New Style: One Of A Kind Black And White Cotton Kimono Women's Dress

I recently created this Black and White Cotton Kimono Dress. It is a one of a kind design, and its the first of many new Penelope Red fashion designs for this Spring and Summer!

This 2013-14 Spring and Summer I am intending on using up a lot of my vintage fabrics. There are so many special fabrics I have collected over the years! Since all of the fabrics have very limited meterage there will be plenty of one of a kind designs!

The Black and White Cotton Kimono Dress pictured here has been handmade using a vintage cotton twill that is lightweight and has a slight sheen to it. The black print looks kind of like a splash of a paint brush in a circular motion.

I decided to add black rik rak braid (also vintage) down the front, to go with the black shoulder yoke and black cuff. Then I happened to have the white beaded flowers and they make the design look even more special I think!

Check it out: The One of a Kind Handmade Black and White Cotton Kimono Dress is available in my Penelope Red etsy shop online here.

Custom Order: A Handmade Emerald Green and Bright Blue Silk Kimono

I was looking for some time to compose this post about this fabulous custom ordered green and blue silk kimono, and now that my bub has woken up with teething woes, and is desperately wanting a cuddle, it seems the perfect time to start! I think I sometimes live a double life! Fashion designer in one life, mother and wife in another! 

I just finished hand beading this kimono design last night, and Leanne only picked it up today- so it's hot off the press! Leanne was sweet enough to model it for me in these pics so I could show it off.

Leanne has purchased quite a few of my cotton kimonos, and its one of her favourite styles. She had asked me for a more evening wear type of kimono, and after discussion we decided on this gorgeous emerald green vintage silk. 

The green silk in the main body of the kimono features a dark blue floral print, so I decided to use a bright blue silk for the sleeve, then blue vintage rik rak braid,  and blue sequins to give it that finishing touch!

As with all my kimonos it's the pleating of the fabric that really makes my Penelope Red kimonos stand out... And it's unfortunate that you can never see it in the photos. Each kimono uses around 2 to 2.5 metres of fabric due to the pleating  and how it has been cut. 

I have handmade so many kimonos since starting my Penelope Red fashion designs. Each one has been unique or at least made into a select few. It's quite fun for me to imagine just how far some of my unique designs travel. In its life time, I wonder how far this kimono will go?!

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.

The Penelope Red Pink Summer Kimono

Introducing the latest Penelope Red style, the Pink Summer Kimono! It has been handmade from a 100% polished cotton, featuring a bright coloured print of flowers, paisley and marbling. The colours include pink, yellow, red, blue, purple, white and more.



I have taken many photos of this style, and I wanted to show you a few more than the five etsy allows, so here they are.



The back ,above, with the belt tied around the waist; the below photo showing the back when the belt is left loose.


The back has several pleats above and below the waistband, which is shown in the below photo. I have sold several kimono's (in other prints) at the markets, and the back pleating is usually one of the aspects of this design that people love. It really makes it easy to wear, as you don't need to arrange the pleating yourself- the garment already has it.



Above and below shows the inside of the garment. I always like to make sure the inside is as neat as the outside!




It truly is a simple style to wear; pair it with jeans and some chunky jewellery to go shopping; wear some skinny black pants and heels for a night out; cute shorts will make this style versatile for a lazy summers afternoon at the beach! As it is 100% cotton, you could also use it instead of a sarong- it is a light fabric, so it will dry quickly, and no need for adjusting and re-tying it all the time (like we do to those sarongs)!


Take a look at the Pink Summer Kimono style in the Penelope Red etsy shop

New Summer Retro Fabrics: Vote for your favourite!

I visited my fabric supplier yesterday, and I am quite excited as they have a new print which I am in love with- I am just not sure which colour-way to get! In comes in a choice of three colour-ways, and they are pictured below.

1. RED



2. PINK



3. AQUA



I am loving the Pink colour-way and the aqua as well. So, I am now asking you, what do you think?

These fabrics will definitely come in handy for the summer, as I wanted to go back to my 60's and 70's retro styles- styles which I known for when I was selling at Paddington Markets. They are loads of fun to wear, and whenever I wear my catsuits, I feel like a million dollars!

Keep in mind that this fabric is a beautiful soft polished cotton, and I will probably make the following type of styles out of it...

1. Flared Pants like these:



2. Kimono



3. Catsuit



so please leave your comments! I would love to hear what you think!

The Penelope Red Emerald Kimono

Introducing the Penelope Red Emerald Kimono. It really is a very striking design- it has been made from a border print, and I have placed the dark border panel going down the front to create length and a dramatic look!


Part of the border pieces have been used across the yoke- this helps the shoulders to look wider. The paler pieces of fabric have been used on the sleeves and the back (with darker edges towards the side seams- again creating a very flattering line).



The photos don't really do the print justice- it looks so much more alluring in real life- but they will have to do!




There is actually a seam running down the centre back- but as you can see from this photo, I have matched up the print beautifully!



The inside of every Penelope Red garment is always as neat as the outside. In this design I have used white overlocking to finish off the seam edges.





A great style with jeans, pants or a fitted skirt. The Emerald Kimono is now available for purchase in the Penelope Red etsy store.

The Penelope Red Black Fuchsia Kimono

Another new style to show to you! The Penelope Red Black Fuchsia Kimono, handmade entirely by me!



It has been created from two seperate fabrics. The main is made form a silk/cotton fabric, which has a slight sheen to it. It has been printed with a lovely floral print in black, pink, green, blue and purple.



The second fabric is a recycled rayon (viscose) fabric, in plain black. I think using these two fabrics togetehr really sets this kimono apart from the rest. The Black shoulders and tie around the waist makes your eyes drawn to the shoulders and waist.



I like to wear Kimono's with a pair of black pants or a black mini skirt, but the choices are endless really.



This is now available in the Penelope Red etsy shop here.



I could imagine this style with some gorgeous pink lipstick, some black heels, and jewellery of your choice.

The Penelope Red Black Peacock Kimono

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a lovely break and you are refreshed for the new year.

I have been busy creating some new designs... Introducing the Penelope Red Black Peacock Kimono!



I made this from a beautiful recycled fabric I have had for a while- just waiting for the right design to come to mind! The fabric was unfortunately cut into 3 pieces, so I was only able to make one Kimono from this fabric- but that means whoever buys this Kimono will be the proud owner of the only one of its kind!



As with all of my Kimono's, there is pleating at the front shoulder yoke, and down the back. This is a wrap around style, and is fastened with a plain black tie.



There are several peacock's amongst a garden depicted on top of a black background, in this print.



I envisage this style with a great pair of black pants, or a nice black skirt, but as with all of my kimono's, they are very versatile, and the possibilities are only limited to your imagination.



Dress the kimono up with a few brooches, some heels and a clutch bag.



This style is currently for sale in the Penelope Red etsy shop, and I will be taking it to The Rocks markets on the days I will be trading.



I have made a few more different variations of the Penelope Red Kimono, and they will be unveiled during the week!



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