Phase Eight Bloggers Challenge

I'm a huge fan of Phase Eight and it's a go to brand for me when shopping with clients. So when I spotted this competition  to create the ultimate party outfit I thought I would join in the fun.

Phase Eight say they specialise in dresses and I agree however their tops are fabulous figure fixers and I'm loving their coat collection this year.

So here's my complete look...

Do you like?

I have chosen the Twinkle Jumpsuit as an alternative to a dress and I really like the sparkle detail and the draping trousers of this one.

Not everyone likes to expose their arms and us girls often feel the chill so I added the Paula Tuxedo Jacket. Not only is it a great staple item that you can wear so many different ways you will also be able to wear it throughout the different seasons too.

Then for the bling - how gorgeous is this beaded clutch! And I'm loving this rope style necklace just to 'edge' up the look.

Of course no festive outfit would be complete without statement party shoes. I have selected the Edina T Bar Shoes because as well as going brilliantly with the outfit, generally platforms and chunkier heels tend to be comfier and this girl is never happier than when combining practical and gorgeous! Also who wants cold feet when nipping between cocktail bars?

I want my clothes to work hard for me and I think this outfit does just that. You can wear it bar hopping with the girls or a romantic evening meal. A glamorous house party or whilst throwing some moves on the dance floor.

So what do you think? Do you like my party look? 

Bag Servant - a search engine with a difference

I was recently approached by the lovely Lenka from Bag Servant to choose my nomination for Bag of the Month. Every month they bring together a selection of fashion industry insiders to nominate a bag for selection. You can vote for your favourite here and enter the competition to win £300 worth of Jane Goodchild bags.

Bag Servant is THE place for any handbag junkies out there.  Featuring bags from top designers to high street brands via retailers you trust.  Bag Servant are the only search engine devoted to handbags, with a free concierge service, lots of fashion advise and inspiration to help you find your perfect piece of arm candy.

They make bag shopping really easy with options to search by type, shape, brand, colour, occasion and the fun personality option.

There are 12 personalities to choose from, from Miss Practical (the Sunday Girl mooching through life) to the Glamourpuss (the femme fatale who loves to make an entrance). My chosen bag was selected for the Chic Yummy Mummy (being mum has never been sexier).

If then after looking through the 9,844 bag options you still haven't found what you're looking for you can utilise the free handbag concierge service. They will assist you with finding a bag that matches something you have seen, they will get in touch with retailers or manufacturers on your behalf or even just give you personalised help and advise when looking for your next bag purchase.

So what bag personality are you? Do you regularly change your bag, or do you stick to an old faithful?

The most important dress - part 2

A few days ago I blogged about getting married and of course THE DRESS.

Well my very good friend and I (more about her later) have since been shopping. I would like to say it was a pleasant experience but in the most part it wasn't..

We had both been looking forward to our day out for a couple of weeks. We had booked appointments with a few boutiques (which is a necessity) decided on where we were having lunch and booked the day off our day jobs.

Katie, my shopping companion, is the friend I shop with. She gives a good opinion and is one of the few people who has got the stamina to shop with me, she is also on the cusp of bridezilla and since her wedding 2 years ago has had wedding withdrawals. It was my duty as a good friend to take her along.

So the first shop we were told to pull out all the dresses that we liked to try on. Faced with 2 walls of white dresses, we started ploughing through. Now nothing wrong at this point, just a feeling of being rushed. Every dress I put on the lady said how amazing it looked, now I have a problem with that. While they were all lovely, and none of them looked bad, it was obvious that some of them were not right for me. Well after our hour, which a large proportion was spent stood around while the owner answered the phone, the next client came in and my time was up. See ya then.

So en route to our next shop we decided to double check the time of the appointment "oh you are coming in today?", "Erm yes! have you double booked us?". Turns out we were not exactly in the book, but it was OK she would let us come down. Thanks, you're so kind. It was raining, we turned up at the time she requested. "I'm busy at the moment, wait outside - I'll be 5 minutes, there's a cafe down the road if you want to wait there". It was raining, we had just come from a cafe, we were discussing how customer service did not seem a priority.

