One night, in the middle of the 2020 lockdowns, a little voice spoke to me. ‘Buy a retail business,’ it said. ‘It will be fine,’ it said. I chose to believe that voice, and so, our Pretty Woman journey began. But the story of Pretty Woman started way before it was a twinkle in my eye.
Flashback to Edinburgh, Scotland, when a young woman called Julie opened the OG Pretty Woman Bridalwear, a tribute not to the 90s rom-com featuring Julia Roberts as a prostitue, but a nod to Julie’s dad, whose favourite song was ‘Oh! Pretty Woman’ by Roy Orbison. Years later, after emigrating to Australia, the Melbourne Pretty Woman was opened. The rest, as they say, is history.
With my background in wholesale manufacturing of gowns, my sum retail experience entailed of working at a butcher cutting up chicken, vastly different to helping women find the dress of their dreams in a beautiful boutique surrounded by glamourous fashion. However, we promptly realised that our biggest strength lies in what others may see as a weakness. We are not the most fabulous of fashionistas (well, maybe we are but we totally play it down), we don’t price our gowns at unattainable amounts, we do not judge, we do not put on airs or graces…we are our own authentic selves here, and that, my queens, is what makes us special.
This little blog we are creating, is not just a way of reaching our customers and moving with the times with an online presence, but also a voice of a couple of normal chicks who are bloody good at what they do. We know our stuff, and we love sharing any tips, tricks, styles ideas, inspiration, sneak peeks into new collections and dresses. We also love sharing random bits of information and stories, so prepare yourselves for that 😉
What to expect when you visit Pretty Woman…
Well, you can guarantee there will be music, definately not classical, more likely disco, and there might even be a dance break or two thrown in there if it all gets a bit much. We are all about making you feel comfortable, and if that requires us to do the running man, we got you girlfriend! You will have a dedicated stylist who will do anything in her power to help you puruse our rails and find some kick-ass dresses. Sky’s the limit, baby…we don’t impose a limit to how many gowns you try on, the only thing stopping you might be if another appointment is due in…in which case, you can come back next week and do it all over again!
Stay tuned for our next installment where we will hit you with our top tips for making your first appointment a breeze…
Love the PW Team