Kiran's Sari-Inspired Wedding Dress, Part 1: East meets West

Ok, so this is a little teaser for all of those interested in the Sari-Inspired wedding dress I am currently making. I can't show you too much, as I think it is only fair that the wedding guests see the final dress before the rest of the world!, but I wanted to show you the work involved in this design and all the handmade touches that go with it!

This dress is for a lady I have known ever since I started selling at Paddington Markets- over four years ago! Kiran, the bride, is one of my best customers, and I don't usually make wedding dresses, but for her, I was happy to do it. She always asks for something special and different, and through out the years we have grown to understand each others aesthetic, and more importantly, have become friends. I knew that she was going to want something completely different, and I couldn't wait to get started!


As Kiran is Indian-Australian, the first thing I said to her is that we should include the cultural influence. The above drawings is a rough idea of what the design has started out as. As the title of this posting implies, we wanted to keep an even mix of Eastern and Western cultures alive in this design; so we have a western-style corset dress, and as she walks down the aisle, we will have a gorgeous train/overskirt made from the Sari (pictured below).


After a while of searching for the perfect fabric, Kiran showed me this beautiful Sari that her Mum and herself had picked out. I was thrilled straight away! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love over-the-top decadence, so it was really exciting to be able to work with something such as this!



We decided that the plain bright pink silk dupion would be used for the corset dress, as this colour ties in with the beading, and really highlights Kiran's complexion. The navy blue silk chiffon sari will be used in making the over-skirt. The leftover beading/pieces of the sari will be used for decoration.


I generally get images/visions in my mind when I am really into a particular design (it sounds weird, I know, but I have no idea how else to describe it). Every time I envisaged this design, I could see the pink silk added to the over-skirt hem, and constructed into really interesting shapes that would add detail and interest to the back. As we had discussed, most guests would have a view of the back of her dress throughout the whole ceremony, so we wanted to make the back a feature.

The above and below photos show the toile (or prototype) of the dress, with the over skirt attached. Imagine wherever the white fabric is, that is where bright pink silk will be; wherever the black is, that represents the sari.




The above picture is the corset dress toile, so imagine this in bright pink silk.

As you can see, there is a lot more to go on this design. I will be updating this design as I proceed further, in the next few months- so stay tuned!

Take a look at PART 2 here!

Take a look at some of my other designs here:

Helen's One-of-a-kind Oriental Fireworks Bolero

Last week I completed and posted a One-of-a-kind Penelope Red Bolero to a lovely lady in Melbourne, Helen. She had previously bought the Black Rose Jade Green Dress, and as Melbourne is quite a cold city, a new bolero was needed to keep her warm!



Over an email or two we both decided that the best option was using this beautiful and bright printed cotton to make the bolero. I am so happy with the results!


I call this design The Oriental Fireworks Bolero as the print remind's me of fireworks, and has a definite Asian influence. The print really makes an impact, and it looks great together with the dress. The finish of the bolero is great too- I included vintage buttons from my Aunt's stash.



There was only enough fabric to create one of these bolero's, so lucky Helen has a one-of-a-kind bolero!

Helen kindly wrote some feedback about the bolero and few other items she purchased, and I thought I would share it with you....

"I received the clothes this morning!!! I was like a child in a lollie shop!!

Everything was so gorgeous and fitted perfectly. The Bolero is beautiful. I absolutely love it and it looks divine with the dress. I also tried it on with several other things and it is just fantastic. You have made everything beautifully. The tops are gorgeous; I adore the "Liechtenstein" top- it is my favourite. The red stripe with the bow looks fab as well and the mint green is lovely. All in all great shopping and I will feel very special wearing everything!!! Keep me up to date with all your designs.

Thanks again,

Helen"

It makes me so happy to see my designs sent to good homes!


I have included a few photos of me creating the bolero below....


Cutting out the fabric.


Sewing the outside pieces together.


Sewing the sleeve to the body. I also used cotton interlining to stiffen the outside fabric, and to also make it warmer!


Hand sewing the finishing touches!


You can take a look at my other handmade and unique designs in my etsy shop.

Astral Restaurant, Star City Casino: My Review

My husband and I were very lucky to sample the food, view and service at the beautiful Astral Restaurant, in Star City Casino, last week. We had booked the musical that is now playing at the casino's Lyric Theatre, "West Side Story", and we thought it would be a nice excuse to get a little dressed up and go to a different restaurant we hadn't tried yet.



