A Trelise Cooper warehouse store opened on Saturday at Sydney's Birkenhead Point and I was invited to write about it. I had a marvelous time playing in the store! Playing took about 2 hours & I loved every minute of it.
The store is having an opening sale for 4 days and they have already re stocked with new items even after a day of trading! I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time there going forward!
The store was full of clothes of colour and whimsy with varied and pretty fabrics and finishes. You cant help but smile & do a little twirl as you try on the special pieces and keep reaching for more and more items each time you come out of the fitting room.
Win one of three $200 gift vouchers!
By visiting the store, you can also be in the draw to win one of 3 gift vouchers valued at $200 each. All you have to do is pop your name on the mailing list at the register by 5.30 pm on Tuesday 7th June 2011. Not only will you be in the draw, you'll also be notified of new drops, sales etc. Of course, your details will not be passed on to anyone else.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this store - I'll do that by making sure I do my groceries at the centre on a regular basis - oh and while I am there, of course I'll pop in to the store. As you do.
Most of the items are from the winter 2010 and summer 2010/11 collections. There is day wear, evening wear and resort. Psstt - the resort is truly amazing!!! And Kid's wear.
Oh and the prices are AMAZING - up to 75% off the original retail is not unusual in this store.
Trelise's vision
Trelise talks about her boutiques being a stage for women to explore the most sensuous and glamorous aspects of their characters. Further that her brand captures a woman's imagination, luring her to a boudoir of dreams which every woman deserves to discover.
I love her vision frankly - its tied in with mine when I named this blog - in that fashion, clothes and your style allow you to be and achieve any action you want in your life, whether it be in your love life, professional or personal life as well as allowing you creativity and ultimate self expression. Trelise's original designs have such vibrancy, life and beautiful details, not only are they like pieces of art, they allow the wearer a truly original form of self expression.
Children's wear
The store has the main line "Trelise Cooper", the difffusion "Cooper by Trelise" and the "Trelise Cooper Kids" range. Trelise's fabrics are gorgeous, pretty and charming - when you see them translated to kids clothes, all you can say is "too cute".
...part of the too cute kid's rail.....look at the prints, laces, the bunny rabbits...
Visit Trelise's web site (www.trelisecooper.co.nz) for photos of famous people wearing her ranges (including Catherine Zeta Jones, Liv Tyler Julia Roberts). There are even two very publisized photos of little Suri Cruz wearing Trelise's kids ranges.
Most of the items are on her web site (with live breathing models) and what I love also is that she keeps her older collections on there too - unlike alot of other designers who only display the current collection. This serves as a lovely visual history of such breathtaking garments.
I have also tried to show the range (Trelise Cooper v Cooper) from which each photo comes from, so that you can reference back to the web site easier.
In Sydney there is a flagship store in the lovely Woollahra and in Melbourne its in Prahran.
The larger David Jones stores also carry a tremendous portion of the ranges.
Please make a trip to this store. Labels like Trelise make it fun to be a girl. The store is full of colour and prints.
Look! - paillettes, ombre, checks, ruffles, nautical, polks dots, stripes......
...neutrals, floral, white, cream, navy, black, red....
......mixed prints, sequins, magentas, oranges....yummy.....
....limes, chatreuse, more polka dots, florals, organza, apricots....
....pretty pastels, silver & cream, more ruffles....
What I also love about Trelise's garments is that even if you love neutrals or single colours, she will do that and add interest through whimsical touches and trims in the same colour or fabric.
Honestly, I think that Trelise has never met a sequin, ruche, ruffle, raw edge, rosette, paillette or a bugle bead she didnt like.
And her evening wear is to die for.....here is a sample of the cocktail dresses and separates....
Following are some of the items that caught my eye and together with some of the ladies in the store, we thought were lovely pieces to blog about.
As mentioned above, every piece is on the web site with a live model (sans coat hanger LOL!), so you can get an additional impression of the beauty of the items.
Did I mention that Trelise designs for real women? the store was plentifully supplied with real sizes - I have used mostly the 12-14 sizes in the photos just to prove to myself that this was the case. [PS: I am a AU14]
Most photos contain two pieces & I have described each piece in a photo with a "left" or "right"......and prices are included (both original & the current reduced)....
Drumroll please...ta-da! here we go....
Left: Cooper cream silk lined racer back cocktail dress with a 20s feel. The standout here is the black beads - see detailed photo. This is also available in a lighter off-white as well as a very similar all black version. $350 from $695
Right: Cooper black linen jacket with cream accents/buttons.
While the jacket is avant garde, with a tailored skirt (black, white, cream, red? anyone?), it can easily go to a corporate office.
$195 from $595
more detail on the beading....
Left: Cooper 50s feel circle skirt in cream tulle with black flowers printed on the tulle. The hem is scalloped in line with the flower petal edges. Its lined & has at least 2 layers of plain tulle underneath. The black band on the waist has enough width to keep that tummy in place too.
Wear with little black jacket or a simple tank that falls just over the waist band. Too easy!
$275 from $695
Right: Trelise Cooper cream raw edged silk bolero with enameled brooch closure. The fabric has raw edge silk strips (same fabric) sewn all over it, giving it interest & whimsy. Of course its lined.
The photo makes it look white, but its actually a lovely cream.
