Ann's Blog

I am interested to know what you all feel about the portrayal of female models we see in mainly the print media IE newspapers and magazines today.

They appear to look very androgynous and sometimes robotic with very weird eye makeup. Far too skinny and young revealing no feminine curves, how on earth can they really induce us to think the public (who they are supposed to market and sell to) could identify with these poor unfortunate looking women?.

Also just how many women could ever fit or look good in these anorexic looking fashions fit really for children’s figures ?. In Australia these sizes are size 6 to 10 only. After that we can only surmise that from size 12 and up if these garments were made in larger sizes would be a poor reflection on the designers intention and vanities. Sometimes I wonder if they are misogynistic to treat women in this manner.

I am always interested when finding designs for my Simply Silk and Bambootoo labels to find styles that are not only comfortable to wear but look flattering to most women.  I also receive a lot of feedback from women who own their own boutiques who tell me what their customers are after but no one is presently supplying these styles and so I try to cater for this clientele . I am always open to suggestions for new designs so please feel you can call or email me with your suggestions.

I joined up with a good friend Jan who knew more about patterns, sewing and designs than I did while I concentrated on finding new suppliers to manufacture our designs in Vietnam. We contacted several sources both within Australia and Vietnam and then proceeded to find the best service/price/ delivery times etc

Also tried to engage some local manufacturers in Sydney one of whom  did a good job making some of our products up but at twice the price we could get them made overseas. We knew the price point would be unacceptable to the local market so we ventured OS to Ho Chi Minh to meet up with the 7 manufacturers I had lined up.  We had so much fun staying in this exotic city and took many a ride on the back of motor bikes just for the fun of it with no helmets either! Usually it cost us more than the comfort of the air cond taxi but we could do that in Sydney.

I even arranged for us to go to a beautiful place in the mountains called Dalat for a  weekend in between business appointments. I thought we would travel  by bus figuring it was only 150 KMS away, well 9 hours later we arrived! It actually took us longer to cover these 150 kms of winding roads than it took to fly from Sydney to Ho Chi Minh.

So we jumped again on the back of a a couple Easy Rider bikes and took off to see the sites of this much cooler city and all it contained. We saw the ‘crazy house’ designed by a Vietnamese woman trained in the old Soviet Union with themed rooms and very unusual architecture, also pagodas and gondolas as we rushed at break neck speed to see as much of the place before the sun went down.

We had to make plans for leaving the next day for our return bus journey as there were no spare flights leaving the next day. Still it was only 8 hours (going downhill this time) on the more desirable  TOURIST BUS  trip back to HCM. Needless to say it was not one of my better plans for weekend entertainment. We did also sampled the night markets of Dalat and  all the unusual local dishes  of which we were lucky to recognize a few of the ingredients. Delicious  it was as the food in Vietnam was always fresh and certainly made us lose a few pounds as it was such a healthy alternative to what passed through our lips back home!.

more next week…..

As you all know, I love silk for its versatility. Silk fabric keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter (unlike polyester, that silk imposter); silk also wicks perspiration away from the body which is why it helps keep you cool and leads to its reputation as a breathable fabric (like cotton, linen and wool).  These are the wonderful properties of silk that no matter how hard the fashion manufacturers try, cannot convince me that polyester and other synthetics can match.

But there’s another reason I love silk and that’s because the wearing of it – quite simply – makes me feel good!  Silk has been a timeless classic for clothing throughout the ages for good reason. It hints of luxury and sensuality and yet is really an every-woman wardrobe staple. After all, who hasn’t had a silk shirt or at the very least a silk scarf in their wardrobe at some point in time?

With a little TLC, silk will also last a long time without the fabric picking up those ‘impossible to remove’ faint odours that synthetic clothing does over time. I have had several of my silk pieces for well over 5 years and they are still looking good after all this time, even with very regular wear.

While silk is lovely to wear and looks stylish to boot, I often get the comment “I’d love to wear silk but I just don’t have time to look after it properly”. This always surprises me because I wear a lot of silk (you can’t say I’m not a supporter of my own product) and I find it very easy to look after. Basically caring for silk comes down to 3 simple things:

1. Hand wash with ‘wool wash’ or shampoo (but don’t use shampoo containing silicone) to save time, I do this while I shower.
2. Dry flat in the shade on a towel or other absorbent surface. While silk is a very resilient fibre, ongoing exposure to full sun will in time, do damage (just like it does to your skin). I have also been known to peg my PJs, silk slips, and camis (by the straps) on the line but only during the shady part of the day.
3. If you feel you need to iron it, do so on a low-medium setting. I don’t iron my silk pieces as a) I hate ironing and b) I find if I lay them out carefully to dry and then hang or store them flat in drawers they don’t crease.

1,2 3. Easy!

