supportive quotes, writing stories and expressing what being a woman means to them. It was so enriching to see social media flooded with such positivity and it was a day where so many of us remembered why we are so proud to be women. Now, imagine if we saw those same uplifting comments, quotes and stories all the time.

Real talk, as women, we know that we can often slip into negativity towards ourselves and even to other women. We often point out and focus on the flaws in our body, looks, personality, intelligence etc. We even think that way towards our fellow women. I want you to think about the last time you saw a girl take a selfie in public. Was your first thought, “oh she looks great today I’d take a selfie too” or was it more along the lines of “that’s a bit embarrassing taking photos of yourself”. Was it that latter? You know you aren’t alone in having done this but the question is why do we do this? In a world full of obstacles and uncertainty we need to be lifting one another up instead of tearing one another down.

Internationals Woman’s Day brings about this beautiful magic where women are complimenting and supporting one another and it’s so special to see so how can we keep that same positivity and attitude flowing on a daily basis? By a slight shift in focus and consciousness you can better your days and those around you. The law of attraction states that what we put out in the world will be attracted back to us like a magnet so think about what you want to see more of in your life and start by spreading those desires to those around you. If you want to feel loved, appreciated, supported and happy then show that through your actions and it will come back to you. These could be little things like complimenting your friends more, telling your parents you appreciate them, helping a friend at work with something you wouldn’t normally help with. All these things help put out good in the universe. As women, we really need to show this constant support and love to one another as so many of us can be self conscious but spreading the love can ease those insecurities.

If it’s new to you it may feel silly at first or like you’re sucking up to people but when you start this new wave of thinking filled with spreading kindness and love around to others it will seriously change your thinking. Being kind is easy. So is complimenting and building up our friends and family. You never know how your little bit of effort can affect those around you so why not give it a shot. Step outside your comfort zone and you’ll be amazed at the difference you see in your life.

So on not just International Womans Day but everyday remember how blessed we are to be the strong, successful and independent women we are. Remember that we get ahead and achieve our goals through the support systems around us. Be an asset to your tribe and build them up to be the best people they can be. The world is a better and brighter place when we work together. The future is woman and together we’ve got this. Sending positivity and happy vibes to you all as we head into the week ahead.

With love, Brooke X

Girls, we got this2018-03-18T17:43:07+11:00

A journey through grief

I am back with my first blog post of the year (It’s March, eek, my bad). I made a promise to myself when I started my business that my business would be more than just hiring a pretty dress. I want to use my business to promote positivity and happiness and the best way for me to do that is with my words. Although my blog today may seem like a negative and serious blog it’s actually a journey of finding peace and serenity in a gut-wrenching situation. I am writing about my first hand experience with grief and how it has shaped my life. It wasn’t an easy write but I do hope that it can be helpful to at least one person. If it is, then I have achieved what I set out. Here I go…

Grief is a tricky topic to broach. It is so personal to each individual. I think about my journey with grief quite frequently and I always want to write about it but given how personal it is I’ve always stopped myself. I love writing and it’s definitely something I want to do more but sometimes you have to be open and ready to blog about things that are deeply personal to you. Four years on, I think I’m ready to share my experience with grief in the hopes that what I’ve learnt and how I’ve learned to cope will help others.

Four years ago today I had the worst day of my life so far. I received the devastating news that at just 27 years of age my oldest sister had passed away. You know those moments in your life where you can remember everything so precisely because it’s etched in your mind so clearly that it will never go away? This is that moment for me. I was lying in bed recovering from a festival the day before and planning my post festival feed (pizza of course) when I heard my mum on the phone. I could tell something had happened but my first instinct that it was my elderly grandmother; never for a moment did I think it was my sister. I still remember the feeling of utter disbelief the moment I found out. It didn’t seem real, it couldn’t be real, the blow of realising it was real was agonising.