$125 from $445
Left: Trelise Cooper orange tiny sequin ombre dress
$350 from $975
Right: Trelise Cooper aubergine skirt with rosettes appliqued & beads in the buds of the roses.
Also available in black.
$250 from $625
close up of the sequins...the first photo is more true to life in relation to colour....
close up of roses, ruffles and beading....
Left: Cooper black silk striped & beach scene dress
$235 from $595
Right: Cooper apricot floral muumuu dress (top also available)
$235 from $595
Trelise Cooper cocktail dresses in black & apricot (photo looks lavender) with hand painted flowers on the paillettes. The hand painting was amazing!
$350 from $975 each
I am a Henry T Ford girl (any colour as long as its black! hehehe), so more of a close up on the black.....
...the back views from the window displays, showing the silk ribbons which can help to take it up or down half a size but tying loosely or tightly....I LOVE that kind of flexibility!
again, the one on the right is actually an apricot, both the paillettes & the silk ribbons are a similar colour - here they look lavender and taupe....
This was a masterful Trelise Cooper dress - in an ombre effect blush pinks to greys to black. The impact was created by raw edge horizontal very fine strips of the fabric, the placement of which created the ombre look. The photo looks white at the top - its very much a blush pink colour.
$465 from $925
..the detail on the ombre effect....
Trelise Cooper stunning short Pucci inspired silk muumuu - this deserved a photo on its own - she was beaded at the neckline and had silk ties at the front...this was truly stunning!
$295 from $725
Trelise Cooper stunning long muumuu, resort perfect...look at the print - very Andy Warhol- wow! Included is a black slip dress with adjustible bra type straps. 2 in 1!
$295 from $895
Cooper cotton blend grey cardi with front zip & flowers. Pretty!
$165 from $395
Bolero: Trelise Cooper green & copper tiny sequinned bolero with silk teal tie
$150 from $595
Tank: Trelise Cooper copper paillettes
$125 from $425
Skirt: Trelise Cooper green tartan with layers & layers of tulle & lined.
$275 from $695
PS: Notice the cute little girl's dress at the left? Suri would love that too!
Left: Trelise Cooper muted daisy print floral silk flowy top. Perfect with white, taupes, khaki, even a pop of red! Includes a cream cami with adjustible bra type straps - another ensemble which can do double duty!
$150 from $595
Right: Trelise Cooper hand painted roses on yellow/green silk tunic
$210 from $525
Left: Trelise Cooper navy silk ruffle & raw edge skirt
With a corporate blazer you ca wear this to work & it will certainly dress up from play. I love items that do double duty - best way to get value for money!
$295 from $895
Right: Chatreuse/green floral lined silk dress with wrap & back tie ribbons in the same fabric.
A stunning dress.
$255 from $695
Despite all the colour, in my usual fashion, the first thing I did when i popped in was head straight to the nautical section - Trelise does a variation of nautical every summer...
Left: Trelise Cooper navy/cream striped muumuu dress with white lace trim insert with touches of red (darned photo doesnt show the red touches)
$295 from $725
Right: Cooper white cotton short with broderie hem (also in black)
$95 from $395
Notice how her diffusion works back to the main line - versatile! Love it!
Trelise Cooper navy tiny sequin stripes on a cream silk lined top.
This would work very SS 2011 Prada style with the navy ruffle/raw edge skirt above.
$125 from $625
Cooper navy/cream/red anchor cotton top (there was also a maxi dress) with ruffles along shoulder line. Great for pear shapes.
Perfect casual soccer mum top or under a suit for work.
$125 from $345
Trelise Cooper magenta wool.cashmere coat with poufy sleeves & hem.
We saw this on a lady & it looks amazing - gave her an outstanding figure.
The photo looks more purple - in real life its a rich magenta.
$350 from $995
Trelise Cooper black wool/cashmere coat with cream bow and frogging & hidden large black press stud closures.
$350 from $945
check out the silk lining - map of Germany....
..check out the lace edges on the inside bottom hem....lovely finishing touch!
...this is another Trelise Cooper coat 90/10 wool/cashmere with an embroidered/rosetted collar - I have only photographed the collar - a customer took it from me before I could snap the body!
She bought it!
Sizing
Trelise's ranges go from 6 to 18. I made a point of using some larger sizes here - just to prove they do exist & this isnt a brand that focuses only on skinnie minnies!
Change rooms
Roomy change rooms with mirrors inside so you dont have to come out if you dont want to.
Oh and unlike some change rooms, the curtains fully close on both ends. What I noticed was that most customers were coming out of their rooms & twirling around & getting opinions & even swapping clothes with each other.
Staff
I was impressed with the sales staff in the store because they understood colour & body shape. So they could select & show you items which would provide you maximum flattery. They had initiative and were warm without being pushy. The store is managed by Tanya. She and her team have created a lovely vibe in this store.
In this photo is Tracey (I hope I spelt that right!) who is up from Melbourne to help with the set up of the store (brunette). Tracey is with one of the girls who was helping me select outfits for the photos!
Interested?
I know you are!
Birkenhead Point is a lovely recently renovated outlet centre at Drummoyne, Sydney. Its off Victoria Road which is a major arterial with buses linking the centre to the city & suburbs.
Its open 7 days a week. Go to its website for hours.
If you pop in before 5.30 pm on Tuesday 7th June 2011, you can be eligible for the draw of three $200 gift vouchers!
Have fun & Good luck with the draw!
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