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.

New Floral Printed Pencil Skirts

Today I bought some fabulous floral printed cotton sateen to make some pencil skirts. The pencil skirts will be high waisted, and fitted around the leg and hip. The hem on the skirt falls to just below the knee. The pencil skirt shown in the next two photos is the style that I will create- the print will be the bright pink, white, navy blue and yellow print shown in the 3rd photo.

The fabric is gorgeous! The floral print is bright and colourful, while the cotton sateen is very comfortable to wear as it has elastane (lycra) added to the weave. 

 

I have enough of the pink, navy, yellow and white printed fabric above to make approximately 4 or 5 printed pencil skirts. They are available in Australian sizes 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16, and I will make them to fit and your length. The beauty about them being handmade! - you can get it custom made to fit you!

If you would like to order one of these beautiful, handmade pencil skirts, please email me at:

designer@penelopered.com.au

The green, navy, pink and mauve floral print above is available in a size 10 pencil skirt. This is a one of three pencil skirts... I only ever make a very limited edition of all of my designs.

The above photo shows me, wearing another Penelope Red pencil skirt, again from a cotton elastane,  in an ornage, yellow, white and blue abstract floral print.

I love wearing my printed pencil skirts- and they are perfect for travelling too! The below photo is my husband and I in St.Petersburg, Russia a few years ago. The elastane means that the skirt will hardly crease. The cotton means that the skirt will be very comfortable and easy to look after and wear.

For any enquiries, please email me at: designer@penelopered.com.au

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!

More photos of the Bohemian Kurti Blouse

I have already done another blog post about the Penelope Red Bohemian Kurti Blouse, but since then this style has been modified (I have now attached the braid around the perimeter of the whole sleeve hem), and I now have new photos to show to you...



The Bohemian Kurti Blouse is now available to purchase in the Penelope Red etsy shop.

There are splits on either side from the hem up to the hip area.


There are small pleats going down the front and back of the garment.



the inside of each Penelope Red garment is as neat as the outside!



This style is great with or without a belt, and you can wear it with jeans, pants or a skirt. Take a look at the other blog posting to see it worn with pants.

The Penelope Red Bohemian Kurti

This is the latest style that I have been working on... The Penelope Red Bohemian Kurti. I call it a "Kurti" as part of this style was inspired by the traditional Indian Kurti.

I was mainly inspired by the beautiful braid which has been sewn to the centre front and sleeves- this is a vintage braid which I have had for a number of years, just waiting for the right moment to use it!



As the braid is vintage, it is very hard for me to tell what exactly it is made from. It is metallic, and can be hand washed. I have pre-washed the braid before attaching it to the fabric, to help prevent the dye from running.


The garment shown in these photos is the first I have made of this style, and I love it! I might change the sleeve though... I will keep the width and length of the sleeve the same, but the braid will either be placed on top of the sleeve (rather than at the under seam) so you can see it better, or I will simply attach it all around the hem of the sleeve.


The white fabric is a very soft and light cotton sateen. It has a slight sheen to it; a polished cotton.


You can wear this style with or without a belt. The choice is yours! I am personally more inclined to have a fitted waist on most of my outfits, but for some reason, this style seems to look good either way!




I think this is a great style to wear with jeans to go shopping. You could wear it to the beach with a skirt, or out to a restaurant with an elegant pair of pants. The possibilities are endless!





The below photos were taken at The Rocks Markets, last weekend.





I will be making this style in two sizes. This is the small size- which fits a size 8, 10 or 12- and the large size, which will fit a size 14, 16 and 18.

If you are interested in this style or any other Penelope Red style, please email me at:
designer@penelopered.com.au

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My Summer Mini Skirt

The weather is warming up! Time to start wearing all my summer gear...I love the fabric in this skirt, which I made recently. It is a simple cotton/elastane blend- thick enough to not need lining, casual enough to wear during the day, and the colours and bold print make it HOT to wear at night!



The fit of the skirt, is the same fit as the Penelope Red Ikat Gold Mini Skirt- which I added to my Etsy shop today. The style is different though, as I do not have the contrasting side panels. I plan to make more summer skirts, with the contrasting panel like the Ikat Gold Mini!



I am wearing my summer mini skirt with a crochet top, handmade by my Grandmother.