More Customer Photos!

A friend, who happens to be one of my best customers, had a short break in Port Macquarie over the Easter long weekend. She took her Penelope Red wardrobe with her, and was very thoughtful to have taken some photos to share with me and the world!

Above, Leanne (RHS) is wearing the Paris Cowl Neck Top, in Red and Black.


Leanne is wearing in the photo above, the Kir Royale Kimono and the Olive Hathor Pants- soon to be added to my etsy shop online, and the bigcartel shop.


Next, Leanne is wearing the Black Gold Kimono, with the White Russian Mini Skirt.



The last photo, Leanne is wearing the Black and White Bow Tie Blouse. I only made 4 copies of this top, and they are all gone! The Black Chiffon Bow Tie Top is similar and is available in the Penelope Red Australian Dollar online shop, on bigcartel.

It is such a pleasure to see my customers enjoying their Penelope Red purchases- I really don't like the idea of my designs collecting dust in the wardrobe of my customers! If you have previously bought a Penelope Red design, and have a photo of you enjoying life in it and would like to share it, please email me at designer@penelopered.com.au

Just for fun: My outfit on Friday 29th April

I always find it difficult to dress very casually, while not looking horrible at the same time! I like to walk everywhere, and therefore, heels are not always the best option, but sometimes sneakers do not do a lot for an outfit.

So, last Friday, I came up with this outfit. It still has a little "Penelope Red excitement" to it, but not over the top, and I still wore my sneakers (or slip on type of sneaker things-not sure what you call them.



1. Penelope Red Venus Floral Bolero

2. A peach version with black lace version of the Black Chiffon Bow Tie Top. This is a one-of-a-kind design I created for myself!

3. Jeans by 18th Amendment. These jeans always receive compliments from people. I would recommend this brand!

The Pallas Athene Wool Jacket

The Penelope Red Pallas Athene Fluted Wool Jacket is yet another brand new style that I have created especially for The Red Queen Collection.


The first two photos are from The Red Queen Collection photo shoot, which we took in The Wine Odyssey Restaurant.



I decided that I wanted to have some fun with this outfit, while taking photos of others. I wanted to try the Pallas Athene Jacket, with the Yellow and Cream Anukis Skirt, and I guess you could say, "make it my own" outfit.

I think the hat gives this outfit a very "equestrian" look, which I don't mind. I am wearing the Cream Bow-tie Blouse underneath the jacket, tucked into the Anukis Skirt. I decided to add a pair of brown fishnets to the outfit, since my legs are very pale. Also, since my hat is black, I wore black pumps with it to balance out the black.


I designed this jacket to have the fluted "peplum" since I noticed when customers would try on a bolero, they didn't necessarily suit every shape. The bolero wouldn't flatter women with larger hips, or a very short body, or a wide waist.

The shape of this jacket covers the wider hips, accentuates the waist and the longer line is more flattering on most shapes.



The sleeves are three quarter, and they feature the Penelope Red trademark of the spliced contrasting fabrics.

The fabrics included in this style are a cream, brown, yellow and orange wool check; contrasted by a plain brown wool.

As you can tell, I really like to add some really interesting details, including contrasting fabrics, spliced and split panel lines, fully lined in bright orange silk lining, and a few hand stitched touches as well. You can see the making of this design on the blog here.



I have enough fabric to create around 3 copies of this exact design. I will be making more copies in other fabrics. If you would like to enquire about ordering one, please email me on : designer@penelopered.com.au

Colour palette inspiration

The image below I took to show you how I sometimes get my ideas for a Penelope Red colour palette. Sometimes it happens by accident, like in the photo. I just happened to place these fabrics in the box, and I realised how beautiful they look together. I love the contrast of the bright blue and bright yellow, the softness of the pale yellow, and somehow the metallic braid and brown binding marry it all together...



I find inspiration for colour palettes in sometimes the most un-likely places; a group of bobbin reels in different colours that happen to be sitting with each other; a book case with lots of different coloured books together; a group of markers that I have out on the table; sometimes a beautiful sunset. Anything with lots of colour!

