(Vintage robe, Vintage swimsuit, Vintage rings, Topshop heels) So it seems ever since the new store opened it's not only my blog that is suffering but also my health. I've had a small cut on my foot for nearly three weeks now and it seemed to be getting worse by the day, and by worse i mean infected... After spending last night shivering and rugged up in a doona when it's 41 degrees outside i finally realised there was defiantly something wrong and it was time to see a doctor. I was prescribed antibiotics that look like small bumble bee's and told to rest, so i had the day off today which was wonderful. I took it easy, sent out about 20 parcels, edited some photos, replied to all of my emails and finally put together some sort of post for my blog. So what's been happening here since we last spoke? Well Luke is away in Hawaii for a month, i finally decided i'm going to get a new kitten, i celebrated my birthday and was surprisingly sober compared to my friends for once, i went to Melbourne on another buying trip and have just been busy as per usual with the store and everything it demands. Oh, and i've been ill too! Bonus!

For some reason it's as if people knew it was my birthday as i've been receiving some amazing emails the past few weeks. A few things worth noting: I've been invited to be a part of a styling contest at Melbourne Fashion week, asked to be a teacher at a new fashion institute in Sydney and have a few collaborations lined up with Solestruck.com, Shopbop and Australian fashion label Joveeba, which to me is just crazy! It really kills me sometimes how much my store consumes my life so unfortunately i couldn't manage to take the time off work to go to Melbourne and to Sydney to teach, but fingers crossed these amazing opportunities will still be there this time next year! I can only hope by then i'll have learnt how to divide my time for work and time for play, and also to go to the doctors straight away!

(Gary Pepper Vintage Peach Skirt, Vintage Lace Top & Gold Necklace - Coming Soon, Miu Miu Heels) Usually i don't mind chasing those last minutes of sunlight except for when we're shooting the new look book and i have zero time to get changed as we're racing down an empty back road. These are a few outtakes of the very last outfit we shot in the Hunter Valley, which would you believe were shot in a total of 5 minutes!? After copious amounts of swirling, twirling and swooshing i only came out with one photo i absolutely loved. Unfortunately you will have to wait until the look book is released to see it but until then i just couldn't wait to show you another one of my samples i have coming for the store. This is a sheer pleated maxi dress with a lace bustier top, complete with a gorgeous peach ribbon trim around the skirt. Here i paired it with a delicate lace top and gold pendant necklace, both vintage and will be available in the new web store. After having this sample made i'm thinking about just turning it into a maxi skirt? They're simple and can be styled a hundred different ways. I'm still undecided so let me know what you guys would prefer :)So in other news I'm yet to lock in a date for when the web store will be online. I don't want to rush into something that needs to be 200% perfect before it's launched and after starting this project over three months ago i think a few more weeks won't kill me. Right now i'm aiming for the first week of January so fingers crossed everything goes according to plan. There's nothing more frustrating than a store who sets a launch date and then keeps pushing it back day after day because they've forgotten to perfect the smaller things, which surprisingly are the most important. I can tell you right now there is a ridiculous amount of work that goes into an online web store and even i wasn't aware of how long this process can be. From writing out privacy policies, copyright laws, legal issues to dealing with banks and having third parties approve your website before you can apply for an Efptos account, this really is such an exhausting process but worth every hair pulling moment when you can finally see it go online.So my plan is, whilst the rest of the city sleeps and kicks off their shoes for Christmas and New Years celebrations, i'll be working as hard as i possibly can to make sure i can bring you the new Gary Pepper Vintage in the next two weeks. But like i said before, fingers crossed!