Indeed this was exactly what happened to Dine for Life. What started out as a simple concept – to enjoy the company of good friends while dining for a good cause, has developed into one of the most anticipated annual events in the WA food and wine industry.

Dine for Life has created a platform for restaurants to be selected as part of the ‘exclusive ten’, where diners enjoy their meal in the name of charity. Being a part of the ‘exclusive ten’ allows each restaurant’s Chef to be personally profiled, giving them the opportunity to tell their story and to enhance their personal brand and reputation by showcasing their skills and talents to the WA community.  Even food and beverage producers are jumping onboard – eager to sponsor an event that gives back to the community and their industry. The hype that surrounds Dine for Life rewards its sponsors with brand exposure and awareness across the state.

Boho Bar’s Head Chef Dominic Grundy

The event has also been successful in bringing together the community and industry participants, creating opportunities for networking and business development.

BoHo Bar’s head chef Dominic Grundy shares with us his experience,

“The Dine for Life charity dinner gave the opportunity to create dishes that embodied personal enthusiasm and individual flair, whilst showcasing local fresh produce.  By working closely with suppliers in the Margaret River region, it felt as though this was not a dinner presented simply by one person, but as if the whole community came together to produce an enthralling evening.  The relationships built during the preparation for the evening will be cherished for a long time to come.”

It has been such an exciting journey with Dine for Life and I am certain that with your support, Dine for Life will continue to grow and evolve to raise greater awareness to underfunded charities and provide a strong platform that supports local restaurants and the careers of those in the WA food and wine industry. EGAMI STYLE is looking forward to sharing our ideas and donating our services to Dine for Life for the next event – stay tuned!

Natasha Di Ciano

Dan Masters, Natasha Di Ciano and Neil Perry at Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth

It was in fact the pocket watch – that can now be seen fashionably accessorized around the necks of young girls – that was actually the social protocol for a gentleman’s time keeping.

It wasn’t until the 19^th century during the Anglo-Boer War (South Africa 1899 -1902) that soldiers discovered the wristwatch’s prized utility. Fitting the pocket-watch into leather straps on their wrists (rather than letting them rattle and ultimately reveal their location to the enemy), British soldiers were able to launch attacks against Boer forces with tactical precision and gain victory.

Although in today’s age, with the advent of mobile phones, ipads and itouches all featuring time displays, less emphasis is placed on the wristwatch’s time function and more on its symbolism, we can all come to respect the evolution of the wristwatch through the years. Far, from being just an accessory, the wristwatch has its own story – it is a status symbol; a symbol of victory and success.

Where lies the future of the wristwatch? Only time will tell…

Often you might be asked how well you know another person. But rarely would you ever be asked how well you know yourself, for of course it is assumed that you would be the person that understands yourself best.

But how well do you really know yourself and how much attention are you actually paying to YOU? What are you naturally good at, what do you love doing and what do you want to achieve?

According to Tom Rath, author of number one wall street journal bestseller, Strengths Finder, the primary goal of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not. Think back to when you were in high school. Each subject that you didn’t like and were not good at, you were naturally encouraged to concentrate more on. This may have been effective in marginally raising your marks, but the sacrifice was greater time and labour on your part.

Now if instead, you had spent more of your time and effort in areas and subjects you were naturally strong at, think of how much better you could have performed. Understanding yourself and applying yourself appropriately is key to realising both success and your potential for greatness.

When your key strengths and abilities are honed and applied at the centre of your life, you will not only find that you achieve your goals with greater ease, but you will also be more eager, motivated and personally satisfied. According to Tom Rath, studies show that people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are “six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.”

If you allow yourself to use your strengths and natural talents unreservedly, you will be in a position to truly offer the best you have to give and chances are that you will definitely succeed in whatever you are aiming to achieve.

Let yourself be who you were meant to be. Know and accept your limitations. Know and accept your strengths. Invest in your strengths, focus on your strengths and build on them. This is a core principle at EGAMI. We encourage you to focus on your best assets.

Knowing your unique strengths, making the most of them and projecting them through your image can make a world of difference in your career. By drawing on your key strengths and experiences, you can create a unique identity, one that speaks volumes about who you are and what you have to offer. At EGAMI, we seek to help people market their finest strengths and abilities, to build a strong brand and personal profile, and to most importantly fulfil their potential for greatness.

You have everything it takes. All you need to do is to be more of YOU.

As, a role model for aspiring female leaders, a representative of the Labour Party, the Prime Minister of Australia and an ambassador for all its people, Julia Gillard undoubtedly has a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Central to her performing each of these roles, is the cultivation of a strong personal brand and image that projects a confident, capable and statesman-like figure.

One of the most visible personal branding strategies employed by Gillard is the accentuation of her most identifiable characteristic, her hair colour. By intensifying her hair to a deeper and richer hue of red, the colour’s strengthened connotations of energy and confidence are transferred to Gillard’s persona, lifting her appearance and giving her a more striking and energetic presence.

According to former finance minister, Lindsay Tanner, ‘Gillard has dyed her hair red for years to help build her personal brand. It makes her more noticeable.’ The move also represents Gillard’s embracement of her unique colouring and the development of her assets into a personal trademark that makes her more memorable.

So if you want to advance your career, consider the use of personal branding strategies and how they can help you enhance your visibility, communicate all your skills and capabilities and really project you, at your finest.

Women have made leaps and bounds in their pursuit of equal rights and treatment in the economic, political and social realms. With greater legislative rights, less social biases, the freedom to work in almost any industry and position, the world is seeing an increasing presence of women in high powered leadership positions and more women being recognised for their outstanding abilities and achievements.

