Mathilde

Matilde is a floral envelope clutch - the stylish gal's way to transport a couple of books or an e-reader. Mathilde is made from a vintage Laura Ashley dress that belonged to my Mum and is lined with soft navy blue felt.
Mathilde measures 27cm x 18cm and fastens with a popper.

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Anais

Anais is a silky boat neck top with a tie front detail. Made with rose coloured material covered with little purple flowers bought from Stockport Vintage Village. Anais is loosely fitted with cropped sleeves. She would fit a size 10/12 or a Medium.

Dimensions measured flat are shoulder to waistline 48 cm, waist 48 cm, bust 55cm, sleeve 17cm.

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Juliette

 

 

Named after the beautiful Juliette Binoche! Juliette is a silky pink and black polka dot kimono style Jacket. Can be worn as a top tucked into a pair of high waisted trousers or a skirt or worn loose as a cover up/lingerie. Juliette would fit a size 10 - 14 or Medium.

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Introducing...

A sneak peek at my first hand made collection! I've been working on these pieces for a while and being made redundant from my day job has given me a much needed kick to get working on my designs. I have drafted some simple wearable patterns to make the most of my second hand fabric stash so each item is very unique. I am looking to source some fairtrade organic bamboo fabrics so I can offer each piece in more sizes so if you like a piece from the collection please do get in touch - I'm up for commissions :) I'll be posting about each piece in the collection as I upload them into my etsy shop www.robesetfemmes.etsy.com
My email is robesetfemmes@gmail.com or feel free to comment below!

Jo

xx

Photo credit: A million thank yous to my very talented friend Andy Conway

Second hand first!

How much of your wardrobe is second hand? Last week TRAID launched a campaign to encourage more people to commit to buying more of their clothes and other resources second hand rather than buying new.
So what does it mean... well I like to think of it as your clothes and other items telling a story. It's easy to pop into a high street shop and buy the latest fashion but you'll have more fun and individual style by buying second hand, and if you support traid you will be reducing the amount of clothing going into landfill and supporting global projects to improve conditions and working practices in the textile industry. The photo I have chosen to go with this post features some of my favourite second hand pieces purchased from ebay, etsy and local vintage shops or charity shops. Not every item in my wardrobe is second hand - see those clarks shoes above but we could all aim to have a higher proportion of pre-loved clothing and that is what the second hand first campaign is about.
Maria Chenoweth-Casey, CEO of TRAID said, “Second-hand has the power to create a more sustainable society. The garment industry makes huge demands on scarce and diminishing resources, like water, land and oil while unwanted and still wearable clothes are sent to landfill. #SECONDHANDFIRST Week reminds people to use what we already have as a way to reduce waste, landfill, carbon emissions and consumption bringing major benefits to our increasingly fragile environment.”
It's something I have always had in mind when making clothes ... I love the process of designing and making items to wear but I also want my designs to be sustainable so my hand made items are only made of second hand or responsibly sourced materials.
What is your favourite second hand piece? Take a snap and share it on twitter or instagram with the hash tag #secondhandfirst 

The Whitepepper Lookbook

How amazing are these photos from the latest The Whitepepper lookbook?! I really love the styling here - feels a bit like a Wes Anderson film with the colours, hats and suitcases

 

Autumn Colour Palette

 

I love flipping through Pantone colour charts to get ideas for things to make - these are my favourite colours at the moment. Going to see if I can find some second hand fabrics to match!

It's nearly Friday :D

Sunday Inspiration

I'm busy making some frocks to share on here but in the meantime here are some things that have been inspiring me lately... must be on a Navy and Maroon kick for autumn!

Dress from Mango, Shirt from Tradlands, Outfit from Nico and ...Magazine

Hello

Hi! I am Jo, a vintage loving dress maker based in Heptonstall, West Yorkshire. Here I will share a few of my favourite things, ideas and makes.