S T R A W.

{Pink Blazer: Vintage, Blue Dress: Vintage, Stockings/Socks: Topshop, Wedges: Jeffrey Campbell, Hat: Vintage}

A much overdue outfit post. The sun finally came out this morning so i raced as quickly as i could to catch the light and make the most of this beautiful day. I was feeling happy, playful, young and in love and can't believe how happy i was to have the warmth back on my skin. I love you, winter. I really do. You just make it a little hard to shoot photos sometimes, that's all. So with the sun shining brightly i quickly put together this outfit inspired by my cute little straw boater hat i found opshopping a few weeks ago. I've been looking for one like this for months but it's hard to come by the perfect shape that fits my head let alone one with cute little dry flowers and paper bows! All i'm missing now is my pastel coloured yacht, a picnic basket and chocolate coated strawberries, no?

I also found out some wonderful news this morning! Gary Pepper Vintage will be featured in the new issue of Peppermint Magazine that goes to print on Monday! I've been so overwhelmed by lovely magazines this week that i feel like i've kind of floated through the past couple of days on some sort of cloud. I'm excited to tell you all that over the next few months Gary Pepper will be featured in Covet Magazine, Glossy Magazine from the UK, Tres Chic Magazine from Spain, Candy Magazine from the Phillipines, and a 2-3 page spread in the new ebay magazine that should be released very soon! I also did a quick little interview with Fashion Clique this week that you can read here and had a lovely shout out on the RESCU.COM website that you can read here. I'll be sending more thank you's to all of you very very soon!

Now with all of the awkward self promotion aside, all i can say is i better stop enjoying myself so much and have my new collection in store by the end of the week! Also, my friend Charlotte is finally coming to visit this weekend so to my dearest Charlotte, i can't wait to see you :)))))

W O R L D.

If anyone ever tells you that it's easy to run an online vintage store as well as maintaining a daily blog, they're lying. I seem to be absolutely swamped with emails this week and have a never ending list of things i want to achieve before the week is out, but then again, i say this every week so i suppose i should stop complaining and start improving my time management skills already. I'm starting to feel like my house is shrinking and the thought of having my own space is fast becoming my main priority. I'm already envisioning how large my inspiration wall will be as well as the racks and racks of beautiful vintage i could have lining each wall. Along with my love for vintage, i've always had a strong passion for interior design ever since i can remember so you can imagine how much fun my first trip to IKEA will be. But right now it's all wishful thinking until i find the perfect place, and so the search continues...

Ever since beginning Gary Pepper i feel like my priorities have changed. I never want to go out, the thought of being hungover seems like precious time wasted, i can't be away from my computer for more than a day and i'm constantly stressed about how to keep changing and improving my store and yet i've never felt so free in my entire life. Yes, people may see it as a bad thing that i'm giving up my whole life but the good thing is that i'm getting a whole new one :)))

And right now, my world has never looked so exuberant and inviting.

I've spent the past few days sending out as many parcels as i physically can and am starting to reach that point where all i seem to be doing is counting down the days until i can start working on my new collection! I have over 120 new vintage pieces that i am itching to take photos of and i just can't wait to have them all up by the end of the week. Whilst i was working these were just a few things i was missing today:

1. Watching the sky turn different shades of pink.

2. Early morning apple picking in mysterious fog.

3. My family in tasmania and my gorgeous dog, Bailey.

4. Finding cute houses that you can imagine yourself growing old in.

5. Pretty fields with pretty flowers.

I also wanted to thank you all for helping me hit over 30,000 friends on facebook! I really could never have imagined it was at all possible and i appreciate everyone who has suggested Gary Pepper to their friends. I just can't wait to draw the winner to our camilla & marc giveaway! Well I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I have some exciting things planned for this week so let's pray i find the time to put them into writing for you all :))))

O U R P I C N I C.

{Spotted Dress/Green Jacket: Thrifted, Black Fur coat: Vintage, Brogues: vintage, Panda Hat: Gift from Alex}.

Just a few shots i took on the weekend when Laura, Alex and i went on a little picnic over the road. Seeing as Alex didn't have to work on Monday and i technically don't have to go to work either, we decided to open a bottle of wine and relax eating some nibblies with our favourite quince paste and cheese. It was a lovely break and before we knew it it was getting dark, the sun was setting, all of our wine was gone and we were strangely warm and toasty for how freezing it was outside. Time slipped away from me again and i completely forget to take any photos so i apologize for the jumble of photos in this post!

