From a talent pool of 52 amazing contestants, Ashley and Ilona had our hands full with selecting just one lady to represent our vintage clothing brand as our Ilona 2017. With applications from a wide spectrum of women, we were so pleased with the number and calibre of competition entries for our inaugural event.

Officially announced during the first ever Ashley and Ilona catwalk show held on the 1st November at Martin Place, Ashley says the competition was a great success.

"I couldn’t be happier with how the search for Ilona 2017 wrapped up. Through this competition, I’ve found an Ilona who has an interest in vintage dress designs and who can offer some real personality for our brand".

So, who is Ilona 2017?

Melissa Debono is the lucky lady selected to represent the Ashley and Ilona brand.

A post shared by Ashley and Ilona (@ashleyandilona) on Nov 6, 2017 at 12:08pm PST

Melissa moved from Perth to Sydney two years ago for work commitments, and she said that moving was the best decision she has ever made.

"Relocating enabled me to grow as a person. It helped me to explore a little more about myself, my passions, who I am, and where I want to be.

Since being in Sydney, I have a new-found passion for soccer and I have been able to revisit a much-loved pastime of acting. I am so grateful of being able to call Sydney my new home”, she said.

Melissa revealed that she jumped at the chance of becoming Ilona 2017 due to her love of wearing dresses and quality fashion.

"I saw the competition and immediately thought I would give it a go as I just adore the dresses that Ashley and Ilona design. I couldn’t be any more honoured to have been selected to represent the brand, and I am really looking forward to working alongside Ashley and her brand ambassador Ben DeViller for the upcoming projects".

Ashley and Ilona would like to thank each and every lady who took the time to submit an entry for our brand rep search. We are delighted at the amount of interest that we received and our brand rep search will be making a comeback next year. In the meantime, we are so happy to be working with Melissa and look forward to seeing all the positives she will bring to our brand.

A post shared by Ashley and Ilona (@ashleyandilona) on Nov 2, 2017 at 1:58pm PDT

To keep up with Melissa’s adventures as Ilona 2017, follow us on Instagram @AshleyAndIlona or Facebook @AshleyAndIlona.

It's no secret to their client base, that Ashley and Ilona vintage dresses are making women all over the country look and feel glamourous. Borne from a passion to help women of all body shapes find their perfect cocktail dress, founder Ashley has gone one step further and taken on the help from a male model to catapult her all-female brand to a wider audience.

Ashley talks about the idea of engaging a male model to introduce her designs to new clients,

"I know I have a unique brand that makes women feel gorgeous. Once they try my dresses, my customers always come back and buy from me again.

Each of my dresses are manufactured in limited numbers to behold their uniqueness, and they are presented in beautiful hand-crafted boxes with a hologram that contains my current designs. So, I thought, how can I steal the attention of potential customers who don’t yet know about my brand, and go up against the bigger department stores who stock vintage dresses too.

I'm happy with the journey of my brand so far, but now it's the time to really work on expanding my client base. So, what better way to capture a lady's attention then to get on board a good-looker with brains, not just brawn, who loves my brand too!"

Ashley made the decision to engage former Canadian, and now Australian resident, Ben DeViller as her Ashley and Ilona brand ambassador.

"I've known Ben for a while now and I have bounced ideas off him since the inception of Ashley and Ilona. He has a real enthusiasm for vintage couture and fashion, and I have found his 'never give up' attitude is simply contagious".

Ben ventured to Australia to work on his dream of becoming a model actor, and he figured that Sydney (the bright lights as he likes to refer to it) was a good grounding for him. With his dazzling green eyes, brown hair, and tattooed masculinity, Ashley cottoned straight on to his potential association with her vintage couture.

Ben knows about true discipline having gained qualifications in the Canadian Armed Forces as a basic soldier. He is well-structured in leadership and management, confident, energetic, professional, and just a tad good looking too.

"Ben is someone I can rely on through his intelligence, previous work in the fashion industry, and his genuine knack for providing great advice", Ashley said.

Ben likes to make people laugh and, along with his acting and modelling pursuits, has been actively involved in hosting various events throughout Sydney.

