C L E O .

(DIY Flower headband, Camilla & Marc high waist Shorts)

I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful day i had yesterday. Not only have we finally settled in to our new home after 5 days of painful and torturous moving but i also received some wonderful surprises in the post. The biggest surprise of the day was when Chloe returned with the brand new copy of CLEO Magazine fresh off the racks. I excitedly flicked to page 82 where i found a jaw dropping page full of my photos alongside an article about street style blogs! I did this interview about a month or two ago and you never know what photos they're going to use or what quotes you've nervously said, so the feelings that rush over you when you see something like this for the first time is, well, it's indescribable. I experienced so many feelings in the few minutes it took me to read the article. I was excited, nervous, happy, overwhelmed, and after a whole 24 hours it still hasn't sunk in yet. To be honest I'm not sure if it ever will...

A very big and warm thank you to Jess from CLEO for writing such a beautiful article, and to Ellie to whom none of this would of been possible - not even in my wildest dreams! I hope you believe me when i say from the bottom of my fluttering heart i would never have thought Gary Pepper Vintage would be on the pages of a magazine like CLEO.

I thought i would scan in the pages for my international readers who can't get their hands on a copy. Oh and before i forget, Chirssy Lau is featured in this wonderful issue too! I was ecstatic to see her beautiful illustrations gracing the CLEO pages and we excitedly messaged back and forth as soon as the issue came out. I always knew she was a brilliant artist, i guess now the rest of Australia will too :) Enjoy!

// www.cleo.com.au //

M Y L I T A S .

(Gifted American Apparel pants, Minkpink Singlet, Vintage belt, Jeffrey Campbell Platforms, Alexander Wang bag)

I'm so thrilled i can finally show you some photos of my new Jeffrey Campbell Lita's! They arrived a few weeks ago and (story of my life these days) i haven't even had a chance to take any photos of them due to being over worked and low on time. They are beyond ridiculous, and i mean that in a good way, and i'm still trying to figure out how on earth they can be so tall yet so comfortable? Hands down the easiest pair of shoes i've ever owned to walk in. A big thank you to American Apparel for sending over these amazing khaki riding pants! I was lucky enough to receive my fourth care package from AA last week and i'm overflowing with amazing basics that i've been living in ever since they arrived on my door step. More photos to come too, i hope!

This is so out of character for Luke but he accidentally dropped his lens the other day so we borrowed a new one to play with from our room mate. I don't really think it agreed with Luke's camera and it gave all of my photos this weird black edge with a fish eye kind of angle? i kind of like it for something different and it adds to the edginess of these amazing shoes.

Right now i'm blogging from a hotel in Sydney where i'll be staying for the next three nights on an all expenses paid shoot. I'm sworn to secrecy until the release date but in a few short weeks i'll be able to give you all a better idea of how amazing this opportunity is going to be for me and my store! In the first day i've met so many amazing people and i just can't wait to jump head first into it at 6am tomorrow which means off to bed for me! :)

B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S.

So like i said in my previous post, my friend Chad has been putting together a short video of the day we spent shooting in the city and i am so happy i can finally share it with you! Chad is a freelance film maker, the creative force behind the extremely popular BOOM podcasts and has worked with people like pedestrian tv and semi permanent. I really am blessed to be surrounded by such amazingly talented and creative friends, friends that want to happily contribute their part to my store and friends that take time out of their busy lives to make mine that little bit sweeter. Then there is also the special kind of (boy)friend who is always willing to share his photography skills and limited time to help take beautiful photos for my blog. So a very big thank you, Luke and Chad - you're honestly the best and make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have known you both.

I'd also like to quickly thank Maggie Eckford for giving me permission to use her song 'For What It's Worth' and for being the 'voice' to our very first video. I came across her super cute music on Triple J unearthed and loved that i could, in some way or another, support up and coming talent here in Sydney. If Gary could sing i would picture her to sound something like this :) You can listen and buy Maggie's music on Itunes here.