          My sister as a young girl

The first 24 hours was the worst. Having to let everyone know from family to close friends to acquaintances. It was really heavy and very difficult. I received hundreds of messages of condolences, some off people I barely even know. I remember reading these messages but not really registering what anyone was saying it was all just a big blur as the hours rolled into one another. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t sleep. I was at a loss with what to do with myself. It was the worst pain I had ever endured in my life. I kept on wanting to rewind back to days prior to try to stop it from happening. I didn’t want to believe that this was my new reality. Unfortunately for me, it was. These were the cards I had been dealt and my only option was to learn to live with it the best way I could. I’d be lying if I said I had this realisation overnight or that I had the strength to push forward positively from day one. Of course not, I have and I am still grieving every day. I cry, a lot! I’ll be driving and will just get a rush of emotions that bring me to tears for no particular reason. I think about the future we planned that will never happen. The family holidays we envisioned and all the things we imagined for our lives. Sometimes life throws us obstacles we’d rather avoid. At this point we have two choices. We can let it define us or we can overcome it. I made a choice to overcome it as I believed the best way to honour my sisters legacy was to spend the rest of my life living my best and being my best as to do anything else would be a disservice to her.

So, how was I going to live my best life when I was going through the biggest low point of it thus far? When you go through a life-changing ordeal you meet a crossroad. One road leads to a darker path where you are consumed with grief, what if’s and negativity. This path is ok to visit at times when you are feeling down or just need that time to yourself. The other path is one where you overcome it and learn from it and make a promise to yourself to be happy and live life to the absolute max. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted from life and the mark I wanted to leave and I started from there. I knew I wanted to start my own business so I spent the whole of 2015 and 2016 laying the foundations of what Designer Hire is today. I knew I wanted to kick goals with my partner and we have now purchased our first property and are planning our wedding for December. More importantly than business and materialistic things, I wanted to be my best self, as I believe that was the best way to honour my sister. I wanted to be happy. I believe the key to achieving happiness is through the power of positive affirmations so I started to really focus on these. Affirmations are what you tell the world you want in order to create it in the universe and bring that abundance into your life. I have so many affirmations that I say out loud daily with pride and confidence. I truly believe that affirmations have created a flow of good in my life. I don’t have it completely down pat but I am confident that as I person I am growing and working on myself to ensure that I am a good friend, partner, sister, daughter, boss etc. I have seen so much change in my life since I started using affirmations and I can now confidently say that I am leading a good life. My darkest moment has allowed me to broaden my outlook on life and what’s important. It’s taught me to be kinder and happier. Most importantly, it has taught me to cherish my life and everything I have.

My 21st Birthday in 2013

Life is unpredictable. It throws things at you that are completely unexpected. My journey through grief has been long and hard. It’s filled with emotional waves and everyday is different. When we lose someone we love we never get over it but we do get used to it. We adjust to what is our new life, our life post them. I know that my grief journey won’t ever really end but it has become more manageable and you will get to a point where you can manage yours too. Whatever it is that you have lost or that you have found difficult to get through, just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The message I want to convey is that this life doesn’t necessarily have to be bad or worse than before, just different. Remember that you will always have those memories with that person and that they will always be with you so make them proud with whatever you set out to do in life. My sister was the most beautiful, kind and generous person that I had the privilege of calling my own. I will never get over her or forget her so I will cherish and honour her in my own special way. I can now honestly say that I am leading a good life that I have no doubt she is guiding me through so trust in your angels and it will get better and fall into place.

To those who need it, I send the utmost love, positivity and strength on your journey. I hope you have enjoyed reading my story and I welcome any questions or comments. With love, Brooke. X

A journey through grief2018-03-08T18:12:26+11:00

Be Fearless in the Pursuit of What sets your soul on fire

I remember the first time I heard that quote and it instantly resinated with me. I have always been someone who has been driven by my passion and I have used that quality to the best of my potential throughout my entire life. When I was younger, I was a dancer and I absolutely loved it. I loved the thrill of accomplishing new things, working with a team to create memorable performances and forming long lasting relationships with people, many of who still play a key role in my life today. As a dancer you learn a whole lot more than how to kick your legs and do the splits. You learn valuable skills that can be applied to any situation you face in your whole adult life. I learnt a lot about time management, organisation, dedication and discipline and it is these skills that have helped to form my baby aka Designer Hire.

