Posted on June 6, 2018 June 6, 2018

Supporting A Minor Consideration

$20 from every caftan will be donated to A Minor Consideration

Some of you may not know, but I was a child actor. I was on Australia’s highest rating, longest running sitcom, Hey Dad..! Like many child actors, the reality of working wasn’t as great as people thought. Before #MeToo was a thing, I sent my TV dad to prison for child abuse. Back then, the world wasn’t a kind place to people who spoke up about abuse. Thankfully, I found A Minor Consideration, and without them, I’m not sure I would have survived the whole ordeal of going public and the court case. These days, I’m part of the board, and I do their web/social media stuff. I’m a big fan of philanthropist clothing brands, and so for the month of June, I’m going to give $20 from the sale of every caftan to @aminorconsideration I’ll put links on the website to AMC and other ways you can help. . . #philanthropy #shopforacause #aminorconsideration #petitecaftan #caftan #kaftan #resortwear #charity #givingback #childactor #sarahmonahan #shrimptank

A post shared by Sarah Monahan 🦐 (@shrimptank) on Jun 6, 2018 at 1:11pm PDT

A Minor Consideration is a 501c non profit created to help past, present and future child performers. You can read the official blurb at the website, but basically, it was founded by Paul Petersen, after seeing yet another former child star die.
People think child actors live a charmed life, the reality can be quite different. Child performers are exempt from child labor laws, there’s only four US sates that have enacted the Coogan Law, which ensures kids receive at least a portion of their earnings, and it might look fun, but the reality is that it’s still work. While most kids are out playing, kid actors and models are expected to behave like small adults, and work like them.

You can read about my own childhood on Australian TV in my book, Allegedly.

I found A Minor Consideration after going public with the abuse I went through on set, and Paul took me under his wing, introduced me to a group of other former child actors, and really helped save my life. My last day in court left me in tatters, and as I was looking at a bottle of pills and bottle of wine, my phone binged with a photo of our group, sending me their love, and it pulled me through.

Scott Ratner, Katy Kurtzman, Julie Dolan, Erin Murphy & Scott Schwartz

We’ve all been through bad days, and sometimes it just takes one person to give us life. I wish more people could have the same support system I had. The death of Kate Spade yesterday makes me very sad. She was in a very dark place, while portraying a happy exterior for her brand. While going through my own court case, publicly I was the face of the case, and had to be super strong for everyone. In reality, I was sad, scared and alone, especially since I was overseas and away from my husband. I wish Kate had had someone message her out of the blue when she most needed it.

I’m in an amazing place now, and feel like we all go through bad shit, but it does pass. You just need to hold on and ride it out. I want to make sure others are able to ride it out too, and that nobody thinks their only way out is suicide.

Erin Murphy, aka Tabitha from Bewitched in a Shrimptank Caftan while on vacation in Hawaii.

I want A Minor Consideration to be able to help other child actors like me. I want to help them fight to enact child labor laws. I want to make sure other kids are protected on set, and they have their money when they turn 18. I want them to know they’re not alone, and I want to make sure future kids aren’t abused on set, or put in dangerous situations.

Most of my caftans are made for petite ladies, but there are some longer ones for regular height people, or can be worn as cute tunics over shorts or pants. If a caftan isn’t your thing, but you’d still like to help, you can donate to AMC via paypal on their wesbite, www.aminorconsideration.org/fundraising/ or by using Amazon Smile and picking AMC as your charity. Read more about how that works here.

Thanks everyone.

Also, if you’re having a bad day, remember people love you. Whatever it is, it will pass. Hold on, be strong. Life will be wonderful again soon.

Posted on July 20, 2016

Another beautiful day in South Florida

Staying cool in a caftan.

One of the perks of living in South Florida is the beautiful weather all year long. In winter, it’s fairly warm in the day and cools off at night. In Spring and Autumn, it’s gloriously perfect. Summer the sun shines, and we get the daily thunderstorm roll through to add to the humidity. It can get a little too hot during the heat of the day, but that’s where the local dress code is a win.

Unlike some places where they wear their jeans all year long, down in places like Palm Beach, everyone slips into something a little more comfortable. Shift dresses and caftans are everywhere. Bright colors, and crisp white are de rigeur. Palm Beach was the home of Lilly Pulitzer, and her spirit hasn’t left the island. Wearing bright colors makes you feel happy. There’s no being a wallflower in a kaleidoscope print.

Palm Beach has more preppy pastels with splashes of bright pinks, but as you head south towards Miami, the colors, like the people, get a little louder.

When I was there last week, it was like Miami had issued a uniform. Almost every single lady was moving between the beaches and bars in soft flowing caftans of every length, color and pattern imaginable. It was magical. All these women, flowing around in soft fabrics. Some had plain, short, sheer cover ups to show off their sexy bikinis underneath, others had long silky caftans that looked more like etherical evening gowns. Everyone looked so comfortable, even in the stifling heat. The caftans dry quickly, even when put over a wet bikini. The few people walking around in cut off jeans had wet patches that looked super uncomfortable. The best part about a pretty caftan is I can walk straight from the beach, over to the bars, and get myself a pina colada, and I don’t have to go back to my hotel and change first. You can also tie your caftan back or go one shouldered and make it look like a sexy dress for clubbing after the sun goes down. Everyone had completely different patterns and lengths, so no two women looked alike. It was a beautiful thing to observe.

South Florida is full of resorts. No resort wear wardrobe is complete without the staple caftan.

So if you’re headed to South Florida, do yourself a favour and grab yourself a caftan or two. It’ll be the most versatile piece in your luggage.

If you’re like me and have trouble finding a caftan to fit your petite frame, I’ve curated a collection of both long and short caftans that will all fit a petite. Check out my Petite Caftan Fit Guide to see how long each length caftan is on an actual petite person, and then find something in your style at the Shop.

Posted on July 18, 2016

Petite Caftans

Living in South Florida, I see women effortlessly breezing around in this heat and humidity in soft flowing Caftans or every color.

I was sad thugh, because I could not find any pretty petite sized caftans. Most were too long, and either drug along on the floor, or required cutting off half the pattern. Even most of the “short caftans” were still too long, and would come down to just below my knees, which makes a short girl look even shorter.

So, I did some research, and decided that I would find petite caftans. I am working with an apparel manufacturer, and I purchased some samples so that I could make sure that the quality was great, and the lengths were correct.

In the future, I’ll produce my own designs, with my own label, but for now, I’ve got a bunch of perfectly proportioned petite caftans that I’m ready to share with y’all. They are all different designs, and they are also all slightly different lengths. They are all made from viscose, some are crepe, some georgette. There are also some long ones. I’m 4’11” tall, so I’ll post pics of them on me, so you can gauge the length. I’ll be putting them all up in my online store here. Let me know if there’s some you really like, or any color combinations you would like to see in the future, and I’ll make it happen.