Hit the high street in style with Mayo's Maria

CLAREMORRIS woman Maria Morley's got style, and she's sharing it with women the world over with her blog, Style By Maria.

The 28-year-old from Bekan Cross will even hit the shops and go on the hunt for you if you're looking for something special.

The seeds for the business were sown back in childhood, as Maria explains: 'I have always loved fashion. Some parents have fussy eaters, but I was a fussy dresser. Of course, like all teenagers discovering themselves, I had some major fashion faux pas (the Spice Girls era immediately springs to mind!) but now I feel I have found my own style and I believe people when they say that I have a real talent and eye for all things fashion and style.'

Maria's style is somewhat led by trend, with a mix of vintage, but most of all it is made up of quality pieces that transcend time and help her stand out from the crowd.

As she puts it: 'Life is too short to simply blend in!'

Before starting college, she took an internship with Ireland’s top fashion stylists, Cathy O’Connor and Tanya Grimson. Life then took a different path and it was while travelling, immersed in so many colourful cultures, that her love of all things fashion and style was awakened.

Living in the digital era made starting her fashion journey all the easier and Maria decided that fashion blogging through the main social media platforms – Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and soon YouTube - was the best way to begin.

She said: 'While styling came easy, the minefield of digital marketing takes time. But over the space of a few weeks, I had a couple of thousand people engaging with my content on a regular basis. I was approached by some big name brands offering access to free clothes and accessories to promote.

'To top all this off, I was approached by several people looking for styling tips for special occasions and out of this a personal shopping venture began. I meet ladies in any shopping centre around the country, but mainly in Castlebar, Galway, or Athlone, and we spend an hour or two hunting for that perfect outfit. I think my role as a personal shopper is often to push them to try something new, be it a new style or more colour. My clients always walk away happy and, more importantly, super confident with their decision.'

Many women just don't have the time for fashion anymore and that's where Maria comes in to hunt down that perfect outfit that fits a given shape or size or meets a certain budget. She will also overhaul your wardrobe, adding in a few key pieces.

You don’t even need to contact her for style advice - simply connect with her on one of her social media platforms and follow her shopping hauls and trends.

She explained: 'For example, at the start of the month I featured a Primark haul, and although super accessible and affordable, this was one of my most popular features. I basically shared a number of key pieces from Primark and then styled them all with Primark accessories, and the reaction I received for this was unbelievable.'

 

 

Find Maria: Facebook: www.facebook.com/styledbymaria.ie; Instagram: www.instagram.com/stylebymaria1; Snapchat: Username:mazmorley (stylebymaria)