Lifestyled by Paula Joye

I worked with InStyle Editor Kerrie McCallum for a large chunk of my magazine life.

I appointed her Editor of Shop Til You Drop back when it was a tiny magazine with a tiny staff and together, with a couple of paper clips and some sticky tape we began to turn it into the magazine it is today. Or rather she did. I just put out fires when asked.

Kerrie is warm, funny and ridiculously stylish. Her fashion forwardness has developed over time and now, she’s one of the most super confident dressers I know. She’s not afraid to wear colour, prints, colour with prints – she’s a true eclectic and a pleasure to watch.

Last night she hosted the annual InStyle Women of Style Awards  and I asked her to share her getting red carpet ready ritual with us.

Kerrie’s Diary

The InStyle & Audi Women of Style Awards is an incredible event held in Sydney each year – the team work towards this night all year round. A lot of high-profile women and celebrities attend, and there’s a mega red carpet to navigate. It’s probably the biggest and most important event on my calendar and finding the right dress is important.

One of the perks of being an editor is that designers will lend me a dress to wear, and I have fashion editors on hand to help me source accessories and I see a lot of great dresses in the course of my job. So I’m really lucky in that respect, as in, it cuts down the time spent running around shops looking for the right thing. I can walk into the fashion closet (and it’s a great well-stocked fashion closet!) and try a few things on, get good advice from my fashion team, so it’s really an easy process and I generally do it a few days before.

The biggest challenge is making a choice! This year the dress code is cocktail and strangely, the first dress I tried on was the one. A hot pink Carl Kapp asymmetrical dress with an elaborate tailored shoulder, featuring slivers of red. I have always loved the combination of red and pink (I’ve used it a lot on covers).

The most incredible thing about Carl’s designs is they really come to life on you once you’ve tried them on. He cuts and drapes so well, so this dress looks nice on the rack, but it fits like a glove once I zip it up and the midi length (just below the knee, skimming the calf) is on-trend, flattering and elegant. Love it! I’d recommend checking out Carl’s collection, he is a young Australian designer and there are some excellent elegant-with-a-twist pieces suitable for work and play.

I’m a bit of a fan of mashing prints or colours together, so I decide to go with a pair of coral, purple and gold strappy Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. Ferragamo is doing really great shoes at the moment. And I balance out all this colour with a neutral pearl clutch with gold trimming – the outfit needs a bit of grounding so the purse is quite simple but in a modern box style which is so neat and stylish.

Topped it off with red nails (Chanel in Pirate if you’re interested – an oldie but a goodie) and my hair is tousled but up. Wearing it down would compete with my statement shoulder! I’m going jewellery-free tonight, other than a Longines watch, I don’t really need anything else as the dress and accessories are a statement enough. The lippie was Chanel Lipstick in Embrace, the spray tan by Asyana. Now I just have to take a deep breath and enjoy. Well, I’ve got a cracked rib so the deep breath is optional!