And last but not least to Ty and Solestruck.com for sending me these amazing 'Snick' wedges by Jeffrey Campbell. They were the shoes that inspired this entire video and i have fallen head over wedge in love with them. I can't wait to post the rest of the photos but for now, as promised, here is the video we made that "takes you behind the scenes of the gpv x solestruck.com collaboration and into the whimsical world of Gary Pepper and all things vintage". I hope it gives you a little insight into how we shoot my photos, how much fun it is, and in some ways makes me seem more like a human than the photos you see on here.

It is the first of many more to come so i hope you all like it! Enjoy :))))

Spread the love and reblog this if you can :)

J C F W 2 0 1 0.

I don't usually do posts dedicated entirely to runway shows or ad campaigns but when Ty from Jeffrey Campbell emailed this morning letting me know that their new lookbook had launched online only minutes before, i just felt compelled to show you all their new FW 2010 collection! Full of combat inspired ankle boots, chunky wooden platforms, leather, suede and lace up's, this collection is completely swoon worthy and i've got my eye on at least 3 pairs i want, no, need, to get my hands on. If you read as many blogs as i do there's no doubt about it, the blogosphere is going crazy with the anticipation of "The Lita" to land in Solestruck.com any day now (next week to be precise) and i can only imagine how quickly they are going to sell out. You can view the complete JC lookbook here.

So Happy Friday everyone! Just a little visual eye candy to get the pulses racing for the weekend. And a big big thank you for all of your lovely suggestions about which colour to produce my Lila skirt in. I decided to go with a pastel lilac and a mint green (and a deep navy if time permits) so i can't wait to show you all as soon as they're finished! In saying that, I'd love to know what your favourite JC style is here because i need help decided which boots to get! Thoughts?

PS. A big thank you to Ty for giving us Australians the heads up. It's safe to say - we're ready and waiting :)

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 :)))))

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 :)

B L A C K W H I T E.

For some reason i've never been one for sexy lingerie at night but i absolutely adore it when it transcends evening wear and is incorporated into an every day outfit. I own a pair of black pleated silk pajama shorts that i like to wear around in public so it's only natural i would add these super cute corsets to my day time collection! Usually when i find amazing pieces like these opshopping i'll often wish to myself "If only i could find this in different sizes or colours" but i always know in the back of my mind there's a very slim chance of that ever happening. But sometimes, in that rare occurrence, it does, and it always makes me wonder if everything oprah said about "The Secret" is true. I was lucky enough to come across not one but four of these stunning vintage corsets on my opshopping trip the other day and am absolutely smitten with their romantic, dreamy and feminine design. Three of the four will be hitting the Gary Pepper Vintage store this week and are available in cream lace and a stunning cream tulle.

I have just finished sourcing my new collection and it will be up by the end of the week! I have no idea how many items i have but my collections seem to be getting bigger and bigger each week and i'm worried! I remembered i promised myself i would never list 200 items again unless i had hired help so it looks like i'm either going to have to slow down or finally let go of some of the responsibility and learn to trust someone with parts of my business. Right now, as much as it pains me to say, option B sounds more realistic. I'm secretly kind of excited to start looking for a new girl to add to the team though so that's probably a good sign :)

I was suppose to be taking photos of new stock today but unfortunately i decided to put on one of these new lace corsets and got a little sidetracked by their beautifully feminine design which completely inspired me to mess up my hair, add some smoky eyes and accentuate my over sized lips for once (if you can't tell by the photos above?). Plus, i've really been looking for any reason to take some photos in my new Jeffrey Campbell wedges that arrived the other week . I wore a sheer black lace tee over the top of this corset and turned two very simple pieces into my new favourite obsession; lingerie day wear :)

{Black lace top/corset/shorts: Thrifted, Necklace: Vintage, Wedges: Jeffrey Campbell.}