The Glamour Is Real. So Is the Chaos.

Behind Belinda's Desk | The Spring Racing Edition

There are two very different versions of Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival.

There's the version you see on Instagram. Beautiful designer dresses, spectacular millinery, champagne, fabulous women and perfectly curated photographs.

And then there's the version happening behind the scenes at Your Secret Closet.

And let me tell you, the chaos is absolutely real.

If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a designer dress hire boutique during Melbourne Cup week, pour yourself a wine. You're going to need it.

The 24-Hour Turnaround From Hell

Here's something most people probably don't realise.

Between Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday and Oaks Day on Thursday, we have an extraordinarily tight window to get dresses back, inspected, cleaned, steamed, packed and ready to go again.

In some cases, we're talking less than 24 hours.

And these aren't exactly your average throw-them-in-the-washing-machine garments.

We're talking delicate designer fabrics, intricate detailing, embellishments, silk, crepe and dresses that require very particular care.

Every makeup mark needs attention. Every hem needs checking. Every dress needs to be returned to its beautiful, wearable condition.

All while the clock is ticking.

And believe me, that clock ticks very loudly during Cup week.

Apparently, I'm Also a Courier Driver

At 8pm on Wednesday night, while most sensible people were at home contemplating dinner, I was driving around Melbourne delivering dresses and millinery.

Yes, personally.

Because sometimes Australia Post isn't going to get something there quickly enough, sometimes an Uber delivery is the only option, and sometimes the only person available to make sure a dress gets where it needs to be is yours truly.

Meanwhile, back at the boutique, we're coordinating Uber deliveries across town, checking that the correct dresses have gone to the correct customers, making sure nothing has disappeared into the delivery abyss and keeping a very close eye on Australia Post tracking.

There's something particularly character-building about entrusting a very expensive designer gown to an Uber driver and then watching that little car move across your phone screen.

Please don't take a wrong turn.

Please don't lose the dress.

Please, for the love of fashion, just get there.

And when that delivery notification finally arrives?

Honestly, it's almost as satisfying as seeing the customer wearing the dress.

Almost.

The Gold Rail. Otherwise Known as DO NOT TOUCH.

Now, here's a little insight into how we operate during our busiest periods.

In the boutique, we have a gold rail.

Not just any gold rail.

THE gold rail.

This is where our customers' orders hang, carefully packed in their protective plastic, labelled with collection dates and ready to go.

It's our little system for keeping some semblance of order during what can only be described as organised mayhem.

Or at least, it's organised until someone decides to browse it.

And you would be amazed at how often this happens.

A customer comes into the boutique, sees a beautiful dress hanging on the gold rail, walks straight past the hundreds of other dresses available to try on and decides that the one wrapped in plastic, clearly labelled with someone else's collection date, is the one they'd like to investigate.

Off it comes.

Sometimes out of the plastic.

Sometimes into the fitting room.

And suddenly, a dress that was cleaned, steamed, checked and ready for collection is no longer quite so ready.

Now, I completely understand the temptation. We stock beautiful dresses, and naturally people want to look at them.

But ladies, if it's wrapped in plastic with a date attached, there's a very good chance it belongs to someone else.

And during Cup week, that little moment of curiosity can create a surprising amount of extra work.

The gold rail is sacred. Please respect the gold rail.

When Things Go Wrong (Because Sometimes They Do)

I'd love to tell you that after nearly a decade in business, we've perfected every system and nothing ever goes wrong.

But I'd also love to tell you that I wake up looking like I've had eight hours of sleep.

Neither would be entirely truthful.

There have been occasions where we've accidentally double-booked a dress.

Yes, it happens.

And when it does, we don't simply shrug our shoulders and tell the customer she's out of luck.

I've actually gone to a competitor and hired the dress myself to honour a customer's booking.

Is it ideal? Absolutely not.

Does it cost us money? Of course.

But the customer booked a dress in good faith, and I believe we have a responsibility to do everything reasonably possible to deliver on that promise.

Sometimes running a business means swallowing your pride, accepting that mistakes happen and finding a solution.

Even if that solution involves paying another dress hire business for a dress you already own.

The irony is not lost on me.

And Then There Are the Collaboration Requests...

Spring Racing also seems to bring out an extraordinary number of people suddenly very interested in collaborating.

The requests come thick and fast.

And while we genuinely appreciate people wanting to wear our beautiful pieces, there's a limit to how many dresses a small business can provide, particularly during the busiest and most commercially important period of our year.

Because behind every dress that goes out for a collaboration, there's cleaning, preparation, logistics, administration and, most importantly, a dress that potentially can't be hired by a paying customer.

Exposure is lovely.

But unfortunately, exposure doesn't pay the dry-cleaning bill.

Or the courier.

Or the rent.

And during Spring Racing, all three seem to be particularly enthusiastic about taking our money.

What You Don't See in the Photographs

Here's the thing.

When you see a gorgeous woman at Flemington wearing a beautiful designer dress from Your Secret Closet, you see the finished product.

You don't see the frantic cleaning.

The last-minute steaming.

The tracking numbers.

The Uber drivers.

The 8pm deliveries.

The phone calls.

The dress bags piled into the car.

Or the small business owner wondering whether she's remembered to eat lunch.

And that's absolutely fine.

Because the whole point is that our customers shouldn't have to worry about any of that.

They should simply feel fabulous.

But I do think it's worth occasionally pulling back the curtain and showing what actually goes into making the magic happen.

Because running a small business isn't just about the beautiful things you sell.

It's about the hundred little problems you solve every single day that nobody ever knows existed.

Would I Do It All Again?

Ask me at 8pm on a Wednesday night when I'm driving across Melbourne with a car full of designer dresses and millinery, and my answer might be unprintable.

Ask me when I see the photographs of our beautiful customers at the races, looking absolutely incredible, and the answer is yes.

Every single time.

There's something special about being a small part of someone's big day.

And while Spring Racing might take a few years off my life every November, I wouldn't swap the business we've built for anything.

Although next year, I may seriously consider hiring a courier.

Or a helicopter.

The glamour is real, ladies.

So is the absolute bloody chaos.

Until next week,

Belinda x

Behind Belinda's Desk — The unfiltered reality of fashion, business and everything in between.