New year, new plans and a gorgeous Rowanjoy Bride, Amy.

Happy New Year!!

So its the second official day back at work today and after actually having a full 2 weeks off (apart from doing my accounts and tax return - the joys of self employment!) I am loving being back in the studio and making plans for the year ahead. I already have lots of lovely brides booked in for this year and I cannot wait to get cracking on their dresses. I am just starting to design my new collection and hopefully have a couple of other (at the moment) secret projects to get my head around this year, all very exciting.

To start off the year on the blog I want to take you back to the gorgeous hazy late summer days of September (remember those? yeah me neither) and to Amy's wedding. Amy's dress was a bespoke version of the Clara dress taking the original shape and changing the gold details for Ivory and Lace and my absolute favourite part, adding in the most beautful detailed lace for the flared part of the lower skirt. And my god, how flipping gorgeous and happy does Amy look? I love the changes to the dress so much I eventually plan to make a new sample using the ideas in Amy's dress and adding it to the collection.

So enjoy the warmth, happiness and Love in the photos and here's looking to much more of all of those in 2015.

Rowan x

All photos courtesy of Gillian Glover MacLean Photography

Pop Up Shop and Sample Sale

As you may have seen all over the social medias in the last couple of days I am going to be doing a fabulous pop up shop and sample sale with some wonderful designer pals. I am going to be selling a mixture of special one-off pieces made exclusively for the Pop Up as well as lots of previous season stock and editorial pieces and it is all going to be at very special pop up prices.

The Pop-Up Shop is on Friday 28th November 5-8pm and Saturday 29th November 10am-6pm

at Hill Street Design House, 3 Hill Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3JP

Exclusive New dress for Pop Up - Witchy Dress
Retail Price £125 Pop Up Price £85

 A/W 2012 Silk and Lace Dress
Retail Price £295 Pop Up Price £225

A/W Full Length Black Grace Dress
Retail Price £395 Pop Up price £295

S/S 2012 Kitty Cotton print dress
Retail Price £115 Pop Up Price £55

Along side me at the pop up there are 3 fabulous other designers Bebaroque, Rene Walrus and Poosac.

Rene Walrus is of course my fantastic studio mate who creates the most delicious and glittery headpieces and Jewellery. This is the perfect opportunity to grab yourself something truly fabulous to wear on all those christmas nights out and completely out dazzle everyone else.

Bebaroque are the ladies responsible for the best tights you could ever dream of. Illustrated, embroidered and bejewelled there is no end to the possibilities of fabulousness these tights will bring to your life, it is most definitely worth investing in a pair.

Tattoo Me tight!
Retail price: £35.00 --- POP UP PRICE: £22.00

For the final stall of our pop up you will be entering the wonderful world of Poosac, the home of ridiculous creatures, dangly dolls and original illustrations. Kim's creations are perfect presents for kids big and small and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

One of Poosac's creatures

So please come along, say hi, start your christmas shopping or treat yourself and remember by shopping at our pop up you will be supporting local businesses and designers.

Rowan x

Rowanjoy August Brides - Caroline and Rebecca

I had 2 lovely August brides who both got married on the same day this year. 

Caroline chose for her dress the classic version of the Ava dress and she looks absolutely gorgeous in it. In her email with the photos she wrote me the loveliest testimonial about the process of getting her dress made.

"So the dust has settled and finally coming to terms with the honeymoon being over and no longer being in Paris, it’s been tough! Catching up on my admin bits and bobs since the wedding and wanted to get in touch firstly to say hi but send you a couple of pics too from the day. I felt amazing Rowan and truly adored my dress, it was absolutely perfect for the day and I’m so glad I went with my heart and picked out this beauty, it was so so special.

Thank you for making the whole process so easy and so much fun, I cherished my wee trips to Edinburgh and coming to visit you for fittings. So, as I say, some pics attached for you to see, I hope I done your gorgeous design some amount of justice!"

There is nothing nicer than hearing something like this back from one of my customers and just knowing that I have helped contribute to making a bride have a wonderful wedding day truly is the best thing about what I do.

Photos by www.sdphotography.co.uk

Rebecca was the first of my brides to order one of my newer designs - The Harlow dress. The original Harlow dress has the V detail at the back and high neck at the front, however Rebecca chose to have her dress made the opposite way round with the V at the front which I think looks just as good! (I now encourage all brides trying the sample on to try in back to front as well as the right way round!) Apart from that one change the dress was kept exactly as it was using the same fabulous beaded lace, and doesn't it look gorgeous on her. 