I would love to one day be designing my own prints, so I can then use these colour palettes frequently. Until then, I will need to use the fabrics and prints that are available to me- which believe me, are inspiration enough!

New Vintage Fabrics

When people have seen my designs at The Rocks Markets, or when I am wearing my Penelope Red designs out, most will ask me the same question, "Where do you get your fabrics from?". I know that my interesting fabrics and prints is what sets me apart from a lot of the other designers out there, so while I won't give away all of my secrets, I will share something with you...

I come from a long line of dressmaker's, and now that my Aunt's are getting past the stage of wanting to sew, they have decided to pass on their collection of fabrics to me! It only means great news for me and for my Penelope Red designs.

I have always loved vintage fabrics and prints- and they add an exclusive touch to my designs as no one else will have that fabric. Even when in was in TAFE, studying fashion design, I would visit the local op-shops and vintage stores, and collect beautiful pieces of fabric. Vintage fabrics is part of the Penelope Red aesthetic now, and around 50% of my fabrics and trims are vintage- especially after the latest editions.

The above photo and the below two photos are of fabrics collected from my Aunt Christine.
1. two cotton prints, and a beaded and sequinned trim.
2. printed linen, printed polyester and more beaded trims.
3. a black and blue jacquard and a printed cotton.



If you know anyone who likes to sew, you'll probably find out that we like to collect and hoard! Some people call it, "insulating the walls", other's call it, "fabric-holic". So when I meet a dressmaker who is giving up the trade, I always ask if they would like to sell their stash to me. The fabrics in the next image are from a recent "stash-buy". I love the printed wool (left), and the linen has come in handy (middle). The lace is probably my absolute favourite thing I acquired from this lady.



The fabrics above and below are from another aunt of mine, Aunt Patricia. All of these are cotton prints, and they will come in handy for the coming Spring/Summer- I can't wait to use them!

Outfit fun at The Rocks Markets!

One of the best parts about my work is that I get to meet many wonderful people while at The Rocks Markets. I have been very lucky to meet a few good friends since starting to sell there, and Leanne and her sister Lorelle, are two of them.

Leanne bought the Ikat Bolero (worn in the photo above) a few months ago, and wore it last weekend to show me how it looked on. I was so pleased with how it looked on her I had to take a photo. This bolero is a one-of-a-kind wool and jacquard cropped jacket, and I will be making more similar styles to this (in other fabrics) soon.

Since I was in the photo taking mood, here are a few others...



Leanne and I out the front of my Penelope Red market stand.


Leanne looked fantastic in this outfit, and many people commented when she tried this outfit on: the Black Silk Emilie Blouse and the black linen and purple Cairo Skirt.

Just for fun: my outfit and visit to the Archibald Prize 2011

I always think that the art gallery or any museum is a chance to wear something a little special. I know most people will wear whatever they find on the day, but I kind of feel that the artworks or displays that I am going to see are very beautiful, and surrounded by beautiful buildings, and a lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to make it this way. I believe that dressing up shows a little bit of respect to the effort and thought that has gone into making such a display... Also, how many chances do we get to dress up these days in Sydney? Not many!

So, when I viewed the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW on Monday, I decided to wear my new Black and Cream Isis Blouse, and my Red Flared Pants. The pants I am wearing are my own personal pair that I made just for me, but if you like this look, you could get a similar look by wearing the Cosmopolitan Red Flared Pants with large bow.


I love the painting above. It sits in the foyer of the art gallery, and has so many colours! I would love to use this as inspiration for a print one day- or maybe even use sections of it to inspire the colours for a collection.


The weather was beautiful on Monday- a perfect autumn day! This is taken from the doorstep of the art gallery looking into the domain at the city.


Me and my Penelope Red outfit, out the front of the Art Gallery of NSW. I recommend going to see the Archibald Prize exhibition if you get the chance. I am not an art expert, and I don't usually like modern art as much, but I like this exhibition because it is about Australian personalities, and Australian Art.



Check out the shoes I am wearing... they are so comfortable- I walk in them every where now. They are from Nine West, and I love them!