Autumn 2011 Inspiration

Oh, how I love Gustav Klimt's paintings! Such decadence and over the top decoration- no wonder I love it! I guess I truly became a massive fan once I visited Vienna, and viewed the real thing! The detail and beauty of these paintings do not show up in the photos. Read about my visit to Vienna here.



Ever since I was in high school, I have been intrigued by the mythical and cultural aspects of Ancient History; Egypt in particular. I love their Hieroglyphics (and I still wish I could read them), I love the ancient stories, and the mystery of this foreign and ancient culture.



So... without further ado, I wanted to share with you the first little sneak peak into what I am thinking for the Penelope Red Autumn 2011 Collection. I will fuse the idea of Egyptian costume, with the beautiful paintings of Gustav Klimt!

Above, Portrait of Emilie Floge by Gustav Klimt

To me, I feel like the Klimt paintings actually already have an Egyptian influence... for instance, the painting below: Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1

... take a look at the detail in her skirt... note the hieroglyphic-like eyes!



Above, Water Snakes 1 by Gustav Klimt


And of course, as I was researching Egyptian costume, I couldn't go past the costumes and styling used in Elizabeth Taylor's, "Cleopatra". Ok, so I know they are not historically accurate, but I think they are a perfect of example of how a modern interpretation of costume can be achieved.









Now it is my job to create designs inspired by all of this, while still making them functional for my customers to wear! It won't be easy... but it will certainly be FUN!

Kiran's Sari-Inspired Wedding Dress, Part 2: East meets West

After more than 30 hours of hand sewing, 6 metres of hand beaded Sari, 5 metres of bright Pink Silk Dupion, 5 metres of blue silk lining, 3 metres of silk organza, and countless pins, threads and patience, I give you... Kiran's Sari Inspired Wedding Dress!










(Above, a photo of the back at the unfinished stage- I still needed to finish the hem and hand applique the sari beading onto the pink silk)



(above, the dress before I had hand appliqued the beading. This is at the 2nd fitting stage)


In August I started to show you the Sari Inspired Wedding Dress I was making for Kiran. Take a look at Part 1 here.



(above, the design at the unfinished stage- before the handsewing hand been started. You can see the over-skirt made from most of the sari)

I have now completed the design, and Kiran's wedding was on during the past weekend, so I can show you all the finished design! I intend to include professional photos from the photographer at the wedding, but until I can get a copy, my little snap shots will have to do!

I am also aiming to create a video of the making of this dress- as there is so much work involved, and photos will not really cut it!

For now, I have included below a few photos that I took during the making of this design. It truly is one of most favourite creations, and I am very proud to share it with you!


Cutting out the pink silk dupion for the dress and overskirt edge, and below: sewing the sari chiffon to the pink silk.



Above, the centre back. I created this beautiful shape, being inspired by the shape of the sari beading. I wanted the centre back to be a focus and create lots of interest. Later on, I decided to place one of the Sari beaded motif's in this area.


Above, unpicking the beading. Every place where there was a seam, or where the beading finished at an edge, I would need to unpick the beading and catch all the loose threads. People don't generally realise that as soon as you include beaded fabric to a design, the time taken to finish it is at least doubled because of this.

Below, the beautiful beaded design of the sari- this part of the sari was appliquéd around the bust area on the corset dress and at the centre back of the train.



A picture of the overskirt before I started to add any of the beaded trim.


Creating the corset which sits inside the dress.



Above, finishing off the inside of the overskirt- the inside must be as neat as the outside!

How To Organise Your Wardrobe

Each season I try to organise my wardrobe... As in, I sort out the clutter: I go through my older items and decide what to keep and throw out; I sort out my seasonal pieces and decide what I will wear this season; I keep all the pieces I am excited about in my wardrobe, and store everything else.

I do this for several reasons:

1. I mainly do it because my wardrobe space is tiny! Since I live in Sydney, housing is expensive, and storage space is minimal- so I try to do the best with what I have.

2. It is a great way to be re-inspired by whatever you have! Think about it, if you store at least a third of the items in your wardrobe each season, when it comes to the next season you will have all those pieces to choose from- and probably items that you have forgotten about too!

