Lady Petrova

Lady Petrova www.ladypetrova.com Viewing a Lady Petrova collection is a transporting experience. In 2008 Petrova entered fashion reality TV series Project Runway Australia.

Created in the heart of cosmopolitan Melbourne, each item seems like a vision from another, glamourous and enchanting place. You can picture them all being crafted under a canopy of antique Chantilly Lace, at the end of a pastel hued rainbow, to a soundtrack of 60s girl groups and a backdrop of 80s teen Prom flicks. Since the brand’s inception, this fashion maverick has managed to build a multi fa

ceted fashion business designed to inspire confidence and individuality in young women looking for that something special. Much loved by fellow contestants, viewers, and judges, Petrova finished as runner-up. Petrova continues to evolve and expand whilst staying true to the Lady Petrova signature style.

18/06/2026

People always ask what Project Runway was really like behind the scenes.
Honestly, it felt a bit like living in another world.
No phones. No music. No magazines. No outside inspiration. Sometimes we didn’t even know where we were going until we got there.
The producers were trying to create great television.
What they accidentally created was a group of designers who became incredibly close.
Looking back now, it’s one of the strangest and most memorable experiences of my life.
What do you want to know next?

18/06/2026

My dad made these flame flares decades ago.

Before Lady Petrova. Before I understood why clothing felt so emotional to me.

He was a fashion designer, and although I lost him very young, I think creativity has a way of travelling through generations anyway.

When I hold these pants, it feels like more than fabric.It feels like proof that fashion was always part of my story.

Maybe that’s why I’ve never seen clothing as shallow. To me, getting dressed has always been expression. Storytelling. Art. Memory.

These handmade flame flares still somehow feel rebellious, theatrical and cool all these years later, which honestly feels very him.

And when I look at my own life now designing, upcycling, building Lady Petrova, I can see little pieces of him stitched through all of it.

I really believe clothes can carry energy and memory.

I’d actually love to know:do you own a piece of clothing that carries a story for you?

And should I make this a weekly series? Sharing pieces from my wardrobe that hold memories, history or meaning. Let me know

17/06/2026

For years I barely spoke about Project Runway.

Not because I wasn’t grateful for the experience, but because I wanted to build something beyond television. I wanted to build Lady Petrova.

But after sharing a few memories this week, I realised so many of you have questions and memories of your own.

So I thought I’d tell the story properly.

Episode 1: How I accidentally ended up on Project Runway Australia.

Did you watch the show back then?

14/06/2026

The Too Much Society was never meant to be a course or a masterclass.

I think so many creative women are trying to do everything alone.

I’ve done it too.

After having my own label and boutique, I know how valuable it is to have people around you who understand what you’re building.

My dream is to create a beautiful ecosystem of creative women who support one another, share ideas, collaborate and help each other grow.

A modern salon for women who sometimes feel a little too much.

I can’t wait to build this with you. ❤️

If you’re looking for your creative people, comment SOCIETY below and I’ll send you more information about what we’re building.

11/06/2026

For a few years in the early 2000s, this was my world.
Dress after dress.
Collection after collection.
Looking through these photos again, I’m reminded that I wasn’t just designing dresses.
I was creating pieces that would become part of people’s stories.
And after hearing from so many women who still have their Rosemin dresses twenty years later, I’ve realised something.
We don’t just keep clothes.
We keep memories.
Thank you to every woman who wore Rosemin, and thank you for taking this trip down memory lane with me. ❤️
Do you see yours?

10/06/2026

The thing that has affected me most about sharing these Rosemin stories hasn’t been the nostalgia.

It’s been you, my darlings…

The messages, the photos and all the women telling me they still have their dresses more than twenty years later.

And I realised something.

Maybe we don’t keep clothes because of the clothes.

Maybe we keep them because of who we were when we wore them.

Your formal.Your 21st.Those nights out with your girlfriends.First loves, heartbreaks and all the memories in between.

Sometimes a dress becomes a little time capsule.

A way of holding onto a version of ourselves we never want to lose.

Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Honestly, it’s been so beautiful.

And maybe one day we really should throw a Rosemin party and wear them all again. ❤️

08/06/2026

One of the hardest parts of designing for Rosemin wasn’t the long hours, the deadlines or creating new collections every few weeks.

It was walking into a store across the road and seeing my designs hanging there.

Copied.

I would spend months draping, pattern making, sourcing fabrics and refining details. Then sometimes, only weeks later, I’d see versions of those same pieces appear elsewhere.

As a young designer, it was heartbreaking.

Not because fashion isn’t inspired by fashion, it always has been.

But because so much care, creativity and craftsmanship goes into creating something from nothing.

Looking back now, it taught me something important:

Ideas have value.

Creativity has value.

And protecting the work of artists matters.

It’s one of the reasons I still feel so passionately about supporting independent designers today.

Did anyone else remember the Rosemin vs GASP era on Chapel Street?

I’d love to hear your memories.

❤️

07/06/2026

Okay darlings, time to spill a few Rosemin secrets

A few things people probably didn’t know:

• The chains on some of the dresses came from hardware stores.
• The famous rosary bead pieces sourced from the Catholic bookshop in Melbourne Central.
• Many fabrics were vintage or deadstock.
• Everything was made locally in Melbourne & most dresses were only made in quantities of 30
• I worked upstairs above the Chapel Street store in my little studio.
• And yes… there really was a solarium upstairs.

One thing I’ve loved most about sharing these stories is hearing from women who still have their dresses twenty years later.

Fashion moves quickly now, but perhaps that’s why these pieces still matter.

Which Rosemin secret surprised you most?

And yes… the GASP story is coming next. ❤️

05/06/2026

Looking back now, it’s hard to believe how much courage that younger version of me had.

I was working in retail, trying to build my own label, Lady Petrova, and desperately wanting a chance to design full-time.

So instead of waiting for an opportunity, I created one.

What started as a conversation with a boutique on Chapel Street ended up changing the course of my career and introducing me to a whole generation of Melbourne women through the Rosemin label.

It’s been incredibly special reading all your messages, seeing your photos and hearing your memories from that time. Thank you to everyone who has sent me photos of you in your dresses!

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