I have just heard from my silk supplier in China that the silk pillowcases I manufacture and sell wholesale and on line are completely machine washable.

The only safeguards are the following:

Wash on a gentle cycle on your washing machine

Keep the temperature to 40C

Do not use an enzymatic or alkaline soap. I recomend a gentle soap, mild shampoo or a wool wash product. After all silk is a protein so you do not want to destroy this property and subsequent benefits.

Handwashing though takes no time at all especially as you do not have to wash silk as often as you do other fabrics as silk naturally repels soil and dirt

You do need to iron and once again I have tried it with a hot iron and even with steam. You only have problems when you use a hot iron with polyester or nylon. It is surprising how much heat silk can take.

I do hope this helps those of you who love the feeling of silk next to your skin and also the benefits of it. Silk pillowcases makes your hair glide over the pillow and eliminates bed hair and facial wrinkles.

I would love to hear your stories on silk pillowcases.

Bamboo fabric is one of the world’s most sustainable eco friendly resources  because it is one of the worlds fastest-growing plants and does not have to have its roots removed when it is harvested  causing erosion. It can be harvested annually regenerating from the roots, replacing the crop naturally without the need for re-planting or crop rotation. It also absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen into the air.

Fibres such as  cotton require large amount of water, pesticides etc but bamboo being drought and flood tolerant is by comparison low-maintenance and doesn’t require costly and damaging pesticides to grow it. Bamboo has natural anti-bacterial and anti microbial properties that make it unattractive to pests.  Also when it is manufactured into bamboo fabric these properties persist. A Japanese company conducted testing on bamboo fabric  showed these properties were still evident even after 50+ washes. This attribute assists with  people who suffer from body odour.

Bamboo fabric is soft like silk and is used amongst other things for babies nappies, towels and clothing. It is very durable though and can be washed frequently usually on a delicate cycle in your washing machine. It can wick moisture from your skin, is fast-drying  and offers natural UV-protection ensuring it is a versatile fabric for everyone. This eco friendly natural fabric is cool for those hot summer months but  warm and snug when the cooler season begins. It is also a perfect fabric for people who have very sensitive skin and are hypoallergenic.

I was out with some good friends recently and they asked me when I first became interested in silk. I had to think hard as we often hear the word silk used in so many different contexts, ie lawyers taking silk and jockeys wearing silk.

But I remember the first time I came across the term silk and it was when I was harnessed to one as a parachute. To be quite honest I really am unsure if it was silk or just called silk, but regardless of that it did keep me suspended when I needed it most, floating down to what was almost terra firma on my first parachute jump. I completed this foolhardy escapade in a country then known as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). They were in the midst of a civil war so safety standards were  somewhat abridged.

Yes I was one of those foolish people who innocently wondered out loud about what it would be like to jump out of a plane. Well before I knew it I was completing  a quick weekend course, that really involved showing you how to deflect your weight when you landed.  I was then off in an old Cessna circling the skies to gain height for this anticipated adrenalin rush.

I had asked my trainer how long it would take me to land and he said around 3 minutes or 17 seconds if my chute failed to open. Well after such inspiring words I was off, wearing I might add all the blokes socks, boots and overalls as they didn’t cater for women in those days. I forgot to tell them that I wore glasses and was unable to spot the arrow in the sandpit 3000 feet up that pointed to the wind direction (which was used to brake your speed).

Needless to say after a few hair raising moments and thinking I could spot this pit I toggled over only to be hit by a foul smell. Yes I had virtually landed in a sewage evaporation pond. Fortunately my chute became entangled in some nearby trees which saved my complete immersion into the cesspot but I was badly shaken and received a lot of reassurance (mirth) from all the local kids in the area who really thought the whole thing very amusing.

So yes this is what came into my mind first when asked about my first contact with silk. Please feel free to share your own experiences of silk with me.

This is a question I am often asked. Normally most silk can be hand washed with a gentle non alkaline soap or shampoo, with a capful of white vinegar added to the rinse water. This will also normally remove most stains. However stains from perspiration, perfumes, and deodorants can cause irritating marks on your silk garments. In order to get rid of these stains sponge the affected area with diluted ammonia.

The alcohol content in the perfume can damage the colour and leave spots on your clothes. Apply a few drops of a denatured alcohol on a soft clean cloth and sponge the area from the outside in. This sponging technique will help to restore the colour and the stain will eventually disappear.

Fresh perspiration stains are supposedly acidic and washing can remove them. Older stains take an alkaline form, and you’ll need to sponge the garment with diluted vinegar to remove such stains. For more stubborn discolorations, apply a mixture of cream of tartar, crushed aspirin, and warm water to the area. Wait for twenty minutes, then rinse the area with warm water. This usually does the trick.
I welcome other suggestions that you may have found worked for you.