INSPIRATION – Juliette Sunshine

Happy New Year! 2017

Published on January 8, 2017January 14, 2017 by Zoe VLeave a comment

Hope you had the happiest of New Year’s celebrations…..! I know many people were happy to say farewell to 2016 & it’s always fun to have a fresh start again. I know that for me it was a great year in many ways but also had some ups and downs and bittersweet moments, but that’s what life is all about isn’t it? Each day is a new chance to start again and keep on moving forward….& I’m so excited for 2017 and the chance to keep on pursuing all my dreams….

Speaking of dreams, I have not been very active on this blog lately as the kids are growing up and getting older now & I’ve been so inspired by Women’s Wear Design & Trend Research lately as that is what I originally focused all my time on before I became a Mom. It’s been fun & exciting to get back into it & to figure out how to blend all my interests & passions together with my family life.

In 2017 I plan to challenge myself not to give up on any creative interests that I have and not to ever feel like there’s not enough time for everything because if you really plan things out, there’s a way to squeeze it all in at the end of the day, you just might have to wake up a little earlier or watch a little less TV! What are your goals for 2017?

Here are some of my favorite images from

2016 posted on INSTAGRAM:

HAPPY 2017!

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Instagram@iheartjuliettes

Juliette Sunshine in the City

Published on May 1, 2016May 4, 2016 by Zoe VLeave a comment

New Life….New City! Juliette Sunshine: follow us on Instagram Facebook Twitter

Sooooo……it’s been such a long time since I’ve posted to this blog. I would love to say that there’s been something super important that has kept me from continuing to write & continuing to post but the truth is that the past few months have just been really about work, family, focusing on change (a big move across country-during a snowstorm!), and rediscovering again what I really want in life.

Ever since I can remember I’ve always loved to draw, to create & to make things and my love for fashion & design began when I was a teenager growing up in downtown NYC. At first I wanted to be a boutique owner, a fashion buyer or an illustrator. But once I went to design school, I knew there was no turning back, I had found what I LOVED. But it’s been a journey of doing different things, designing for different fashion companies & launching my own businesses as well. Not once, but twice….I created my own independent start up clothing companies. The first one was for women’s wear and the second on for girls clothing. I have been so super passionate about both companies and poured my heart and soul into it each time.

But now that my daughter is just turning 9 (!), she’s inspired me to merge my three fashion loves : Women’s Wear, Girls Clothing & Fashion Trend Blogging into one with a new Mommy & Me concept for Juliette Sunshine. I’m so excited about this idea and can’t wait to get it up and running, but in the meantime I will be blogging about everything that inspires us and all our family adventures in the city.

I think it’s really important to DREAM BIG, but also to know that your dreams can evolve as you grow & change. Right now I’m really just rethinking the idea of what it means to be successful, creative and happy. How do you balance it all?

I love to design, create & work hard & right now I’m so incredibly inspired by our recent move back to New York City! After so many years in California, my husband & I made a bold move & decided to move our family to NYC. It’s been amazing to be back here in a place that is just bursting with inspiration & creative energy. As a native New Yorker I’m just loving city life again & all that it has to offer.

With Love,

Zoe

Summer is Here

Published on June 21, 2015June 21, 2015 by Zoe VLeave a comment

It’s here…..Finally it’s summertime! School’s out & the warm weather is in, let the sunny & carefree days and the late nights begin….

This season Juliette Sunshine was re-vamped & we worked on some fun new collections for older girls in sizes 5-12. There’s been so many changes since we moved up to Northern California from Los Angeles, added a new kid to our family & started a whole new life, but I’m so happy to be focusing on the collection again.

I’m excited about the new Juliette Sunshine and lately always bursting with new ideas, new concepts, new plans…. there’s so much to do, so much to create, but only so many hours in each day to actually do it! …..so just trying to embrace the work, taking things step by step and just doing as much as can be done right now…..

