The shop that started with one grey afternoon

Mum needed a dress for my cousin’s wedding.

She spent a whole Saturday at the shopping centre and came home with nothing. Everything was either cut for someone half her age, or it was hanging in the “classic” corner at the back: navy, beige, shapeless. The young woman at the counter kindly suggested she try “something more age-appropriate.”

Mum smiled, said thank you, and was quiet the whole drive home.

Then, somewhere along the coast road, she said it: “I haven’t stopped loving colour, Mae. They just stopped making it for me.”

Meet Elsie

Mum taught primary school on the Mornington Peninsula for most of her life. Her old students still remember the teacher in the yellow cardigan with the parrot brooch.

She has never owned a beige thing she liked.

So we started Elsie & Mae

Mum chooses. I handle the rest: the website, the photos, your emails, making sure every order finds its way to you.

Every piece has to pass what we call the Elsie test:

• It makes you smile. Colour, a cheerful print, a bit of personality.
• It skims, never clings. Room through the middle, nothing to tug at.
• Real sleeves when you want them.
• It breathes in an Australian summer.
• You’d wear it to Sunday lunch without thinking twice.

If it fails even one, it doesn’t go in the shop. Mum is very strict. Trust me.

Why we’re having a Spring Welcome Sale

We’re new. And when you’re new, nobody owes you their trust. You have to earn it.

So we’re starting with a Spring Welcome Sale: our way of saying nice to meet you, and letting you try a piece without a big leap. If you love it, tell a friend. That’s how little family shops like ours grow.

Free shipping across Australia, and 30 days to send anything back if it isn’t right. Mum would never want you to keep something you don’t feel good in.

With love,
Elsie & Mae 🌸

Questions about sizing or fabric? Write to us. I read every message myself. — Mae