Penelope Red at The Rocks Market: 26th & 27th February 2011

The Penelope Red boutique stand will be at the Rocks Markets on the 26th and 27th of February, 2011.

The photos included in this post were taken a few weeks ago when I had my stand set up at the Rocks Markets. It was fairly quiet, so I decided t0 continue hand sewing the gold sequinned silk top I am creating for the new Autumn Collection.



I love giving my garments that handmade appeal, and even though hand sewing sequinned lace onto a top is time consuming, I know this design will be stunning! Already people were wanting to take a look at the unfinished piece, let alone the finished piece. I can't wait to see this in the photo shoot!



The Rocks Markets, Sydney is open from 10am til 5pm, both Saturday and Sunday. Please note that the Penelope Red boutique is not at the markets every week, and if you take a look at the official Penelope Red website, there is a notice of the next time I am there.

More Customer Photos!

One of my customers has been very kind to give me a copy of a few photos from her trip to New Zealand. She wore a few of my designs while she was there, including the Liberty Flowers Wool Jacket Bolero as seen above.



Above, the Vesper Kimono and below the Kir Royale Halter.



I am so thrilled to see people wearing my designs! One time I hope to be walking down the road, and I bump into someone wearing my work, and I can tell them that I made that!



Above, Leanne, Lorelle and I had dinner at the Spanish Fly (Spanish Restaurant) a few months ago. I really like this photo as we are all so happy, and we are wearing our Penelope Red! Leanne wears the Pop Dress, I wear the Venus Floral Bolero and Lorelle wears the Caipirinha Y-Bar Top.

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!

Cutting Out

Just a very quick post today. I was wearing something decent for a change while working (as I had just come back from watching Eclipse), instead of the usual work uniform of tracksuit pants and jumpers, so I took some photos of me working away on my designs.

These photos are of me cutting out the Black Rose Jade Dress, and the Pink Summer Kimono.

The Black Rose Jade Dress

Introducing the Black Rose Jade Green Dress, the latest style from Penelope Red- I literally finished making it two days ago. This is the same pattern/style as the Black Rose Red Dress that was really popular a few weeks ago at the markets .


I LOVE this colour!!! I have to admit, when I was deciding on the colour, I was a little hesitant, but then I received some assurance from a few lovely ladies, and now I am so glad I made it in this Jade Green colour! (One for me, one for the shop-I am so bad!) As soon as I tried it on, I knew I had to keep one.

The black accentuates the colour even further, as well as adding a little extra Penelope Red feel to it!


I decided to show you a few simple ways in which you can wear this great style. As it really is quite versatile. When some people look at bright colours, they think they are limited to one or two colours. I say you are only limited to your imagination!

I could really imagine this dress with a gorgeous red or pink printed bolero- I just need to find the fabric people!


One of the many great things about this design is that it is so comfortable, and the fabric is so soft (it is made from a rayon elastane knit or jersey)- there are no excuses for needing to wear tights or jeans etc. any more!

Wear it with boots, tights and a big overcoat when it gets cooler; wear it with strappy heels and a full brim hat on the bright spring days.

I decided to make this dress a mid-calf length as full length is a little predictable (and it doesn't suit some of the shorter ladies), and I have done many knee length dresses. I have long legs- so it looks more knee length on me, but for most, this is a mid calf length.


This dress has 6 pleats on the front, and 6 pleats on the back, all spread around the waist. You can have the choice of wearing a great belt around your waist to accentuate it even further. I love wearing a bright contrast- it draws the eye straight to the waist.


Please note, all of these photos were taken outside, in natural lighting, as I wanted to show you the true colour of this beautiful dress. The only photo shop I have applied to these images is cropping.

I currently have this dress in a US size 4, 6, 8 or 10 or an Australian size 8, 10, 12 and 14. If you would like to enquire about this style, please email me: designer@penelopered.com.au

Project Reconstruction

I have been invited to compete in an online charity auction for CARE Emergency in Haiti.

My design is below:



The competition, named Project Reconstruction, is organised by the Canadian online bi-monthly magazine, Viva La Moda.

There will be quite a few designers involved. The design brief: use a men’s business shirt in your design, and make something wearable from it.





The design of the silhouette is actually one of my biggest sellers, the Penelope Red Wrap Around Halter Top; this style is flattering on so many figures, is versatile, and adjustable, and since we were auctioning this on the internet, I thought all of these factors would be best to apply to this design.



Above is pictured the Bohemian Sari Halter Top, which is available to purchase in the Penelope Red etsy shop.





Look below to see how I made this one-of-a-kind top:

Once we were given the design brief, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. Since we were told to use a men's business shirt, I wanted this to be the focus of the design, and use as many elements as possible from this.


What the original shirt looked like...






I used bright blue silk for the lining of this top.


I thought the most interesting part of this shirt was the collar and the colours in the stripe, so this is what I kept.