Watch out for Ben and Ashley as they couple together for the Ashley and Ilona catwalk event on the 1st November, being hosted in Martin Place, Sydney. Ashley plans on unveiling some of her new vintage dress designs, and looks forward to introducing Ben in person.

Ashley and Ilona are now in search of their Brand Rep 2017! Could you fill the shoes of Ilona? This competition is open to females 18 years and over.

• For full details about the competition, and more about Ashley and Ilona: www.ashleyandilona.com.au
• For details about brand ambassador, Ben DeViller find him on Instagram @thebendeviller

Most of us have grown up with the understanding that Melbourne Cup Day is not just one of the most famous race meetings, but more of an Australian institution. Since the very first running of the Melbourne Cup in 1861, ladies and gentlemen have been donning their prized wares and heading trackside to Flemington, Victoria.

Now over 150 years later, the festivities of Melbourne Cup raceday are contagious. Whether you are into the horse races or not, Melbourne Cup raceday grabs the attention of the entire nation, both young and old. The iconic event has cemented its annual place of the first Tuesday in November, and has morphed into more of a fashion fiesta, garnished with strawberries and champagne.

So, to coincide with the fashion aspect of Melbourne Cup, we at Ashley and Ilona are getting you vogue ready with some trends we’ve heard are headed our way for 2017's racing event.

1. Bright is right

Generally, the brighter or more interesting your outfit, the more compliments you will receive and the more suited you will be to the Melbourne Cup festival this year.

• Men should leave the black suit for Derby Day, as Melbourne Cup calls for more interesting colours; we’ve heard that a grey suit with splash of yellow could be the way to go this year.
• For the ladies, here’s the perfect chance to wear some stunning bright colours instead of plain, drab nudes, black or white. Blue, pink and orange are great for this season, and if you can’t decide on one, try to mix it up with a bit of colour blocking in your outfit.

This vintage dress coincides with the suggested blue and orange colours this season.

2. Choose the right length dress

A knee-length dress is the ideal length for Melbourne Cup Day. This offers the flexibility to polish your look with some comfortable shoes and a handbag to match your head piece.

You can't go wrong with our knee-length swing dress in stunning pink and navy this Melbourne Cup Day.

3. Be texture savvy

If silk is your dress material of choice, it should be coupled with a lace or fishnet detailed headpiece or fascinator, and comfortable block heels.

Ashley and Ilona vintage dresses are always a great option for Melbourne Cup Day, or any special event for that matter. Our dresses are classic, elegant, and boast a tonne of playful colours and patterns that will make you look stunning and feel just as good.

Take a look at our limited edition designs online now, and get ready to frock up this November for the race that stops a nation!

Our technology partner, Burning Neuron Interactive, has a cute little horse racing game called Sprinty Steed.

You can download the Android version for free!

Windows/PC and Mac versions are also available.

Since I was young, I had a passion for all things craft. Through my creative obsession, I believed that anything could be fashioned into a work of art and I simply adored making people smile as they were gifted with my many pieces of work. This is what made the time and effort I put in all worthwhile.

As I grew older, my obsession for craft and a refined end result only got stronger. Alongside my craft affair came my passion for the material kind – dresses aplenty! Through their varied deigns and playable patterns, vintage dresses started to become a favourite of mine.

I love to dress up, frock up and take the time to polish my look from top from toe. My mission is not to be the most beautiful woman in the room, I’m happy to leave that chore for the likes of Jennifer Hawkins, but to feel the most glamorous I can, and to radiate a sense of confidence.

This is where the idea for Ashley and Ilona was born; an innovative mix of fashion and craft!

There are a lot of women like me who want to feel elegant and amazing in their special event dresses, without an abundance of unflattering slimming undergarments. As an alternative to the over-produced dresses you can land at the major chain retailers, I also wanted to limit my designs to maintain some originality. My crafting obsession shines through with each dress design neatly presented in a matching packing box. Our boxes are pieced together by hand using natural, sustainably sourced fibre papers of Mulberry and Lokta, and garnished with stunning silk flowers. This handmade process ensures that no two boxes are ever exactly the same, and ensures that my crafting fix is taken care of.

