Wallis Simpson Fashion Icon

I want to be Wallis

I will assume that you all are fashion/costume/aesthetically obsessive type peoples if you are reading this blog. That being the case you MUST go and see W.E. (see trailer here), Madonna's film about the very glamorous Wallis Simpson and the King who abdicated in order to marry her.


It's a visual feast. And it inspired me to cut my hair into a bob, paint my short nails red and embark on some 1930's style designing.

I've been in a bit of an inspiration rut. I am finding my distractions are numerous and my inspirations too few.

I'm really no good at combining domestic life with being creative.

But short of running away and marrying a king who is willing to abdicate for me, I'm just going to have to find inspiration where I can.

Reading these will hopefully help.

And my month in the U.S.A will fill me with new ideas.

I can't wait to scour the vintage shops and seek out independent designers. I hope to be able to do the whole trip without stepping foot in a mall/mega mart /discount shop. I will hunt down galleries, tiny bookshops and out of the way boutiques, all to share with you as I blog my way around California and Oregon.


So goodbye stylish grey old Melbourne, sparkly sunny Los Angeles here I come.........

Am I too old/young to wear this?

Pierre Cardin 1971 sunglasses

I've decided that I've reached an age where kooky sunglasses just look silly on me.

And I'm not yet of an age where they start to look cool again.

The very stylish 90 something Iris Apfel in her trademark glasses proves this point.

I am in the fashion vortex that is 35-70.

So, I'm thinking classically chic might be my best bet for the next few decades.

Or is that just boring?

Do you own sunglasses to go with every outfit?

Or like me do you invest in just one good pair and hope they stay fashionable forever.

This is my short and sweet entry to the Sunglass Hut Inner Circle Nuffnang Fashionopolis competition.

D.I.Y career

As a fashion student, I would dream about one day being paid huge amounts of money to flip through magazines and do a few sketches.

Surprisingly, this has turned out to be a really small part of the job. 'Fashion Designer' is  only one aspect of what I do.


This is what I am, I think............
fashion designer for women
fashion designer for little girls,
fashion blogger
milliner
couturier
pattern maker, cutter, machinist
small business owner
show room sales person
'do it yourself' website designer
(bad) accountant
marketing novice
cleaner

this is not quite what I thought my daily life would look like.

Have you invented your own career?

If you are a fellow blogger I'm sure you have. We just have to make it up as we go along.

And that is the best thing about it.

Spring/Summer 2012/2013 sampling

Ava was quite excited by her new dress. All samples are of course made in her size. Lucky her!

I know it won't always be this way, but for now her pure joy is my inspiration.

I've set a task of making two new samples a week. And if all goes well the new and improved website and online shop should be up by April.

So while I'm still getting everything organised, if you are after a unique, hand made dress for a special occasion you can always contact me at sunshineanddaydreams123@gmail.com

I hope all my customers are as happy as Ava.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, she wouldn't let me take her picture unless she was allowed to wear my red lipstick.

Have a great weekend.

Yarraville Pop Up Park

Well, it's my first official day back at work for 2012.

It's going to be a big year for us with some orders coming in already, and I really must knuckle down and get sketching/planing/sampling etc etc etc blah blah blah.

But I'm already distracted.

I have to walk past our 'pop up' park every morning. The Yarraville council has very kindly put up a temporary park in one of our main streets. It's really hard to resist the urge to grab a sun lounger and coffee with what looks like all the other self employed people and mums and dads of Yarraville.

The grass runs along Ballarat street, past our 1930's Sun Cinema. (another distraction)

And people just can't get enough of it. All day people are enjoying coffees with family and friends, and at night locals use it as extension of our back yards and bring down dinner.

We also have our Yarraville festival this Saturday, which just happens to fall on my birthday.

Anyway, enough of being distracted by my distractions. I'm off to wipe the cobwebs off my sewing machines.

Hope to see you at the festival if you are in Melbourne.

Tea Parties, Tomatoes, Tequila and Time Out.

The summer holidays continue.

 Tea Parties are being enjoyed and

fresh organic tomatoes from our garden are being devoured.

Holidaying at home in Melbourne is great when you live in the inner city. Most people have gone away, and so we have ACMI, Science Works, National Gallery, North Melbourne Pool and the Cornershop all to ourselves (nearly)

And our spare time is spent planning our mid year trip to Portland and Hood River in Oregon USA.

I know. I had to boast just a little bit.

So, I have a few readers from the U.S of A. If you are from Portland or have been, I would love to here from you.

And so back to my holidaying. There are plans and ideas running at the back of my mind, but I'm due to meet friends for Margaritas.

Prioritising is apparently the key to a successful business.

Chin Chin.

Summer holiday reading for inspiration.

I am spending the school holidays enjoying the sun and relaxing with my family, but also planning for a bigger and better year ahead for Sunshine & Daydreams. I am going to to sit in our new blow up pool reading inspiring biographies while sipping iced tea and yelling at children.

Here is my reading list.........

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson - chosen for obvious reasons. This blog is written on a iMac, photographed on an iPhone while I listen to my iPod and dreaming about buying an iPad.

Charlotte Bronte, a biography by her freind Elizabeth Gaskell. This one I bought myself as a Christmas present and I shall read to remind me that my life is not actually that hard.

Finally, Halston by Steven Bluttal and Patricia Mears. I picked this one up from one of the libraries I belong to. It is full of wonderful photos from the 1960's, 70's and 80's. I keep my iPhone in hand and google everyone in the photos as I go.

I love opening my mind up to possibilities of what you can do. It is always a good idea to start the year off inspired.  

And I've just joined Pinterest in order to gather all the photos I collect for inspiration in one place. I'll add a widget as soon as I can be bothered to get out of the pool and figure out how.

Happy New Year. I hope you are starting this year fresh, happy and inspired to do something wonderful.