Above and below, sewing the collar in place.





Once I applied the collar from the original shirt to the top, I then exchanged the original cream buttons, for black buttons- I think they really make a statement against the stripe. I was going to apply a few pieces of randomly placed black lace, but it didn't add anything to the overall design.


I think this design is chic and elegant, and I could see it being worn with a great pair of jeans or a pair of hot black pants, some heels and some chunky jewellery.

The auction will be online, and run through ebay. Subscribe for free to Viva La Moda magazine so you will be notified instantly when the competition starts.

All proceeds go to the CARE Emergency in Haiti charity, and it would be fabulous if you could all tell everyone about this wonderful idea.

New Style: The Mint Regency Blouse and The Venus Skirt

As etsy only allows for five photos per item listing, I like to add a few extra photos to my blog. It gives me a chance to really show you the inside and the outside of my garments- as to me, the finish of each garment is just as important as the design!



The Mint Regency Blouse has been made from a gorgeous polka dotted vintage mint fabric. As soon as I saw it, I just simply had to have it! I only have enough fabric to make around another 2 or 3. The polka dots are in the shades of white, navy blue and beige, and are on a mint green background.

My gathered neck blouse's (the style of the design) have been really popular at the markets, so I will be making other colour-ways in this style.



The lace applied to the neck is a stunning white vintage hand-crocheted lace. It is amazing to think that someone has sat and crocheted every last loop and knot to make this! I was really lucky in finding this lace, and I have recently stumbled across some other laces too. I have no doubt they will all come in handy for my designs!




I have finished off the sleeve edging with a decorated elastic- it makes a nice neat edging, while still being delicate.



All seams are overlocked, and pressed.


The Venus Skirt is a high-waisted number, which really defines your waist, and accentuates your hips- a really curvy number. I guess this is why I gave it the name, "Venus Skirt". It is all about femininity.

The print is quite unique- has a slight "mod" feel to it. The background is a dark brown, with apricot contrast. The contrasting fabric is in apricot too, and it has a slightly textured feel to it of lines.



The hem has been curved to a point at the centre front, as this mirrors the rest of the design.


There is a split at the centre back, and an invisible zip with a large black button for the fastening around the waistband.



All seams and facing edges have been finished off with overlocking.

The Venus Skirt is a really striking design. I like the Mint Regency Blouse worn with it, but you could just as easily wear this skirt with a plain white business shirt and black heels.

Both of these designs are available for purchase in the Penelope Red etsy shop.

Penelope Red at The Rocks Market: 13th & 14th March 2010

Penelope Red will be trading at The Rocks Markets this coming Saturday 13th and Sunday, 14th of March, 2010. The trading hours are 10am til 5pm.

I have just finished making the very last copies of the Penelope Red Paris Bow Top- there is no more fabric left after these last few copies!



All of my designs are handmade by myself, and are all made in small quantities, so you have the pleasure of owning an unmistakable unique product!

Hope to see you there! Please note, my location changes on a weekly basis, and I will place a notice on my facebook page to let people know of my location by Friday at the latest.

Follow me on twitter or facebook for more updates of my latest designs and finds!

The Penelope Red Purple Floral Corset Dress

I added the Penelope Red Purple Floral Corset Dress to my etsy shop today.

I wanted to show you what goes into the inside of this dress, as the inside is just as important as the outside when it comes to a corset dress!



First, I make the corset. To see the making of one of my corsets, look at The Making Of a Penelope Red Corset blog posting. It is slightly different- as I don't need to decorate the outside of the corset for the dress, but otherwise as much care and time goes into it!

I make the corset out of a tan coloured fabric, as you don't want it to show through the white background.


I place an invisible zip, and a lovely pearl-like button at the centre back. All seams are matched!


The entire dress is fully lined with a white cotton/poly- I chose the cotton as this dress will be worn in the warmer months (no doubt), and I thought cotton would be the most comfortable to wear, and the poly blend would allow for less ironing needed!


The corset, with a lace-up back allows for you to tie at as tight or as loose as you want (within reason). It means that the corset will hold the dress in place, and there will be no need for adjusting the dress- you can wear this and be comfortable knowing the dress will stay where it is meant to!


It is always nice to see a few extra images of the photo shoot. These photos were taken in Sydney, at The Domain, by Anna Leschinskaya of Fotografika


The large purple floral design, on top of the white background really is an eye-catching print! The fabric is a cotton/elastane which means that it is quite durable, easy to clean and hardly creases. It has a soft, and slightly sheen feel to it.


I love the top photo, where the leaves are up in the air. We saw these beautiful autumn leaves, and we just had an idea and ran with it. It only took two shots to get that great photo!

The Purple Floral Corset Dress is available now in my etsy shop. If you have any questions, just email me at: designer@penelopered.com.au or start a conversation with me on etsy.