Juliette Sunshine Summer 2015 was inspired by tropical vacations, pool parties, garden flowers, retro Palm Springs & Mod Pop stars….Here is some of what inspired the new collections:

Tropical Vacations & Tropical Gardens:

Retro Palm Springs:

Mod Pop & Rainbow Colors:

And here are some favorites from the new collections:

happy summer!

Like Mother Like Daughter

Published on August 31, 2014October 22, 2014 by Zoe VLeave a comment

This summer has gone by SO fast & I’ve been crazy busy with the kids since school’s been out. Now that it’s all finally come to an end, I’m thinking about back to school clothes and what my daughter will want to wear this fall.

The funny thing is that lately she been wanting to dress just like me! I never imagined this happening as I was such a rebel child and always wanting to be the exact opposite of my Mom & everyone else. But my daughter, now at 7 years old will sometimes study my outfits in the morning and then run to her room to find something similar, either in color or silhouette. And so far…most of the new fall clothes she has chosen are like mini versions of the things I’ve always worn. Lately we’re both liking a sort of ‘dressed up dolly rocker’ look.

Here’s some inspiration in case you want to match your fall looks with your daughter’s…..or vice versa…..

Like Mother….

Jacket: Zara / Dress: MSGM/ Shoes: Gianvito Rossi/ Bag: Rag & Bone

Like Daughter….

Jacket: Mango Kids (similar here) / Dress: Juliette Sunshine (similar here) / Shoes: Zara / Bag: Zara

You might also like this post from my other blog : The Look #3: Enchanted Forest Fairytale- Rock Paper Sequins

Getting Inspired #10- Enchanted Forest Fairytale

Published on August 12, 2014 by Zoe V1 Comment

Now that my little boy is 2 (!) and my little girl has already turned 7, I’ve really been wanting to amp up my work schedule & just really get into it all full force again….the designing, the research, the fabrics, the marketing…I love everything about creating new collections & I’m so ready for a re-vamp of the Juliette Sunshine line !

I always had the idea that the clothing line would grow with my daughter and now that she’s officially entered the Big Kid phase, I’m planning on adding a whole new size range. So stay tuned for Juliette Sunshine for Tweens!

In the meantime I’m just getting inspired for what’s next……

Enchanted Forest Fairytale

The fall 2014 & resort 2015 RTW collections were so inspiring. I’m loving this sort of dreamy Enchanted Forest Fairytale theme running through some of my favorite designer’s collections. You can also see what inspired me here on the Rock Paper Sequins blog.

All images found on Pinterest

5 Things To Love

Published on May 6, 2014May 6, 2014 by Zoe VLeave a comment

5 things I’m loving right now….

1) Art on the Street- I love how these tiny Gnomes are popping up all over the city in unexpected areas, here’s one I discovered. So cute!

2) Bright Prints- I’m loving all things Mara Hoffman lately, such gorgeous prints & amazing accessories, I love the whole collection for Spring 2014.

3) Throwback- not sure why, but totally thinking about the 90’s lately…who remembers these girls? I SO wanted to be like Naomi or Christy….they always seems so strong & so beautiful. Such a cool photo & looks like it was shot in Soho where I grew up.

"The Supermodels" Vogue Magazine UK 1990 — “The Supermodels”
Vogue Magazine UK 1990

4) The Met Gala Red Carpet 2014- these are my favorite dresses seen at the Met Gala…I loved all the subdued colors mix with the occasional pop of a bright yellow, fuschia or red.

5) Summer- lately it’s been HOT here in California, so I’m loving the idea of future beach days!

Little Bohemian Style

Published on February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 by Zoe VLeave a comment

It’s been soooo long since my last post! Where did all the time go? Things have been so different since moving from LA and so much has changed. After two solid years focusing every ounce of my efforts and every “spare” moment of my time designing, producing, marketing, selling & shipping my “Juliette Sunshine-Eco-friendly clothing for girls” collection; I decided to pull the plug and put everything on hold for a while. After moving to a new city and with so many changes in our lives, it really seemed like I needed to be fully present for my daughter & to focus on family for a while. The whole reason I had started the line in the first place was so I could work at home, be my own boss and spend more time with my daughter….