 

 

Choosing garments for the range is one of my favourite things to do

So obviously to start any business, project, venture or whatever it is you want to begin, you need good time  management, organisation, dedication and discipline. Without those things you wont be able to give your idea the power it needs to kick off the ground. BUT no matter how disciplined or dedicated you are, your idea cannot flourish without that passion that drives you. If you do something because it seems like an ok idea or because someone tells you to do it, it won’t work. YOU have to have that passion, that desire to get it done because that my friend is what will make it work.

 

 

Designer Hire was not a business that was easy to begin. I worked 7 days a week, in multiple jobs, saving everything I had to purchase a range of dresses to get the business started. It didn’t come easy and nothing was handed to me but my god it made it worth it. Every dress that is a part of the collection is a direct result of my own hard work and I couldn’t be prouder. My passion lies within my love of clothes, meeting new people and smashing goals. From a young age I was competitive and determined yet empathetic and friendly. I use these qualities to

I love my show room space. It’s my little haven in this crazy life

mould Designer Hire into a business that is well run with a lot of soul. Yes, I want to get as many clients as possible and filter endless sales through the website but I never want to lose the humanity in my business. This means every customer is important to me. I care about getting to know every person who emails, calls or comes in to see me. I listen and have a chat and often make an appointment last way longer than necessary as we go off on tangents like old friends. It all comes back to those key things of wanting to talk to people, wanting them to feel comfortable in the business and getting them to trust that they’ll have a positive experience when using Designer Hire services.

 

 

So, that’s me and why I got started and what keeps me going, but what about you? What is your passion? What drives you? What do you want to be remembered before? It could have absolutely nothing to do with business. It could be the time of person you want to be, the type of relationship you want to have or the career you want to excel in. Having passion and drive will make for a happier and healthier life. When we are focused and working on something that makes us happy, everything else around us flourishes as well. When you are happy in your work and your relationships everything around you falls into place because you are creating a happy and healthy atmosphere. So, today I challenge you to start day one of your passion project. It could be something small or it could be something major but set aside some time to focus on what makes you happy. I promise you that it won’t be easy but it will be worth it.

This blog has been filled with lots of corny clichés and typical motivational quotes but for real this mentality will create future positivity and prosperity. I do not care how corny I sound because I am passionate about succeeding in all aspects of life and doing so in a happy way surrounded by positive affirmations. If you read this and it resonates with you then I’m glad I took the time to put my corny thoughts to paper because spreading kindness is free and that’s the type of life I want to lead.

 

AND if you have any questions or want any advice I am happy to help. My journey is still at the beginning. I have so many things I want to achieve and its not going to happen overnight so no I don’t have all the answers but if I can offer anything of value then hey I’m going to do just that.

Until next time,

Brooke X

@brookeyturpin

Be Fearless in the Pursuit of What sets your soul on fire2017-07-14T14:27:41+10:00

Let’s talk Confidence, Happiness & knowing you are Enough

Ok, so real talk for a minute. In my business I am so fortunate to meet so many women who are all of different age, size, cultural background and personality. When someone walks through my door for an appointment that may go for 5 minutes or an hour and a half, I make the effort to have a small conversation with them. I do this because I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of finding out a little about my clients. It could be about what event they have coming up, what they are interested in, what they do for work, what has lead them to me today, anything at all really. I am an inquisitive, people person. I always have been. It’s not that I’m nosey but more so that I find other people interesting and I like making new friends. Now, as I said, everyone I meet is different and that’s what keeps running this business interesting. No two women are the same BUT I often see very similar tendencies in a lot of women that walk through my door…