I was super jealous of Rebecca's wedding plans which involved doing a canal trip down the union canal and I had actually planned to do a teeny bit of stalking on her wedding day as I live about 5 minutes away from the canal. Unfortunately I ended up being away that weekend, although Rebecca was probably immensely grateful she didnt have some mad woman waving at her down the canal!

Photos by www.vivviphotography.co.uk

Rowan x

New bridal - The Crawford dress

Introducing the newest bridal design to my ever expanding collection - the Crawford Dress.

Named after the inimitable Joan Crawford and inspired by the era when she was at the height of her fame, the dress style is a modern take on a 1930's look. 

Made from a beautiful silk gazar and beaded lace the Crawford dress is a modern halter style with lace panel detailing. The full circle skirt has a graduated hem starting at ballet length at the front and flowing into the train(perfect for showing off those shoes you treated yourself to) Floral beaded Lace motifs on the front and back waistband and neckline add that little bit of extra detail.

The Crawford style as with all designs in the collection is available made to measure and is £975.

Rowan x

Photography - Paul Marr

Model - Tara Nowy

Hair - Roy at Milk Hairdressing

Make Up - Bo Kawczynska

Head pieces - Rene walrus 

Shoes - Pam Jenkins

Wallflower - Rowanjoy A/W 14

The original inspiration for this collection came from 2 artists - Gustav Klimt and Frida Kahlo and their use of pattern and colour in their work. It was a very organic collection in how the designs developed trying to get the combination of colour and print right. 

The collection was styled with the fabulous bebaroque's heavily embellished tights and bodies and also with wonderful headpieces from Rene Walrus and beautifully detailed hats from Strumpet. 

It was once again a wonderful days shoot with the most fabulous team. I am completely in love with the images and how dreamlike and painterly they are.

Rowan x

Credits

Photography - Paul Marr

Model - Tara Nowy

Hair - Roy at Milk Hairdressing

Make Up - Bo Kawczynska

Tights and Body - Bebaroque

Head pieces - Rene walrus and Strumpet

Shoes - Pam Jenkins

Clothes - Rowanjoy

New chapters

..... And indeed it is time for a new chapter for Rowanjoy. 

After 7 years I am moving out of my studio in Godiva and relocating to a new space in a brand spanking new design house. It's been a wonderful time working from the shop, I have had so many opportunities and fab experiences(plenty of them drunken!) and been lucky to meet so many great people and make life long friends. I can barely believe it has actually been 7 years!!

My new space is still super central, just a stones throw over the other side of the castle on Hill Street (just behind George St)in the brand new Hill Street Design House. It will be a combined workroom and showroom/fitting space where I will be doing all my appointments and meeting all clients. 

So from the beginning of August I will be working and doing appointments from the new space (All brides/customers I will be in touch with details for you). I will still be stocking Godiva with Rowanjoy and am busy working away to get lots of stock made for festival madness at the moment.

It's both a sad and exciting time for me. It will be very strange not heading to the Grassmarket every morning and I am going to miss Fleur and all the Godiva girls loads but it is exciting to see what the move and the future is going to bring for Rowanjoy.  

Oh yeah and I am getting a window. Actually not one window....2!!

Rowan x

Harlow Dress

So after a bit of a delay I can finally show off my new bridal style the Harlow dress. The silhouette is simple with a loose fitting bodice with angel sleeves and keyhole detail at the front and a low cross over v at the back. The skirt is slim fitting with a gentle flare from just below the hips. I designed the shape of the dress like this to really show off the star of the dress - the lace. The lace used on the Harlow dress has a very modern feel to it with beautiful large scale floral and leaf patterns embroidered and then beaded onto the tulle. The bodice is full lace with the top of the skirt having the large floral motifs of the lace individually cut out and hand sewn on. The Harlow dress is now available made to measure for £965. 

The beautiful photos were from the same shoot as life in technicolour and aren't they truly breathtaking. 

Credits

Photography - Paul Marr

Model - Tara Nowy

Hair - Roy Rogers @ Milk Hairdressing

Make up - Kari Hart

Thankyou all for your amazing work.

Rowan x