There’s no point in having a dozen cheap dresses that sit at the back of your closet.
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Dresses at Saloon have been designed to be both beautiful, and wearable.
The base design grew from a skirt, made collaboratively by the shop’s collaborators Dena Pharoah-Pezzano and Jane Magnus.
The pair joke it should be called ‘liberated prairie’, because the style blends a prairie revival design with the basics needed for a practical daily life.
Nothing says this more than the pockets.
“Really pockets are a symbol of car keys and wallets, which is a sign of actually having currency in our world,” said Ms Magnus.
The design house, which opened this weekend, is a joint effort between Ms Pharoah-Pezzano and Ms Magnus, but all the women in Braidwood have played their part.
Ms Pharoah-Pezzano and Ms Magnus credit the women of Braidwood as their inspiration to create the clothing. They love the women they see in town, living their lives, looking like a million dollars.
“It will always be based on the women of this town and what they do,” Ms Pharoah-Pezzono said. “Everyone is so individual in this town... everyone is unapologetic about who they are.”
And when it was a week until opening, with an impossible amount to do, the women pitched in to help.
Ms Pharoah-Pezzano and Ms Magnus are particularly grateful for the Year 10 work experience students with them for two weeks. They’ve also been blessed with a collaborator, come mentor, Lesa-Belle from Rare Bird in Sydney.
The shop is filled with clothing designed collaboratively and made by Ms Pharoah-Pezzano. Dresses, skirts and shirts sit alongside handmade jewellery.
Made from Liberty London fabric and Italian checked cotton, no two dresses are the same.
“What we’re trying to emphasise is that you buy one dress that’s been ethically made out of the most exquisite material and wear it all the time,” Ms Magnus said.
Saloon has ultimately allowed the two to channel their passion for creating beautiful garments.
“We’re not really about just trying to make sales, we’re about trying to create things, to be doing things, to be making things... if you do what you love, then the sales will come,” Ms Magnus said.
- Saloon opens four days a week at 139 Wallace Street