A post shared by Ashley and Ilona (@ashleyandilona) on May 21, 2017 at 1:52pm PDT

* Ashley and Ilona handmade box to match our vintage dress design and pattern

So, with the craft and uniqueness nailed, I wanted to introduce some tech for a real touch of finesse. Enter our magical three-dimensional holo-trend app. This idea means that you can view our vintage dresses and catalogue in third dimension. To coincide with designs that we aim to update every few months, our tech team update the app so you will never miss out on our new vintage dress designs as they come to fruition.

Ashley and Ilona is a dress obsession that manifested from a love of quality craft, to make people smile and feel great about themselves. Our vintage dress designs are born from passion and worn with sass, and we can help to make women of any make or model look and feel great.

If you’re feeling the vintage vibe, check out the various events we have coming up. Our exclusive Ashley and Ilona events present the perfect opportunity for you to get your vintage on! And if you need a cocktail dress for your next big event, take a look at the unique patterns and designs we have available online. So, go ahead and radiate girl.

Vintage dresses and pinup couture are back in a major way. Whether it’s women trying to get a break from racks upon racks of identical clothes in the major chain retailers, or a call out to individuality. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. The advantages of wearing vintage-style dresses like tea dresses and swing dresses are aplenty.

Ashley and Ilona live and breathe vintage. We already know and enjoy the benefits of wearing vintage-style dresses, and now we’re on a mission to share the news with as many people as we can. So, in a connected world, we thought what better way than to write an article about it!

So, here you have it. Ashley and Ilona’s top reasons why we feel that pinup couture is making a major comeback, and the some of the benefits of wearing vintage-style dresses.

Look Beautiful, No Matter Your Shape

Have you ever squeezed into a dress you purchased, having to wear a stack of suck-in, squeeze-the-life-out-of-me, unflattering shapewear, just to feel sexy on the outside? With our vintage dresses, there is no need for such nonsense. You can rock your vintage dress just as good as Pamela Anderson rocked her red bathing suit over a decade ago.

• Pear-shaped? No problem. A-line, full skirted dresses are your thing.
• Shaped more like the fruit from the Garden of Eden? We’ve got you covered with a wrap-style dress.
• Hour-glass shaped with an overdrive of curves? Try a pencil or wiggle vintage dress with a v-neckline.

We can help to make women with any body shape look and feel great. Simply send us a message online and we’ll forward you some style recommendations.

Embrace the Fun of Vintage

When you wear a dress that makes you feel amazingly gorgeous, it’s hard not to overcome the temptation of having some fun. And the rockabilly, pinup era was all about dance and good times.

To celebrate this era of great music, good friends, and our love of vintage couture, we are exclusively inviting you to join us on our Ashley and Ilona Swing Dance Cruise on the 18th November, setting sail in Sydney Harbour. This is a chance to glam up, frock up, get your vintage sass on, and swing dance the afternoon away!

If it’s a comfortable spin on the little black dress you are seeking, a playful and colourful style, or to simply look and feel fabulous, then vintage dresses are for you.

We found fabulous, now it’s your turn. Check out our range of Ashley and Ilona vintage dresses online, and get yourself ready to set sail on the 18th November. Book your tickets online now. We would hate you to miss the boat; literally.

It gets chopped, cropped, curled, twisted and rolled. We poke it with hot sticks and straightening wands, and we lacquer it up with whatever is needed to make it last the day. Hair styles have certainly proven a versatile artillery in the ever-changing fashion and beauty trends throughout the decades.

Some hair styles stand the test of time leaving a lasting impression for much longer than others. There are many ladies who have tried at some point, to replicate the sassy, sexy, voluptuous style made famous by Brigitte Bardot. This classic, thick hairstyle still features in the fashion mags and red carpets of today.

And who, of the modern world, could forget the iconic style made famous by Jennifer Aniston? She hasn’t had to change her hair style for more than 20 years since the famous Friends franchise hit our screens back in 1994.