I wasn't even aware how much my outfit co-ordinated with eachother until i was told i actually looked like a bear from behind with my black fur coat and beanie. Always fun to start winter off dressed like a giant panda bear. I also wanted to introduce you to this little guy- my cute as a button panda case that's going to keep my iphone very warm over the next few months :)

I was so excited when i found them online so i ordered a panda, a purple owl, a penguin and a kimono fish. I also bought two of these amazing gold leaf rings that wrap beautifully around my thumbs. They were only $14 US so i couldn't resist ordering so many. Problem is i now have four cases and only one Iphone!? All of the cases are handmade from ecofi felt which is made out of 100% recycled plastic bottles by a wonderful girl on Etsy that you can find here. Reasonably priced and eco friendly? Amazing.

I was a little distracted on the car trip home from opshopping and added a little Gary Pepper touch to my new found friend. This actually entertained me for longer than it should have...

A U T U M N F A L L.

{Red spotted coat// Cream knitted jumper: Vintage, Socks: Topshop, Brogues: Vintage}

As i usually prefer to opshop alone it was refreshing to have company for once and someone to talk to for the painful drive home on such a cold and gloomy day. Alex always provides the best kinds of fun and i secretly like that she now gets every Monday off and can watch ellen with me on our extremely comfortable lounge. Today we spent the day opshopping in Sydney, stuffing ourselves silly with lamb and roast vegetable foccachios, climbing trees, eating too many sweets, meeting one of the cutest little asian ladies i think i've ever seen and running around in the pretty autumn leaves. Can you believe it's taken this long for the leaves to finally turn those beautiful shades of orange and red and actually start behaving like normal leaves should for this time of year?

I found this cute little red spotted coat a few days ago when i was opshopping and was thrilled that it was cold enough today to wear it. I still can't get out of my oversized knitted jumpers so i was pretty happy i could wear this jacket so easily with it. There wasn't alot of thinking required on a day like today, just pure warmth and alot of layers. The photos don't really do this jacket enough justice but the fit is absolutely amazing and it kind of flairs from the waist down. I think it was the black and white spotted buttons and sleeves that sealed the deal for me and made me decide to keep it for myself. I also decided to keep the vintage black brogues i'm wearing in these photos that for some reason i decided to try on just before listing and instantly fell in love with. Note to self: Don't trust.. yourself? But i can assure you i did find things for the store! Too many, actually. I have a another massive store update coming for the accessory store, Gary Pepper Pieces, tomorrow night so be sure to have a look. I have over 20 new vintage bags, several pairs of lace up ankle boots, chains, earrings, bracelets and some super cute vintage rings i sourced from the US so i hope you all like :)

Oh and guess what? Gary Pepper Vintage was spotted in this weeks issue of GRAZIA! It was wonderful to open the magazine and see myself alongside the wonderful Ashley from A Studded Rose Vintage and other vintage inspired bloggers. A big thank you to Jessica from Grazia for running our photos!

To add to how lovely this week has been already, i received a wonderful and exciting offer a few days ago from The Style Net. A new online high end fashion directory that aims to "Simplify the online shopping experience. We present a simple yet effective directory providing access to the worlds most sought after designers. The Style Net showcases leading Australian and International stores" which launched it's online campaign today!

I am so happy to announce that Gary Pepper Vintage just signed on with The Style Net and will be selling alongside high end fashion brands like Diane Von Furstenberg, Shopbop, Fluer Wood and one of my all time favourite vintage stores, Claire Inc! They have also been lovely enough to include my blog in their 'Style Blogs' section and have me sitting with the likes of The Cherry Blossom Girl and Fashiontoast. I'm still in disbelief that my store would even be considered for such a website and i'm extremely flattered to say the least so a very big thank you to Brooke from The Style Net. I really appreciate how much all of you believe in my store and it's one of main things that keeps me going and makes me realize that this really is something i will be doing for the rest of my life, so thank you :)

O V E R D U E.

I don't know how the days seem to pass by me so quickly but i really can't believe i haven't blogged about something for an entire week! But don't worry, I have some amazing things to share with you all this week so expect an influx of posts and annoying ramblings from yours truly :)

So for the past few days i've been traveling up and down the coast sourcing new stock for the store and seeing as i'm actually on top of my workload (for once) i've been enjoying catching up on some overdue errands like trying to find a new tax accountant and filling my pantry to the brim with overdue delicious and unnecessary goodies. I've also started to look for my own studio space as well as hiring someone to help me during the week so i'm ecstatic at the thought of how much i'm going to be able to achieve when i have found the perfect candidates! Everything seems to be expanding at an alarming rate and i'm still so overwhelmed by how quickly my plans are changing and becoming a reality for the store.