What I learned is that designing what you want to is very satisfying and building a company from scratch can be very empowering, but there is really no escape from the long hours and hard work that comes with being a head designer at a company, whether it’s for your own tiny business or a huge corporate company. At the end of the day, you are still a working Mom juggling two worlds & trying to make time for everything. But the truth is sometimes you just have to live it. You gotta do what you want to do when you have the chance to do it and just see how it flows, see how it goes….life is short, after all.

And in between all of this, I’ve been busy with someone new in our world- Kaiya’s little brother Kingston. He is such a cute little guy & it really has been amazing to have this time to build our family. But…… all this kid time has made me realize just how much I miss WORKING & I miss FASHION….so I started a new style inspiration blog for women called Rock Paper Sequins. I also thought it would be fun to relaunch the Juliette Sunshine blog and have it be the “girl version” of Rock Paper Sequins, focusing on style, trends & curated fashion inspiration for girls……

So here’s my first style post for 2014…..a few things I’m loving right now:

The Little Bohemian

Dress: Pink Chicken, Headband: Gap Kids, Sunglasses: Selima Optique for Crewcuts, Romper: Mara Hoffman, Sandals: J. Crew, Nail Polish : Piggy Paint, Guitar: Chasing Fireflies

You might also like: http://rockpapersequins.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/the-look-2-bohemian-modern/

Getting Inspired #9- BLACK & WHITE

Published on June 12, 2013 by Zoe VLeave a comment

It’s often cold & cloudy here in the San Francisco Bay Area, even during summer, which makes it much easier to mix clothing from different seasons & to start thinking ahead towards the fall trends…..

The high impact black & white trend is bold & classic & something that can be worn now & later come fall. Here are some images to get inspired……

And LOVE this for later in the fall……

Anna Sui Fall 2013 from Style.com — Anna Sui Fall 2013
from Style.com

And this adorable outfit for girls to wear later…….

Milly Resort 2013 from Style.com — Milly Resort 2013
from Style.com

5 THINGS TO LOVE- It’s Almost Summer Time….

Published on May 31, 2013May 31, 2013 by Zoe VLeave a comment

The five things I’m loving right now…..

1. Cute Art on the Streets

2. Beach Day Bliss

3. Pretty Little Gifts

4. Late Night Dinner Out

5. Happy Sidewalk Chalk

Hope you have a happy weekend!

GETTING INSPIRED #8 – Punk Rocks!

Published on May 15, 2013 by Zoe V1 Comment

Lately I’ve been daydreaming about the new “Punk-Chaos to Couture” exhibit at the MET in NYC.

(photo: metmuseum.org)

Even though I’ve been living on the West Coast for years now, New York is still my home town and most favorite city in the world, so it kinda felt like I’d be able to just jump on the subway for a quick trip uptown for the opening day (May 9th), instead of being all the way on the other side of the country & just reading about it online. I first discovered Punk Rock style as a kid growing up in NYC & something about it completely resonated with my inner rebellious streak. My friends and I liked to watch the Punk Rockers hanging out in Washington Square Park and on St. Marks Place after school. Later, I began to borrow bits and pieces of the style to mix with my strange “DIY Mod Girl via Thrift Shop & I wish my boyfriend was in a band” look. And years later, while in design school, I fell in love with Vivienne Westwood, and all the anti-establishment angst that she was able to incorporate into her designs.

Westwood, right, in London during the halcyon year of punk, 1977.

(photo: style.com)

Even though I’ve been though so many style changes over the years; & now my current look has become more “simple, pretty, Cali-vintage Mom living in the ‘Burbs” than “edgy, gritty, NYC fashionista“; there will always be a piece of my heart somewhere that belongs to Punk Rock.

Since it’s set to be one of the new trends for Fall 2013, I’ve been checking out some of my new & vintage pieces to get nostalgically inspired again…..

“God Save The Queen” poster

“Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die” T-shirt (Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood) &
Skull Necklace (Vivienne Westwood)

Spiked Belt & Customized Leopard Purse with Pins (Vintage)