This year’s celebration of women’s achievements marks the centenary of International Women’s Day. Organisations across the world have been getting involved to commemorate this special occasion. In Australia, premier fashion magazine Vogue, has teamed up with channel SBS to bring everyone a thrilling season of special screenings, celebrating exceptional women.

EGAMI STYLE also joined in on International Women’s Day celebrations with a presentation to the National Australia Bank in Perth that empowered their female team to create a confident and powerful image that reflected their unique style within the boundaries of their industry and enhanced their visibility. EGAMI STYLE was proud to partner with the Ready to Work team, which assists disadvantaged women in the community to secure a job through their employment preparation services.

At a parliamentary level, the world’s leading ladies, Julia Gillard, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton gathered at a gala function in Washington to award women of outstanding courage from around the world who had fought to empower women. Julia Gillard has also expressed her desire to push the boundaries for a greater presence and visibility of women on company boards and is prepared to address this through legislation.

EGAMI STYLE thinks that this encouragement for Australian corporate companies to increase the admittance of women to their boards is great progress, however it is important to recognise that career advancement and visibility extends beyond exceptional skills and education. In order for women to achieve rapid career advancement, they should consider enhancing their relationship skills and be more active in networking and self-promotion. One woman in particular, from the mining industry, that EGAMI STYLE has had the wonderful opportunity of working with and alongside, who has experienced outstanding success and who has been inducted to the WA Women’s Hall of Fame, is Kate Sommerville. Congratulations Kate on your commendable achievement!

What are they? They are tattoos!

Sported by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox and David Beckham and seen strutting down the runway of famous fashion houses, tattoos have heavily hit the mainstream. With tattoos at such a high popularity, even companies have taken advantage of the craze by using people as walking billboards to strengthen and promote their brand.

But, while the fashion houses have opted for temporary tattoos, many people are lining up at the local tattoo parlor to permanently engrave a personal statement onto their skin.

So what does this all mean for the conservative corporate environment. What do you do when your highest quality job candidate has tattoos running all the way up his or her arm? With Gen Y entering the job market and the soon to follow, Gen Z, the chances of coming across a tattoo bearing candidate is abundant. Can employers really afford to ban tattoos and turn away young talent? The answer is no. Interestingly though, tattooing was prohibited in New York City as recently as 1997.

Indeed many workplaces have recognised this tattoo trend and have started to incorporate clear sections within their dress code policies to address this and to protect their corporate image.

As an employer, it is important to recognise and celebrate the diversity of your people and employees, but to also maintain a credible, professional corporate image for the company to clients and to the general public. For the organisation to communicate a consistent message across, employers need to ensure that their employees understand the image and perception that the company wants to project and that this image is reflected in the way that their team presents themselves.

The modern interpretation of tattoos is that they are a means of creative expression and individuality. Some individuals even have tattoos of lost loved ones or of family and hence broaching the topic of a tattoo ban can be a highly sensitive matter. In some cultures, tattoos bear religious significance and are believed to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, hence serving as an amulet of protection. With the myriad of different reasons an individual may have for getting their tattoos, employers should establish clear policies and dress codes to avoid misunderstanding and legal repercussions, as well as to be more open minded and sensitive when dealing with employees on the topic of tattoos.

On the other hand, tattoos have been associated with negative connotations for decades. While tattoos may seem cool, it’s understandable that your boss may not take too well to you flashing the skull and cross-bones on your arm to all the company clients in the next business meeting. So if you would like to get a tattoo, think carefully about what you are getting done and consider the size and placement of your tattoo and the implications it could have on your current and future career. It goes without saying that if you intend to work in a highly conservative corporate environment, you are more than likely going to be required to cover the tattoo if it’s in a visible area of your body. For those who are unaware of the boundaries, don’t have any work done above the collar line and nothing past the wrist.

And perhaps consider that having a tattoo is not like buying a necklace or a shirt. Sure you can always buy a new tattoo but you can’t just take it off and change it like you can a necklace or shirt. It is permanent. And whatever you wear from that point onwards may have to be chosen to align with your tattoo, depending on how large the tattoo is and what it conveys. So to those considering getting a tattoo simply because you think it looks ‘cool’, think long and hard and then think again. If do you get a tattoo, consider something that has meaning and significance to you and consider whether it aligns with your future goals and career.

Clothes and colour enhance the strength of your verbal message and can say a great deal about your personality and character as well as your position of influence. Consider fabric, colour and style. For instance, red can be worn by those who want to convey assertiveness, while black can be interpreted to mean sophistication and power. In terms of fabrics, silk conveys elegance while white cotton shirts say I’m easy going, approachable and relaxed.

What are you wearing today?

Everybody has a different way of unwinding; perusing the latest fashion at the stores or on-line with a glass of champagne (highly recommended!), working out at the gym, perhaps a little pampering or reading a great book. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s essential to make the time to do these things on a regular basis? Maintaining a ‘work-life balance’ can become a bit difficult if  like us, you really do enjoy what you do for a living.  It is us, however, who generally burn out the quickest as we never switch off, mentally or in the technological sense.

If there simply are not enough hours in the day to take time out for yourself, then how about scheduling that meeting over a game of golf or a walk around the river rather than in the boardroom? In most cases, your client or colleague is probably just as time-deprived as you are and would enjoy the break!

A healthy state of mind is the foundation for projecting a confident image.  Are you aligned?