I have never received as many enquiries about a garment in my life as I have for the beautiful dress gracing the cover of this month’s issue- and I have worked in retail!

Not only is the dress pretty to look at, but its design follows some clever figure-flattering principles that all women should know:

1. Taper the waist: Fitting garments to the waist draws the eye to the slimmest part of the body, while texture allows skin underneath to have some movement.
2. Perfect print: Keep the print small, it keeps your body looking small;  cover the whole surface area, areas without print throw off your proportions; keep print tonal, even the busiest pattern won’t appear gaudy if the colours used are in the same tonal family.
3. Great Cut: A simple tunic shape is flattering to nearly all body types. The sleeveless, but wide bodice keeps hips in proportion with shoulders, while the knee length adds an old-fashioned elegence.

Currently, the credits for our covers are found on the ‘This Notebook: belongs to…’ page, but we will be moving them to the credits page soon.

For those that are curious, the dress is $369 and by Australian designer, Alannah Hill, Ph: 03 9429 0000 or visit their website here.

Vanessa Warrington
Editorial Coordinator/ Fashion Writer

The new Create feature in the Home Life section of Notebook: is quickly becoming one of my favourite articles to turn to when I get a fresh copy…after skimming the fashion pages of course. Each month we are hand-picking the best artisans we can find to create two exclusive projects for readers to make at home. In this month’s issue (April 2010) we have featured instructions to make adorable vintage fabric dolls by Rebecca Dunn from Wollongong. I received a parcel and letter from Rebecca yesterday to say thank you for the article and to my joy inside was my very own Dew Drop Girl named Ursula. She is now sitting pretty on a pile of magazines on my desk.

The team also received an email earlier this week from reader Jodi Thompson of Maryborough, Queensland who tackled Pip Lincolne’s Patchwork Summer Throw from last month’s issue (May 2010) to create a cover for her little girl’s bed- see the gorgeous results below.


We love bringing you creative projects to try and really enjoy seeing the end results. If you have made one of our Create projects recently, or plan to in future, please feel free to share the final product with us by sending an email to:

Kindest,

Vanessa Warrington
Editorial Coordinator/ Fashion Writer

…. And, possibly, a Notebook: cover girl? If you’ve seen the current issue of Notebook: you’ll know that we’re searching for a 30+ woman to become the face of the Mossée fashion label and the cover of a future Notebook: magazine. We’ve already had some great entries but I’d love to hear from you if you know anyone who fits the bill. Maybe it’s you?
Mossee’s designer Maggie Wong wants to use a real woman and not a professional model to represent her fashion range because she thinks it’s important for the face of her range to be someone with a normal life; who understands everyday Australian women and the everyday struggles women face – juggling life, family and work.

“The face of Mossee should be a real Australian woman who represents style, natural beauty and effortless class – just like Mossee,” she says.The winner will become the exclusive face of the range for one year, will receive the latest Mossee fashions and be styled exclusively by Maggie. She will also win $3000 cash.To enter, fill out the coupon in the April issue of Notebook: and send to us with two photographs.
                 

For a change of pace on this blog, I think it would be nice for you to hear some other voices and opinions rather than just mine. One new regular blogger to join us will be Siobhan Curran who used to work with Notebook: magazine but has just made a rather large life-change with her family and moved to Newcastle in regional NSW. It’s a whole new way of living for Siobhan and she’s kindly agreed to share her journey with us; updating each week as she navigates her way to living a simpler, more fulfilling life.
I’d also like you to say hi to Vanessa Warrington, who is Notebook’s editorial coordinator. Being in that position, Vanessa knows pretty much everything that happens in our office and is the first port of call for the generous amounts of (snail) mail and email that comes our way.

“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we get from our readers is something that I think is very unique to our mag. I especially love it when readers share with us how Notebook: has helped them in the most unexpected of ways. Today, I was sent an email from Renae James in Victoria who, like Jenny Cotter who is featured in Letterbox of our April issue,  has used our beautiful 2010 Notebook: calendar to create a unique wall display for her home. It never ceases to amaze me what a bit of imagination and resourcefulness can produce. We have such clever readers. Keep it coming!”

Vanessa Warrington
Notebook: editorial coordinator & fashion writer

Just added:
Amazing wall display by Sarah from http://www.abeachcottage.com