Given her fashion boutique houses the worlds most coveted designer collections, its no surprise that Eva Galambos has one of Australias most enviable wardrobes. The owner and buyer of Parlour X has recently announced shell be moving her award-winning Paddington store to the historic heritage listed St Johns Church on Oxford Street next month, which was built in 1845 and is one of Paddingtons oldest buildings. Galambos has spent over a decade building her successful business but her biggest achievements are her beautiful daughters: Alexa, 5 and Paloma, 2.
I have to use my time sensibly, she says. I make the most out of my day and use my time efficiently. I surround myself with constructive influences and positive people and for me, an organised diary is key. A good support network is also essential for the busy mother. I will work from home until late morning so I can spend time with Paloma, as well as Alexa before she goes to school. Im often multi-tasking and am a fan of the lunch meeting. I always try and return home before 7pm to spend some quality time together before they go to sleep. For Galambos, weekends are all about the kids. We visited the stylish mother at home in Bondi to find out more
Eva wears Chloe and Jil Sander shoes
“As the owner and buyer of Parlour X
I direct our physical store as well as the online business, in addition to travelling to Paris and Milan four times a year for pre-collections and runway collections. I wear many hats including the management of our marketing and communications team.
The buying trips are always a highlight of my job…
I love travelling to Paris and I become excited seeing all the new collections and visiting the showrooms. I also get a thrill out of picking up new brands and I am immensely proud that Parlour X has every brand that I have always coveted.
Becoming a mother has definitely been my proudest achievement
It teaches you so much about yourself. It also teaches you how to manage your time. Since having kids, my business has grown threefold so I am very conscious of planning my time wisely. My favourite thing is definitely our European summer vacation with the family. Michael and the kids join me in Paris for the July buying trip every year.
Eva wears Acne top and Chloe skirt and shoes. Rug by Florence Broadhurst exclusively for Cadrys.
I do most of my kids shopping in Paris
I love Bonpoint, Stella McCartney Kids at Le Bon Marche and all of Palomas shoes at Pomme DApi. In Australia, I just LOVE Printebebe by Fiona Kowalski and I also buy most of Alexas shoes from Camper since she has a particular foot shape that Camper caters for perfectly. Plus I like their quality and quirkiness. I also order all their long and short-sleeved tees from Comme Des Garcons PLAY when I place my order for Parlour X, because I also love their T-shirt quality.
I love La Mer
It is the best! I lather the ultimate Crème de la Mer on my face, neck and hands three times a day.
I loved the feeling that there was a person growing inside of me
There is nothing more divine, and fortunately, both pregnancies were smooth. However they were challenging from a work point of view because of the timing of my buying trips. When I was pregnant with Paloma, I travelled at four months, seven months and eight months. The final buying trip was a challenge as I had to arrange special insurance and I was only able to fly with certain airlines. I was almost stopped from embarking on the return flight home.
When I was pregnant, my style became more casual
Although I didn’t require a complete change of wardrobe. Firstly, I was very lucky that I didn’t grow too big, and secondly, I like to wear loose clothes anyway so it was easy to slip into some Comme Des Garçons or Rick Owens drop crotch pants and a Chloe jumper.
Designing a childs room can be a delicate exercise
Especially when you love buying your children toys. The rooms can easily turn into a junkyard, which is why you need some very clever storage options to contain all the toys. Then you can start to inject some style into the space and both the kids rooms, have a cute, subtle feminine feel. The colour palette is white with a sprinkling of pink.
Kids definitely need boundaries
Michael and I are not authoritarian parents, but our kids certainly know who is boss. Michael is bigger on routine than I am. I guess you want enough structure to make your life smoother, but not too much structure that makes life rigid. I prefer spontaneity. If I leave work early, we will often head down to Bondi for dinner. I am also liberal on bedtime. Because I often work late, our kids probably go to bed later than they should. I do like it when the kids are down and I can open my laptop, work on the computer and watch the latest episode of Mad Men, Scandal or The Americans uninterrupted.
The first few months of motherhood are definitely a challenge
You somehow just adapt and you sleep when you can. This may mean youre sleeping at the same time as your baby. I was back working (from home) a week after giving birth, so I probably just survived on 5 or 6 broken hours a night. Perhaps the adrenalin of my business got me through the day.
Every person will have an opinion on motherhood
Pick and choose your advice from people whose parenting style resonates best and then adapt and apply whatever works for you. You will make mistakes but you will learn from them. Online forums can overload you with opinions and actually make you more confused. The only site Michael sometimes referred to was Babyology. I relied more on my friends and familys advice and opinions.
I had a great role model in my own mother
She always worked. She taught me to never give up. If you fall down, get up and try again. Plus I absolutely love what I do and I know that being a working mother will inspire my kids to believe that motherhood and professional success are not mutually exclusive. It is a balancing act and you can only achieve the right balance when you look in the mirror and say to yourself: Im a good mother, a good businesswoman, a good wife and a good friend. I think Im pretty good on all counts, although I have my moments. If you are a working mum, the hardest part is not feeling guilty about not giving the children enough time. I miss them on my buying trips.
We moved into our home about 18 months ago
Its very light and open. We painted everything white from the walls to the whitewashed floors, giving a relaxed beachy Mediterranean feel. We have injected the space with splashes of colour via the furniture and the artwork. Interiors are slightly different to my clothes. I am eclectic at heart and I like to mix it up in the home. For instance, mixing retro antiques with some contemporary styles. However you wont catch me in true vintage clothing.
I love Issey Miyake Bao Bao bags
They are the best shape and fit everything. I have a few so I love to mix up the bright colours. At the moment we are using bright yellow!”
Quick fashion tips…
Favourite fashion brands: Chloe, Commes Des Garcon, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney. I love my Celine and my Valentino dresses. The craftsmanship is without peer. Invest in: a Celine bag. Accessorise with: Jennifer Fisher jewels and slim Saint Laurent scarves.
Evas little list of loves:
Relaxing by our pool.
Weekends with the kids.
Dinner at Bondi Icebergs.
Bondi to Bronte walks.
Watching the latest HBO series.
My Monday morning massages.
Lunch at Fratelli Paradiso.
Clothes shopping for my children.
Seeing the latest exhibition at the MCA.
Dinner parties with good friends.
Photography: Carine Thevenau Hair and makeup: Sarina Zoe Words: Georgie Abay