Often once clients have a garment on they call me in for my opinion and they always ask me to imagine them with tan, hair and make-up done or they ask if they look big in the garment and often, in general, they find different things to pick on themselves about. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that we want to get the best garment possible that accentuate our best features and flatters those parts of ourselves that we are less confident about, that’s the whole purpose of trying something on and I’m here to make sure you find something you look amazing in but it often saddens me how many of the amazing girls I have as clients don’t feel ‘enough’ when they look in the mirror just as they are on a normal day. So girls, I want you to stop questioning yourselves because guess what, You look amazing. We are so set in our stubborn ways of thinking it’s normal to poke fun of how we look but I want y’all to stop. People confuse confidence with vanity like it’s so wrong to think positive things about yourself but I think go for it. Tell yourself how good you look, flaunt your features and know that you are HOT! I whole-heartily believe in the power of affirmations and I like to learn how to use them from the master herself, Louise Hay. If you haven’t heard of her, do yourself a favour and Google her and the methods she practices for a happy and healthy life. She talks about how when most of us look into a mirror we say something negative about ourselves and no good comes from that. So, next time you approach a mirror try saying something positive about yourself, what do you love about yourself, what is your best feature. Practice this and I promise you will feel so much better. Don’t get me wrong, I have been guilty of this before and I am not perfect but after practicing these affirmations I am starting to reach a point in my life where I am learning that I am ENOUGH. I have realised that focusing on negativity creates more negativity. I want the best from life and that means eliminating as much negativity as possible. I want this for you too.

Be confident, be happy.

So, what does body confidence have to do with dress hiring? For me, a lot because I want every woman that walks through my door to leave feeling good about themselves. I started this business to give women everywhere access to beautiful garments that they may not have previously been able to dream of wearing. Even though it’s such a simple thing, helping someone to find the perfect formal dress or a killer 21st outfit gives me a sense of satisfaction as I have helped that person to walk away feeling better for having come to my business. So I do think that it part of my job to preach confidence and use my communication with young women for a worthwhile purpose. Although we live in the social media age which is all about getting fitter, prettier, richer etc. we need to get back to basics and as corny and cliché as it sounds, focus on just being happy and knowing that you are enough. Whether you come to me to try on a size 4 or 16, you are beautiful and confident and I am grateful that you have decided to be my client and I hope that in return I can help you to feel confident and happy.

I felt compelled to write this blog because I really want to use my business to send positive messages. I’m no guru or expert but if I can help my clients to feel a little better after reading this because they were having a bad day then it has achieved its purpose. I know that I may not be able to change a lot in the world but if I can do my small part to leave a positive mark rather than a negative one then I’m going to do that. No good comes from being negative so next time you’re in front of a mirror tell yourself how beautiful you are. Then, smile at that stranger, tell your friends they’re amazing and spread Instagram likes around like confetti. It’s free to be kind and confident so spend your day today being the best version of yourself and it will work wonders for you. Thank you for supporting me and helping to enrich my life, even if you didn’t realise you had.

Love Brooke X

@brookeyturpin

Let’s talk Confidence, Happiness & knowing you are Enough2017-06-19T14:19:47+10:00

The Barossa Valley

When your friends suggest a weekend away in the Barossa Valley, you don’t hesitate, you just say YES! So, that’s exactly what I did. I always get excited for a weekend away. You always know that if you get the right group of people together and the right activities sorted it’s going to be a good time. The other thing you can count on is that it’s a good excuse to put together a quality outfit. As a female, way too much thought goes into an outfit for a perfect instagram photo visit to the vineyards and I have been crushing on Manning Cartell’s AW17 collection for a while and now it was time to go in for the kill. I treated myself to an afternoon in my favourite part of Sydney (Paddington) because that’s what us millennial do and I played dress up’s inside Manning Cartell for roughly 30 seconds as I knew in my mind what I wanted to wear and it feel into my arms like a new puppy, just the way I like it. So with an outfit sorted, I was ready to enjoy a weekend of wine and good times with a few of the best people in my life.

Our home for the weekend was the stunning “Reserve” property in Baroosa Valley. When you think of cute, country homes this is what comes to mind.

The property ticked all the right boxes with a spa and wood fire pizza oven aka the way to my heart. After too much food and wine, we settled in ready for the big day on Saturday, the wine tour.