3. It is always nice to be organised, and ready to go whenever you need it. I hate trying to get ready, and then I realise that my shoes are not polished or something doesn't fit as well as it used to!

Many of my friends tell me they have a few wardrobe issues too, and I started thinking that maybe a lot of women have the same situation: many clothes but not sure what they will do with them!

I have created a little video for any one who wants to watch it. You can view it on youtube here:

The Penelope Red Stripe Bow Top: More happy customers!

It is such a good feeling when my customers return to me, wanting to see more Penelope Red designs! It means that they truly love my designs, and that they are happy with their purchases. So it is really exciting when my customers come back to visit my Penelope Red market boutique, and they are actually wearing my designs!!! It makes my day because I know that they have put their faith in my designs, and there is nothing worse than thinking that people are not wearing them and they are just sitting in their wardrobes feeling unloved.

So, the above photo shows Lorelle (RHS) wearing my Red and White Stripe Bow Top. Lorelle visited my market boutique a while ago, then returned wearing the Red and White Stripe Bow Top, and I couldn't have been prouder! It's great to see how other people decide to wear it and accessorize my creations, and like I said, great to know that it is being truly loved by Lorelle!

Also, it is a great feeling when people refer me to others- it also means that they are very happy with what I have done so far. Lorelle brought her sister, Leanne to visit me that day, and it is such a thrill to know that my designs are loved now by a family!



I have now added black and white version, to the Penelope Red etsy shop online. The Black and White Stripe Bow Top is the same exact style, just in different colours. It is available in US sizes 4 to 10 or AU sizes 8 to 14.

This is what some one else said about their Red and White Stripe Bow Top, who bought it on etsy:

"Gorgeous top, very elegant & great buy !!!" from DD

The Red and White Stripe Bow Top has also reached the front page on etsy:



I only have a US size 4 or AU size 8 left of the Red and White Stripe Bow top, so if you like this design, but need another size, perhaps think about it in the black- still very striking and very original!

Photos from the Summer Fashion Showcase Parade

In September, The Rocks Markets held a Spring and Summer Fashion Showcase parade, and some Penelope Red designs were featured. You can watch the video from the Summer fashion showcase here and the following photos are from this event.


The first two photos show the Cosmopolitan Red Bow Tie Pants, and Martini Bright Stripe Blouse. More on the Martini Bright Stripe blouse can be viewed on the blog here.


How to feel instantly like a million dollars: wear the Manhattan Bright Satin Catsuit. It looks like so much fun on the catwalk! Every time I try on a catsuit, I feel like cranking up the dance music and going to a club with my friends!



The Tokyo/Sydney Catsuit is a crowd favourite- a design that I am very proud of, and it was also used in all of the advertisement for this parade event. You may recognise it from the posters, flyers etc, and it was even on the 'Grazia' website!



I love this outfit! It suits the model so well, and is such a fun outfit- The Tequila Sunrise Spot Halter Top, and Pina Colada Green Shorts.



The Pink Singapore Sling Kimono is such a versatile top, and made from a beautiful printed cotton. A very stunning print! It is worn with the Mojito Metallic Mini Skirt.





The Purple Floral Corset Dress is a very feminine and elegant style- perfect for many occasions.


I will be adding the rest of my latest spring/summer designs to the Penelope Red etsy shop over the next few weeks.

Penelope Red featured in Peppermint Magazine!

I am very excited to announce that two Penelope Red designs have been featured in the Peppermint Magazine!!! The items featured were the Venus Floral Bolero and the Cream Bow Tie Blouse, both available in the Penelope Red etsy shop.

Peppermint Magazine is a quarterly fashion magazine, which focuses on the "green" and eco side of things. I told them about my "Venus, Penelope and Jane Collection", and how a lot of the pieces had been designed from vintage and recycled pieces of fabric (as in fabrics that I salvaged from my Aunt, Mum, their friends, from other people who once sold at the markets, from antique and 2nd hand stores, etc)- all helping to reduce the landfill that is forever rising!



Pictured above is the Venus Floral Bolero and the Cream Bow Tie Blouse is below.





Above, the current issue's front cover of
Peppermint Magazine, in which Penelope Red is featured.