Everything has a season and a reason. Flowers bloom, seasons change and life moves at a pretty rapid pace. Its sometimes only when we have a chance to look back and see how far we have come that we can truly understand things happen for a reason.
For the third collection of dresses that I was creating for By Samantha Melbourne, we decided to go Boho. We had both had a love of all things in the Boho style and could see some real potential in the different colourways and illustrations that we could utilise. This time we reconnected with the illustrator who created florals for the first collection, Watercolour Nomads. If you haven’t seen her work, get your butt over there. Her florals make my draw drop and my eyes shine with possibility. Swooooooon.
So a large part of the reason I use illustrations is because I recognise that there are artists out there that are WAY more talented than me. I also recognise that this is a business, both myself and By Samantha Melbourne. The costs associated with having artwork that is both beautiful and exclusive are quite high, and they should be. By creating a piece of art that has exclusivity attached to it, it means that it has a higher value, therefore is more expensive. By using assets from these amazing artists, I am able to create more productively, have a better economy and achieve a more beautiful result.
This collection moved a lot faster than the last two. I really felt like I was getting my groove with it. I was also upskilling on the side, trying to find better ways to create and design by taking classes and short courses. My hunger for learning has always been strong. I believe knowledge is one of the most powerful things we can equip ourselves with, I never want to stop learning.
Once the process was complete and the dresses were made, we went a little closer to home for this shoot; Ballarat. With its combination of old buildings, charming streets and stunning botanicals, it was a perfect backdrop for this collection. We also teamed up with a new photographer, @findingfemme, and she was great!
It was on the eve of the shoot, in a little Airbnb in Ballarat, that Samantha and I came up with the name of the collection and names of the dresses. The collection was named Wildest Dreams, a dreamy celebration of beauty and femininity. Only in our wildest dreams did we think we would be creating our third collection in a year and creating something so beautiful. I also created the below bios for each of the dresses.
Allegra
Allegra, meaning joyful in Italian, is our gorgeous emerald green base print. The deep greens of the leaves teamed with the green base colour really makes the florals in Allegra pop.
Maya
Our white base creation brings new meaning to the word dreamy. Maya means Dream or Illusion in Hindi, and really sets the tone for this beautiful collection.
Tallulah
Dive into Tallulah, our deep navy print. Tallulah, meaning leaping waters, was named after my cousins daughter, nicknamed Lulu. The deep blue mixed with the colourful florals and greenery creates a gorgeous pattern that looks dreamy on.
Stella
Stella is our star of the show. This deep purple base looks super luxurious on and is super pretty and girly. Its also the name of my gorgeous niece, who is the star of my world.
Delilah
Our delicate flower is Delilah, with a light purple base that brings out the colours in the floral pattern. The perfect dress for a garden party or wedding, Delilah has you looking feminine and fabulous.
The response to these dresses was incredible. So many people were ordering more than one dress at a time! I was watching with Samantha in awe, I knew I loved the print and was so excited for it to be out in the wild. Even I couldn’t pick one, ending up picking multiple for myself. To say I was thrilled was an understatement.
So if you’ve been reading all 3 of these blogs you will note I said final collection. As I said in the intro, seasons change and things move on. Since this collection, Samantha and I have parted ways. It’s funny, when it all finished, it was more than the end of our business together, it felt like a break up of a relationship.
When I work with clients, I invest my time, my passion and my whole self in their business. I want to see them succeed and blossom and flourish and I will do anything I can to help. Which does mean that when it ends, it hurts. I do honestly wish the best for Sam and By Samantha Melbourne, and I know that she wishes the same for me. I also don’t regret the whole experience, it made me a better designer, a stronger businesswoman and the owner of some pretty beautiful dresses.