Normandy 1

We have been staying in a small town in Normandy at Chez Nana. The area is famous for its dairy products so that means that it rains a lot. And so we went from 28-32 degrees in Paris to a mere 18-20 degrees. Even the local tourism makes jokes about the rain!

Being from a country where most buildings are reasonably new and made from timber I loved all the old stone buildings. They are amazing. 

 The church is huge and right at the centre of town near Nana's house. And I was wearing my new Belle frock in a strawberry-red linen. 



So it was time to be a Famous Model again!

Villedieu is also the home of the bell foundry. So if you need a bell for anything here is the place to go shopping. There are a LOT of bells around the town...

And it was very quiet in town. Not the usual thousands of tourists so that was very much in the news. May have been the weather?????!!

 A bientot!
Ree
xox

La Droguerie

Another famous sewing shop shop in Paris. It has a beautiful old feel ...

Ladders are for climbing ...

Wasn't me.

So pretty!

Ciao

Ree

xox

Paris flea markets

The big flea markets are a good opportunity to see and think about whether I want to include vintage fabrics and laces in Minnie + Ree clothing. So the first of the big weekend markets is at Vanves and off we went. 

How to pack a market van - very impressive!

A piece I bought - beautiful!

And then it was time to get desperate for coffee again and off we went to check out the Matamata cafe. Yep, I was pretty keen for a coffee break - crazy eyes behind those sunglasses!

A bientot
Ree
xox

Christmas dress tree

Christmas is coming and do you need a new dress to wear on the day? Can we count on sunshine and a beautiful day? Maybe not, so how about a dress that is comfortable and flattering but you can layer up or down as needed? 

And if you have enough of them you can make a tree!!

Belle frock tree

Belle frocks are HERE. And yes there are colours other than green or red!

cheers

Ree

Back to black ...

It may be kinda obvious but Minnie + Ree love colour and pattern! However every now and then we'll break out and put some darker colours together. So to celebrate (NOT!) the cold weather we are currently enjoying in New Zealand here's some new darker items. 

1. Black and glasses reversible skirt.
       Click on photo to go to website ...

That black skirt would look good with boots or tanned legs I think!

Black & glasses reversible skirt by Minnie + Ree

2. Grey floral reversible skirt with spring spots inside!
       Click on photo to go to website ...

This floral fabric has been popular as it looks good in summer and winter. Now that it's reversible you can wear the spotty side in spring and summer with a little white top and you've got a totally new look.

Grey floral & spots reversible skirt by Minnie + Ree

3. Grey and black Belle frock with bird.
       Click on photo to go to website ...

This Belle Frock would winter up nicely with a black merino top underneath and/or a black cardigan or jacket on top.

Belle and bird!

Enjoy!
Ree

How to layer up your cotton skirts & dresses for the cooler weather

The weather is starting to turn and for some of us it means that the clothes we loved all summer are starting to be not quite enough in the mornings and evenings. 

Of course a similar but reverse situation is happening for those people in the northern hemisphere who are coming out of winter.

I usually wear my Minnie + Ree dresses and skirts all year round. The important thing is to add layers - long sleeve tops, cardigans, jumpers/jerseys, slips, tights, boots, scarves, jackets, coats ...

Here's a couple of photos from the beautiful Stephanie showing how she wore Minnie + Ree clothing during the cooler months.

Our reversible skirts are more cool-weather-friendly with their double layer of fabric. And the last of the very popular Poppies ones are a good colour for autumn/winter ...

Poppies reversible skirt

And here's a couple of suggestions for the Belle frock:

Belle frock with denim jacket

Belle frock with linen duster coat

And of course you can always wear your Belle frock with your favourite (falling to pieces but I still love it) cardi!

A final autumnal pic ...

xox

Wearing Minnie + Ree 2

Here are more lovely women wearing Minnie + Ree.  The process of putting these photos together is really making me aware of how far I have come with these designs.  My wicked plan to clothe women in colourful and comfortable styles is coming together nicely.  Take that Wear-Black-Everyday-Uniform!!!

Today's photos are women wearing the Belle Frock.  Belle is very comfortable to wear in hot weather because it is made from cotton and cotton breathes. You can keep everything you need for the day in the huge feature pockets.  Dress Belle up with great shoes/sandals or just wear your jandals/thongs/flip flops.  In winter you can add a slip, long sleeve top underneath, cardigan, jacket, tights and boots.

You can check out current Belle Frock colours and prints HERE or click on the photos.

Belle pretending to be a hobbit

Belle Frock in Sydney

It's easy to find your size - we only have two sizes SMALL and AVERAGE which fit most women. Here's the size explanation from the website:

Like all Minnie + Ree clothing there are two sizes for the frock. Either SIZE Average - fits Aus/NZ 14-16-18. This is approx US 10-14. Or SIZE small is Aus/NZ 8-10-12 which is approx US 4-6-8.

The most important thing for the fit of this dress is that it fits across the bust. There is a drawstring inside the back of the dress so you can put the dress on inside out and get a friend to tighten it so it fits perfectly. Bust measurements are approx 33 - 37" (83-93cm) for a Small and 38 - 45" (96-115cm) for the Average.

I'm loving these pics!
Ree
xox

Don't you wish you were in Fiji?

This is going to be the last Fiji trip for a while.  I am part of a team of voluntary business mentors who travel up to Fiji to help small and medium sized businesses.  This work is government funded because growing sustainable businesses is great for the local communities - it provides jobs and incomes. Our funding is up for now so it may be a while before I get back here.  I really love the place and the people!

But here are some photos for those of you in Northern hemisphere who are facing a cold winter, and for those back at home in NZ who are being driven mad by crazy, windy, changeable spring weather! Beautiful sunny days with gentle breezes and 32 degrees C.

We do get out in the countryside a bit and it is very rural.  I drove my colleague mad one day by obsessively photographing cows ...here's my two favourites.  The first was cool because she had such a stroppy stance and real attitude.  The second ones are pretty full on as well. You don't get many bulls working like this in NZ!

Fiji is of course very tourist oriented so we made a stop at one of the big new hotels - the Intercontinental.  It is the cleanest, shiniest hotel I've ever seen. 

There are obviously no cows but what else is missing??

 

Where are the people??

So since no one was around I got to play famous fashion model...

 

http://www.minnieree.com/belle-frock.html

Then we checked out the beach ...

 And the flowers are all out too - beautiful!!

 

Belle Frocks - new colours

We've been slaving over a hot sewing machine - here are all the new colours.  

Belle frock in charcoal with blue koru heart

Belle frock in gold leaves organic cotton

Belle frock in dusky pink

Belle frock in red and cream

Like all Minnie + Ree clothing there are two sizes for the frock. 

Either SIZE Average - fits Aus/NZ 14-16-18. This is approx US 10-14.
Or SIZE small is Aus/NZ 8-10-12 which is approx US 4-6-8.

The most important thing for the fit of this dress is that it fits across the bust. There is a drawstring inside the back of the dress so you can put the dress on inside out and get a friend to tighten it so it fits perfectly. Bust measurements are approx 33 - 37" (83-93cm) for a Small and 38 - 45" (96-115cm) for the Average.

Here are a couple of live models:

Bring on summer!!!