Hello ladies, it gives me so much pleasure to bring you today’s special guest. A woman I have met and spent time with and let me tell you, she’s the ‘real deal’ with a huge warm heart. I bloody adore her!
Maybe it’s that she hails from Hervey Bay where the Huz and I met, married and had our first son, or maybe it’s because she is a talented designer who is passionate about dressing women with curves. She is real, raw, funny, talented, creative and is embarking on something very special that will tug at your heart. Today we are introducing Sam…or Samantha from the label By Samantha Melbourne. Enjoy!
Your style muse:
My personal style muse is Diane Von Furstenberg.
I grew up in a small town where wearing anything other then the old flanny shirt and shorts was a faux pas! I’m the only girl in a family of rough and tumble boys (throw in 6 foster kids that lived with us for 5 years), needless to say, I was not one for dresses in my younger years.
After finishing Uni (I studied to be a diplomat at Bond in the Gold Coast) and an internship in Dubai, I returned home to little old Hervey Bay to spend time with my family.
After a few months I was miserable having moved back to a small town from the big city lights of Dubai. I did like many other self-respecting girls would have done…I sooked and watched copious amounts of cable TV.
This is where my love for Diane Von Furstenberg( DVF) came from, I watched her show ‘House of DVF’ and fell in love with her ‘take life by the balls’ attitude, creative spirit and love for practical fashion. This made me fall head over heels for DVF and gave me the confidence to dream about dresses that fit a ‘asset rich’ figure like mine (aka big boobs and bum!).
Do you have a goal for 2019?
Yes there are a few!
The first personal / work related goal is in my mind will be the most challenging. Driven by my desire to honour the memory of my younger brother Joshua Bradbury that passed from SIDS in his first year of life, I am using my small business (By Samantha Melbourne) to fund a charity/remembrance bicycle ride from Melbourne to Canberra on June 28th > July 5th.
Now this kind of bicycle ride may sound crazy to some, however I want to turn my grief into both a positive memory and hope for other families that have experienced SIDS also. This ride is proudly supported by Red Nose Foundation and I am determined to fundraise $10k (this money funds education for mothers, grief & loss services for families and research into this mysterious syndrome).
I want to use my brand and energy to honour my brothers life and create a legacy for his short time on earth. So please keep my cheeks in mind as I pedal my way from Melbourne to Canberra (possibly in a wrap dress) on June 28th!
Our goal for the later half of the year is to shoot three collections of dresses in 3 countries in Europe : Greece, Czech republic and Spain! These shoots will be over a week in 3 countries for our collection campaign looks. This is a very exciting goal for a country kid like me who has no formal fashion school training.
Your personal style in 3 words:
My personal style is comfortable, classic and curvy-friendly (got to make sure the ‘assets’ look their best) I grew up being told I was ‘fat’ by my father and brothers, so you could imagine my delight to realise (in my 30s) that I really was doing an injustice to ‘the girls’ by always wearing ill-fitting and baggy clothes. Baby if you’ve got some curves on you, don’t hide your shape, dress for it 🙂
The best view is:
The best view I’ve seen in the world is sunset in winter on the Charles Bridge in Prague. This city is gloriously old and one of the most beautiful places I’ve had the privilege of travelling to.
I’m always inspired by:
I am always inspired by travel; culture inspires the hell out of me! I’ve got a hyperactive mind and I find that travel challenges my mindsets and keeps me fresh as a daisy.
My home is….
My home is wherever I am, I want to think that I could live anywhere – igloo or beach shack!
I grew up in a small town so I really love the electricity of the big cities, however I feel alive in nature. So ladies the goal is for the next 24 months is put a deposit on a house in the Dandenong ranges! Give me a life among the trees baby!
I’m happiest when….
I am happiest when I am belly laughing with friends and family- sounds corny right! But the older I get, the more I realise that happiness is a light heart, glass of red wine and loving friends/family surrounding me with their lives.
My dream dinner party guest list….
My dream dinner guests are Diane Von Furstenburg, Diana Vreeland (what a hoot she’d be!) Ritchie Valens (of course we’d be La Bamb-ing) and young Bruce Springsteen (preferably the 21 yr old Bruce thanks for eye candy).
Fave Instagram accounts:
Tommy Caldwell – he’s such an inspirational mountain/rock climber- this account shakes me out of my mind fog days.
I love looking through a lot of road cycling / biking pages for inspo!
I’m also really love Jenni’s Styling Curvy Insta page, she is a real wonder woman – she’s been through the ringer with her breast cancer / the shit that life has thrown her way and she’s so positive and strong- this gives me a lot of strength and inspiration.
What inspired you to create By Samantha Melbourne?
I was inspired to create By Samantha Melbourne in 2016 because I struggled to find dresses that suited my curvy figure, so I decided to make myself a wrap dress and see if DVF was right that it was a dress that suited all women! So after making my mother a dress and then one for myself, I was sold!
Describe By Samantha 3 words:
Confident curvy women!
Who is the By Samantha Melbourne style muse?
Our muse is the everyday woman – I’m not interested in dressing models on the catwalks of Milan, I want to dress the women I see in my everyday life and the strong women I’ve grown seeing – my mother, grandmother, teachers, police-women – the glue of society! As the founder, I model the dresses with my childhood friends (when they are available) and women who I personally am inspired by so that the women of the world can see that the shape and skin you’re in now is perfect!
How is By Samantha giving back to the community?
This year our way of giving back is by our Ride for Josh 2019 – we’ll be fundraising $10k for Red Nose Australia.
What 3 words describe your latest collection?
Confident curvy and beautiful! All of our collections are intended to help women feel in charge, confident and beautiful.
Who is the By Samantha woman?
The By Samantha Woman is the gal who not afraid of showing her curves, loves a food floral wrap dress and loves colour.
A huge thank you to Sam who as you can imagine is one busy lady right now! In between designing & running her own business, she’s now training hard for her big Ride For Josh. You can support Sam by donating to this very worthy cause here, or if you’d love to get your hands on a gorgeous limited edition tote & still support a wonderful cause, you can buy one here.
You can find out more about Samantha here:
Til next time
Jen x
Gloria says
March 26, 2019 at 10:43 amJen, just love these insights you give us. They are not only interesting to read but make us feel that it’s ok to have dreams, whoever you are and that you aren’t alone in this sometimes trying world
Jeanette says
March 28, 2019 at 11:33 amThanks for the introductions Jen. You always choose such wonderful people and products. Samantha – I LOVE your work. I have your site saved, and am dreaming of a beautiful wrap dress for a special occasion (maybe my 50th birthday?) I am 5’4 and also rock an E cup. Pity the emerald green one is out of stock… But there are many others….