The service is perhaps the first thing you notice, as soon as you walk into the foyer of the restaurant. Then, as the host walks you to your seat, you realise the view! Around 270 degrees view of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline. Another striking element was the great cluster of cylindrical lights that reflect off the glass walls; they create a very striking impact. (You can see them in the below photo, to the top RHS)



You will have to forgive the photo quality in this post- I forgot my digital, and only had a phone camera, and in the dim lighting it didn't stand a chance!


I had three courses. As we were going to the show downstairs, they gave us a pre-show dinner menu- such a splendid idea!

First course: Semolina Gnocchi with fresh peas, Swiss brown mushrooms, and lettuce veloute'.



Second Course: Beef Cheek with potato puree and sauteed mushrooms. This was by far my favourite course out of all three (and considering I am a major sweet's addict, that is really saying something!). The beef was melt in your mouth, the potato puree was the best mashed potato I have ever had, and the mushrooms and sauce was just perfect!

If you decide to try this restaurant, I recommend you try this meal!


Third Course: Chocolate Dacquoise, passionfruit, coconut and champagne foam.

This was an interesting mix of flavours. I took the below photo to show you the layers involved in this dessert. The chocolate and passionfruit layers were like a thick mousse, then the foam on top, tasted to me a little like citrus. It was served with caramel and a sorbet.

By the time I was eating this, I was extremely full, and I couldn't eat it all!


My husband ate the Smoked Salmon for entree. and the Snapper for main, and he really enjoyed his as well.


Overall, I really enjoyed Astral. I think for the quality of service; the fairly large portions of food; the quality of the food; the view and ambiance of the restaurant; the price that you pay is very reasonable.

As we went during the week, we were lucky to sit right in front of the city view window. I would presume booking ahead for any night is essential.

Call Astral on 1800 700 700

Level 17 80 Pyrmont Street Pyrmont Sydney

I have previously created other reviews of other restaurants on my blog, and you can view them here:

Absynthe Restaurant

Tabou Restaurant

Sepia Restaurant and Wine Bar

And my review of Belle Epoque is in amongst our holiday to Hamilton Island.

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

Centennial Park Autumn Leaves

The weekend just passed was yet another stunning weekend in Sydney! I spent it at the beach and at my favourite park in Sydney, Centennial Park, soaking up the rays. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking it was Spring.

Although the photos of the beautiful Autumn leaves were not taken this weekend (they were taken in June), I wanted to show you how beautiful Centennial Park is. This is just one small part of the park.

Hope you enjoy, and maybe it gets you out to your local park!

The Harry Potter book series

I recently finished reading the entire Harry Potter book series- books one through to seven.

I know this may seem a little odd to talk about it here, but even if you are not into fantasy anyone should read them just to admire the pure creative talent that is J.K Rowling.

I love all things creative (well, mostly all) and these books are simply amazing. Imagine creating an entire world of your own, complete with language, characters, animals, and then making an engaging story last the distance of seven books.

I guess the closest comparison in this respect is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Dare I say it.... I think Harry Potter is better. The Rings books rambled on a little too much for me, and I think the Potter books is something that more of us can relate to, as they are all about real people that just happen to be wizards.

Perhaps the anti-Harry-Potters out there don't realise is that the books aren't just a fantasy, they are really more like mystery novels. Unfortunately the movies have missed this crucial piece of magic about the books, so don't expect the books to be like the movies. The books are so much better!



It is hard to pick a favourite out of them all, as books four (and the Goblet of Fire), six (and the Half Blood Prince) and seven (and the Deathly Hallows) are very close to being my favourites equally. If I had to choose, probably number seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; the reason being every mystery is explained.

Note that the first two books are not the best, so they are a little tough to get through, but they are short, and important for the overall saga.

I am even going to go as far as saying that so far, the Harry Potter series is my favourite book series I have so far ever read. I am comparing that to the Twilight saga (which I love); to Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (The Da Vinci Code, etc); to The Lord of The Rings, to Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One and Tandia, and to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. I love all of the above, but Harry stands out amongst them to me. Yes, my taste in books is certainly eclectic to say the least!

So, if you ever have some spare reading time, I recommend them. Just read them with an open mind, and they will truly surprise you!

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 Red Stripe Bow Knit Top on the Etsy Front Page

Yay! The Penelope Red Stripe Bow Knit Top made it to the front page on etsy.com! Over 300 clicks in an hour or two. Not bad, hey!



Thanks goes to savagekitten for designing the etsy treasury in which my top was featured on the front page.

You can view the Red Stripe Bow Knit Top in the Penelope Red etsy shop.

You can also view more photos of the red Stripe Bow Knit Top style on the blog here.