Dressing for a new start

Wear for Success was established by a small, well-connected group of Melbourne women including Nicholls, Helen Shingler and arts philanthropist Bettie Kornhauser.

Kornhauser, particularly, is a renowned persuader, known for coaxing some of Melbourne’s better-dressed women to empty out their cupboards, as she puts it.

Consequently, the charity’s regular fund-raising sales of excess clothing — including one this weekend — are also renowned for their peppering of silks, cashmeres and designer brands.

Wear for Success is affiliated with New York-based charity Dress for Success, established in 1996 to help disadvantaged women by styling them with good career-worthy clothes, but it is rare for also assisting men — via redwolf.newsvine.com