Intrigued with statement hair that defined the 20th century, lasting out two world wars, the great depression, and the onset of a connected world through the world wide web, the team at Ashley and Ilona have compiled the following list showcasing some memorable hair trends.

1920’s Hair Styles

The end of World War One defined the way women presented themselves. No longer striving to look older, in the 1920’s women starting taking steps to look younger. Loose fitting garments and hemlines to the knee emerged. Short hair styles, including the bob, were popular as they worked well coupled with headbands, floppy bows, or the iconic felt cloche hat that was worn titled to the side. Partnered with flapper dresses, this style defined the decade.

1930’s Hair Styles

Emerging in the 1930’s were dramatic parts, pin curls, finger waves, the high-drama Hollywood starlet look. Jean Harlow curls were highly-fashionable during this decade.

1940’s Hair Styles

The 1940’s hair styles were dominated by rolls and twists. Victory rolls, pin curls, barrel curls, and snoods. Marilyn Munroe hurdled onto the hearts of many men from this time.

1950’s Hair Styles

Hair in the 1950’s was a little more varied. Short waves and curls with cocktail hats, pixie cuts, sleek chignons, hair styled flat to the head. Long hair was worn in pony tails with short fringes, or in a French pleat. Audrey Hepburn was a style icon of the 1950’s with her short fringe and neatly styled hair.

1960’s Hair Styles

And here with have the introduction of backcombing and bouffant hair that still feature prominently today. The daring asymmetrical cut was borne, along with the inverted bob. Long flowing hair was worn with headbands. The 1960’s was about fun and frivolity.

1970’s Hair Styles

The 1970’s allowed for a little less “fluff” and hair trends permitted more of a natural look using accessories to dress it up a little. Layers, centre parts, crimping, braids, and flick fringes were all popular choices. Farrah Fawcett featured prominently in this decade.

1980’s Hair Styles

And along came the reliance on an abundance of hair spray! Hair in the 1980’s was all about big fringes, curled, permed, and bouffed-up hair. Okay, and we can’t go without mentioning the 1980’s-defined mullet haircut; think Jason Donovan, Pat Cash, and who can forget MacGyver and Cher’s 1980’s style.

1990’s Hair Styles

The 1990’s were still big, but nowhere near as supernatural as the previous decade. Women started to settle their styles a little, with less of the bouffe and more of the natural appeal. In 1994, ‘Rachel’ was introduced on our TV screens, which saw the onset of women racing to the hairdresser to mimic her layered bangs and soft, sweeping hair.

Hair through the ages certainly defined and shaped fashion. Hair styles have, and always will be, a reflection of our unique personalities and that of fashion trends. Whether we chose to wear it long, short, or not at all, it is often our hair that draws attention and offers an abundance of confidence when worn well.

Wanting to explore hair trends of this time a little further? Join our Ashley and Ilona Vintage Hair and Makeup Workshop coming up in September. Get some hands-on styling advice by expert Mistress Chrissy, one of Australia’s foremost vintage stylists. Book your tickets online now!

No matter what time of the year, no matter what shape you are, vintage dresses are always your best friends!

At Ashley and Ilona, we are so in love with vintage dresses because they are the key weapons to make ladies look fabulous! A dress can magically bring out your feminine side and make you look gorgeous if you pick the right one for you.

Looking confident and feeling your best are important ingredients to let your beauty shine. Here are some tips you might find handy to help you choose a dress that looks good on you:

Pear-shaped woman: A-line, full skirted vintage dresses from the 50s and early 60s would be very flattering on you. Pointed heels will also make you look taller and elegant.

Apple-shaped woman: A 1970’s wrap dress will fit nicely on you. Open necklines are feminine and flattering. Waistbands create a waspish waist.

Hourglass-shaped woman: Try a pencil dress. The V-neck is flattering to your bust, and the wrap detail highlights the curve between your waist and hips. 1950’s Wiggle dresses will also look go on you.

Rectangle-shaped woman: Try a 1920’s Gatsby and flapper style, they are just perfect on you.

Ladies, let's dress up, it's time to look fabulous!