My day at the Races: George Main Stakes Day as Fashion Spotter

I was asked to be involved in the Fashions on the Field for the AJC's George Main Stakes Day at Royal Randwick Racecourse, last Saturday the 25th September 2010.

I was a "fashion Spotter" and this is what they required from me for the day: drink champagne, chat to people from the media, get dressed up in Penelope Red, wear a fabulous hat, eat from a beautiful high tea selection, while sitting in the "Champagne Bar", then wander around the course and pick out the best dressed ladies to go in the Fashions on the Field finals.... well, its a tough job, but someone has to do it!

So you can imagine I had a wonderful day!


I decided to wear the new Penelope Red Cosmopolitan Blue Bow Tie Pants, the Penelope Red Venus Floral Bolero and the hat was handmade by a wonderful lady, Raisa, who sells them at The Rocks Markets. The blouse pictured in the first photo) was a blouse I made specifically for this outfit- it is based on my gathered neck blouse's, just out of different fabric. Once I had decided on my outfit, Raisa designed the hat accordingly to match.


So I had my perfect hat, my Penelope Red outfit, I wore tan shoes (which matched back with my bolero) and had a vintage dark blue and gold handbag. The best thing about my outfit was that it was so different to everyone else's! Every other lady wore a dress or a skirt. I was the only woman in pants, and I felt like a million dollars!



I hope everyone gets the chance to go to the races this year, and I encourage everyone to get completely dressed up from head to toe! It is such a great feeling to feel like a princess for a day.


See my beautiful blue pants and the large bow at the back! They have been quite the favourite at the markets recently!

The fabric is 100% rayon, and the copy that I am wearing (my own copy) had already been washed when this photo had taken place. One of the things I am very proud of- my fabrics are good quality and the dyes and colours last!



I love these pants as they make any one appear to have much longer legs, due to the high waist and pin stitching down the front. Also, they are probably the most comfortable pants I have ever owned since the waist is elasticated. The Venus Floral Bolero worked so well with them as the pants highlighted the bright blue colours in the print.



It was a fabulous day, and I was lucky to share it with my friend and designer of Mae and Pearl, Naomi Swalwell.

Silly me forgot to take more photos from the day, but atleast I can show the most important part- my outfit!

If you are interested in purchasing a handmade hat, please contact Raisa on: 0412031612. If you live in Sydney, she will be at The Rocks Markets every Saturday and Sunday throughout October, except for October the 3rd.

The Martini Bright Stripe Blouse

The Martini Bright Stripe Blouse is the latest design to be added to the Penelope Red etsy shop, and is part of "The Red Hour" Collection.

I LOVE this print! My textile agent laughed when I became so excited by this print... and it is one of the many exciting prints I have for this season. It has virtually every colour of the rainbow included in it, along with a bold black line, and the printed design is basically random stripes going down the body.

The below photo shows the Martini Bright Stripe Blouse worn with the Cosmopolitan Red Bow Tie Pants. The blouse has been handmade by myself from a 100% polyester chiffon, and a little vintage rik-rak braid has been applied around the gathered neckline.



This blouse style is the same as my Black and White Nouveau Blouse,


the Liechtenstein Blouse,



the Oriental Fans Blouse,

and others.

Since the style is so simple, it can be worn in many different ways, yet the bold colours and prints make it a very "Penelope Red" design- something unique and different! Take a look at this older posting to see the many different ways in which you can wear this style.

Penelope Red Spring/Summer Fashion Showcase Video

My Penelope Red designs were featured in The Rocks Markets Spring/Summer Fashion Showcase last weekend. I have made a short video above (under 3 minutes long) of the models showing off my designs! You will see my handmade catsuits, my new Cosmopolitan Red Bow Tie Pants and Martini Bright Stripe Blouse; the Purple Floral Corset Dress; and other designs, so I hope you enjoy it!

Inspirations for "The Red Hour" Summer Collection

As stated before in the "creating the Red Hour Collection" posting, I was inspired by what I would like to wear to a cocktail bar or party.

Then I liked the idea of changing "The Cocktail hour" to "The Red Hour". My ideas just seemed to flow after that. Now all my designs are named after classic cocktails! When researching cocktail names, I found this old poster, conveniently named, The Cocktail Hour!

The below shot is another shot that helped to inspire the team involved in the photo shoot. I like the idea of the model lounging around on the lounge chair, but I also wanted a few less "posey" shots, and have some fun with it. So we did both.





All of the Penelope Red handmade creations are available to purchase at The Rocks Markets, and they will be listed in the Penelope Red online shop soon.

The Strawberry Daiquiri Polka Dot Blouse

As part of my new summer collection, the Strawberry Daiquiri Polka Dot Blouse is a brand new Penelope Red design. Handmade from a 100% polyester bright red and cream polka dot satin, and bright blue satin binding. I love this top, as it really is such a versatile style, and suits so many body shapes.

It usually suits women with a small or large bust, as the pleating flatters someone with a small bust, but also allows extra room for a large bust (around a DD can usually fit into it).



I have enough fabric to make around 8 of these. Even though it is a polyester material, the fabric is so soft, most people confuse it for silk. The blue stripe satin binding around the under bust seam creates a very flattering line, and I like the fact that is completely contrasting and unexpected!

An invisible zip is at the side. It is the same style as the Monet Pleated Blouse, just without the keyhole at the centre back (Monet version shown below)



This style is great to wear with jeans, wear with a cute mini skirt, wear with panst or a skirt. Such a versatile style, and great for many occasions. A cocktail setting, a bbq, a party, shopping with your girlfriends, wear it to work- the list goes on!

1/1/10: The Strawberry Daiquiri Blouse has been listed in the Penelope Red etsy shop! More photos of this design can be seen in the etsy listing.

The Mai Tai Aqua Halter Top

The Mai Tai Aqua Halter Top is part of my new Summer Collection, "The Red Hour". This collection was inspired by a cocktail/party theme, and as soon as I saw this fabric, I knew this style would be perfect for it!




These photos were created by a great team of people, and you can read about them in the Penelope Red newsletter here.



This has been hand made from a 100% cotton print, with cotton poly lining, and big maroon buttons at the back. The back is a wrap around style. Such a versatile style- wear it with jeans, pants, skirts, shorts, etc.