I think i've spent the past week just trying to keep up with all the wonderful comments i've been receiving on our facebook page and new entries into the Camilla & Marc and Tiffany & Co giveaway! Can you believe we're pushing nearly 27,000 friends and that i replied to so many comments in such a short amount of time that facebook thought i was being a 'nuisance' and blocked me from writing any wall posts for 'a few hours to a few days'! It was tortuous not replying to everyone but it was probably a good thing as i was spending so much time in front of my computer that my eyes were literally going cross eyed (it's an odd feeling) and i was so tired and delirious that instead of writing 'Thank you for suggesting your friends, i've popped your name into the draw so good luck!', i was writing 'Thank you for suggesting your fiends, i've pooped your name into the draw so good luck!'. Isn't it strange how one simple letter can change the complete meaning of your sentence and make you sound like a complete hobo?

Here are a few of my favourite items this week. There are over 140 new vintage pieces in the store and seeing as i forgot to show you all my favourites from my last collection, i thought i would post them before i forget :)

IN STORE NOW:

1. Vintage leopard print shift dress // 2. Vintage LBD with frill waist

3. Vintage black bow dress with sheer lace back

4. Vintage maroon/cream spotted button dress with lace collar // 5. Vintage cream pleat edwardian dress.

6. Vintage cream satin fitted dress with sweetheart neckline & removable sleeves

7. Vintage blue/orange floral button dress // 8. Vintage pink floral off the shoulder boho dress

9. Vintage caramel swing coat with large buttons and fur collar

10. Vintage black patchwork jumper with fur & leopard print // 11. Vintage black sequinned cardigan

12. Vintage red tartan checkered cardigan // 13. Vintage red long cardigan with collar

14. Vintage black lace sheer singlet // 15. Vintage black leather high waist shorts

16. Vintage maroon velvet long sleeve grunge dress // 17. Vintage gold metallic foil high waist skirt

18. Vintage pink high waist tailored shorts // 19. Vintage cream lace corset

// CLICK HERE TO SHOP GARY PEPPER VINTAGE //

Gary Pepper Vintage was also spotted again on the official Jeffrey Campbell blog this week! It really is surreal to not only see yourself on a blog like this but also read that they have kindly described you as 'their new Australian muse'. Ty from JC has been so lovely and sent me some much anticipated details about where and when you can buy Jeffrey Campbell in Australia so expect a whole post dedicated to him in the next few days! Would you all be happy to hear he's coming to Melbourne in the next few months and possibly a store near you? I know i would be! You can read the gorgeous post on GPV here.

And apparently the feelings are mutual... Jeffrey Campbell has always been an easy obsession of mine :)

G I V E A W A Y : C A M I L L A & M A R C .

I'm so happy to announce Gary Pepper's biggest giveaway to date! Worth over a swoon worthy $950 AUD, i'm giving away this amazing cream camilla & marc dress that has a beautiful low criss cross back and a delicate mini pleated hem. It is a size 8 - 12 and completely sold out everywhere!

If you don't know how to enter by now simply suggest my Gary Pepper Vintage facebook page to your friends list by clicking 'suggest to friends' underneath the default picture, select as many friends as you can and then leave me a little note on my wall to let me know you've entered so i can put your name into the draw! The more friends of yours that join, the more entries you get! I'll be drawing the winner in just 4 weeks so please be sure to have all of your entries in by June 9th! This competition is open to all of my national & international readers and i'm already bursting with excitement to draw the lucky winner! I've also just uploaded a sneak peek of my new collection for May on the GPV facebook page so be sure to go have a look :)





Oh, sorry. Did i forget to mention i'm also giving away a little something for you to wear with this amazing camilla and marc dress? I'll also be giving away this beautiful Tiffany & Co 925 silver heart pendant necklace with matching heart shaped earrings! Some would call me crazy for giving away such expensive things like this (even i've called myself crazy for going through with it) but to be honest, these gifts seem so small compared to how much i really appreciate all of my readers, supporters and fans of Gary Pepper Vintage so really, it's nothing at all. Just a little something to say thank you.

And want to know a little secret? I already have my next giveaway planned and ready to go and it's even bigger and better than this. So i hope you all like it! Enjoy :)

//CLICK HERE TO SUGGEST GARY PEPPER TO YOUR FRIENDS//