I don’t know about you, but, my girls and I LOOOVEEE a good day where we can dress up and have a few wines and just enjoy each others company SO a wine tour is the perfect activity for a quality day. As I said, I had been crushing on Manning Cartell’s new collection and I was excited to wear the new little number I treated myself to. As the owner of a Hire business you would think I wouldn’t need to buy a new outfit

Looking at the camera is overrated

overtime I have something on but there’s still a little voice in my head that I secretly love who’s always telling me to just buy something new. I love that voice so much. The best advice for a wine tour outfit is to keep it simple. You don’t want anything too over the top. I went for an off shoulder top paired with military pants. I loved the Manning Cartell top and pants that I wore and the outfit will be available to hire on our website. I paired the set with Windsor Smith suede, black, sock boots. I always swear by Windsor Smith boots. They are comfy and reliable, they won’t break your bank and they make you look good #winning. I tend to keep accessories simple and the pair I’m wearing are from Lovisa. I love hunting through the Lovisa stock for hidden treasures. It’s like a fun game for fashion addicted adults.  You can hire this look via our website. Top and Pant retail price = $698 and our hire price = $119. I’m not just saying this, but it seriously saves to hire and saves the stress of paying off an outfit you’ll only wear once OR re-selling only to lose more than half of what you originally paid.

My best friend/photographer/everything

Outfit aside, you want to enjoy the day. Our tour driver for the day was a little bit of a buzz kill at times (who wants to listen to The Doors on a road trip??) but that didn’t stop the good times from rolling. We visited 4 different food and wine venues and tasted some fabulous  wines. My top winery recommendation would be Kies family wines. Kies just had a fun, relaxed vibe to it and a great desset wine. For the finest bread, olive oil and Dukkah (among many other things) head to the Maggie Beer farmhouse and Dukkah doesn’t have anything to do with ducks as I was strongly informed. So, moral of the story, get a good crew together, do some wine tasting and soak up all the good life has to offer.

Why not make your next weekend away one to the Barossa Valley and contact Designer Hire to help you put together your best, country style ensemble. You can’t go wrong with a cute playsuit or two piece set for your next adventure. We love helping you dress for any occasion so get in contact and organise a styling appointment for your next occasion.

My love,

Brooke X

@brookeyturpin

Keep up to date with the latest arrivals and offers at Designer Hire on our Instagram

The Barossa Valley2017-06-07T02:05:37+10:00

Welcome to Designer Hire

Hey everyone,

 

Welcome to Designer Hire. I thought I’d kick off the first blog post with an introduction to myself, Brooke. I am 23 years old from Sydney Australia and have recently started this online venture and I am absolutely loving it. I started Designer Hire after getting comfortable in my first business and wanting to explore different business opportunities. I have a love for fashion, like many other ladies, so I wanted to do something that connected to that passion so I started exploring the concept of Designer Hire. It was a big decision to make as the expenses that come with a business like this is quite full on as I wanted to do it right with a large collection of amazing garments by fabulous designers ready to be worn by women everywhere. Behind the scenes it was a 6 month process to build everything and have it ready for my launch at the start of December last year.

Designer Hire Sydney

It’s been such a fun experience so far and I am excited to watch Designer Hire grow over the years to come. Designer Hire is particularly special to me as I enjoy meeting so many different women who book appointments to try on garments. Everyone is always happy as they find the perfect outfit for a special occasion which in turn makes me happy! I currently run this business from home but would love to expand in the future and have my own showroom in Central Sydney. I am a big believer in following your dreams and passions and I believe that everyone has the power and ability to do whatever they want to do. Starting a business is hard work, it requires a lot of sacrifices and in the case of purchasing more than 50 designer products, a lot of dollars but I worked hard and saved for every item that I now have available and I did it all on my own.

Designer Hire Australia

I am a big advocate of women in business and love being a girl boss. We are all capable of doing whatever we want and being the best version of ourselves so go for it! I hope that you all enjoy my page and what I have to offer. Sydney ladies, feel free to organise a time to come and try any garments and for those of you over the rest of Country I post Aus wide so feel free to contact me to arrange a booking.

Designer Hire

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Welcome to Designer Hire2017-06-07T02:05:37+10:00