Stylist Series: Meet Kahlia-Rose, Our Claremont Quarter Perth Assistant Showroom Manager

We recently caught up (virtually) with our Claremont Quarter Assistant Showroom Manager, Kahlia-Rose, on what she will be wearing this Summer, her favourite suiting details, her top reads and drops, the items she places value on and more...

On Your First Suit Experience...

My first ever suit was actually my first uniform here at InStitchu. Before then I had only ever bought blazers, but I was obsessed with them. Throughout university I would always go to op shops and buy any I could find even if they didn’t fit. I used to buy blazers two sizes too big and wear them as a dress with a belt, or deconstruct them and sew them together with other garments. One of my favourite pieces was a blazer I pulled apart and put back together with some of my dads high-vis shirts!

On Your Items Of Value…

I’ve got a vintage skirt that I picked up from an op shop years ago. It’s a full length midnight blue, wool pleated skirt with velvet waistband and gold buttons. I think I paid maybe $7 for it, which is an absolute steal. When I got home I found it had been manufactured in East Germany in the 80’s.

On you...

I moved from Kalgoorlie to Perth when I was 17 to study fashion at ECU. Coming from a small town to a city was overwhelming, but the best decision I would have made. Studying fashion really made me see clothes as something other than functional, but more as an everyday expression of art. 

I was always driven towards clothing that was considered unisex or non-binary. I think blurring the lines with gendered clothing is always interesting, as clothes should just be clothes. Each person looks best in certain fits and figures of clothing and I think its really run to cross those lines. I really like how fashion houses like Margiela play with this, but then also how Dior will overtly feminise these pieces. 

On What You’re Wearing…

Probably my loudest suit is this blue and yellow check suit from our women’s range. It caught my eye as soon as we launched womenswear, and I was so stoked to finally get it as my uniform! I just love how different it is, and I would never be able to find anything like it off the rack. 

On Suit Details…

I love a suit with a bit of character or story to it. I find a lot of suits I choose for myself are statements not staples. I love bright colours and statement patterns, something you do not see every day. I think anything you can do to personalise the suit, like a contrasting or printed lining in a colour you love, or a monogram to truly leave your personal mark on your suit. 

On Your Day-To-Day 

I love getting that perfect fit right for clients who can’t buy off the rack or always struggle with sizing. It’s really amazing to see how confident they feel in a suit that feels and looks good on them.

On Coffee

I can wake up just fine in the morning, but by mid-morning I will need a soy latte to keep me going.

On La Dolce Vita—Food and Wine...

I really like anything spicy, and I don’t eat meat so cuisines like Thai, Indian and Mexican are my go to. I find that a gin and tonic can be adapted to suit any cuisine.

On Literature...

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe: A really educational insight on Indigenous history in Australia, it is a very eye opening read. 

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland: A modern Australian novel, I read it twice the first week I bought it, Ringland’s writing really brought the Australian outback to life. 

The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald: My favourite classic piece of all time, every time I read it I get something new from it. 

I’m currently reading In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, it’s an autobiography of a refugee from North Korea. It is one of those books that you can’t stop reading but also don’t want it to end too quickly.

Searching for a Stylist? Look no further. Book a Video Appointment or Showroom Appointment at our Claremont Quarter Perth Showroom with Kahlia-Rose today.