To counter these 2 boutiques, Timeless Bride in Poynton was a completely different experience. Michelle sat down with me, after offering me a drink, asked me about my likes and dislikes, what my wedding was going to be like and then started to show me her stock. We chose a few to try on to start to see what direction we would end up going. One of the things I liked about Michelle, was she was honest, if something wasn't right she would say and also the reason why. It was a lovely experience and so far my favourite dress is one I tried on that day.

I often shop for outfits for guests for weddings and mothers of the bride and groom, but my experience of wedding dress shopping is limited. I am wondering what my other experiences will be like. I spend a lot of my time shopping and have great relationships with local independents and I know that their levels of customer service is a million times better than I experienced in the first 2 shops AND they're not flogging dresses for £1k+. As far as I'm concerned if you go into the business of wedding dress sales, you're not just selling a dress your selling an experience. If you go to a beauty salon, they don't just slap some cream on you, they pamper you and ensure you have a lovely time. Choosing your dress is an important part of planning your wedding and will form part of your wedding memory and some shops it seems would do well to remember this.

What are your experiences of wedding dress shopping? How many did you try on before you found the one? I'll keep you posted on the progress...

A weekend at Andrea Claire

This weekend I was so pleased to be asked to run a body shape clinic at a local boutique, Andrea Claire.  I was there over 2 days, and as well as a free session with me, customers were treated to drinks, nibbles and competitions.

I advised people on how they can dress to enhance their shape and used the pieces in store to demonstrate and on a couple of occasions showed the ladies how a tweak here and there with their own clothes could make a massive difference.  As I always do, I forced the ladies to look at their positives, it's always so easy for people to give me a long list of things they don't like about themselves but in most cases it's only noticeable to them.  Of course I gave them tools to disguise these areas as this gave them more confidence but at the same time I shifted their focus to enhancing their positives.

Gina Bacconi, available in emerald green

Andrea Claire is located in Cheadle Hulme, and is home to a unique Joseph Ribcoff Studio (one of my favourite lines in store).  Joseph Ribcoff is a Canadian label and the pieces suit all body shapes, from very glamorous evening wear to casual day wear - there is something for everyone.  Throughout the store there are little pieces that jump out at you, from the gorgeous jewellery and handbags, to the knitwear and outerwear.  Another highlight for me was Gina Bacconi, if like me, you love a bit of sparkle then this is a label for you.

Joseph Ribcoff

The thing that struck me whilst I was there was the difference in this shopping experience and shopping in the larger stores.  I spend a lot of time in the shops, and I won't lie, as a personal shopper I mostly spend my time in the larger stores and high street, I have experienced the best of customer service and probably some of the worst and don't even get me started on the changing rooms...

But here's the thing, at Andrea Claire every lady that walked through the door was made to feel welcome.  Most of the time Andrea and her team knew the lady's name and if not they did by the time she left.  They knew their customers so well and knew exactly what they would like, and if something didn't fit or look right, there was no hard sell or platitudes it was a case of "no that's not right for you, let's try something else".  The customers felt safe, they knew that what they were buying looked good and they knew not every other person they saw would be wearing the same thing.  It was a shopping experience, the customers were chatted to, looked after and the collections had been bought with them in mind.  I know what you're thinking too, this sounds expensive, but it isn't.  There is something to suit every budget and some fabulous, detailed knitwear for around £40.00.

I'm not being naive to the fact that such a personal service can't be expected on the high street, but there's definitely lessons to be learnt here.  You just had to listen to the way the customers were so loyal and how the new ones had been recommended to come down, to realise that this is something that all business should look to.

Please don't forget to support local independents, for without them all we have is mass produced clothes, being tried on 6 at a time in a less than pleasant changing room and where is the fun in that?

Tell me which independents do you shop in and what is it about them you like?

Andrea Claire
59-61 Station Road
Cheadle Hulme
SK8 7AA
www.andreaclaire.co.uk
0161 485 3331

Versace For H&M

As collaborations go, this is a pretty exciting one. The collection is full of pieces that look straight off the versace runway.

“The collection for H&M is the essence of Versace,” said Donatella Versace. “For the collaboration we’ve brought back from the archives, as well as from more recent collections, some of the icons of Versace, such as the bright prints, the Greek key and daring cuts. I can’t wait to see how H&M’s wide audience will make these pieces their own.”



Really love Donatella's parting words, "my house, my rules, my pleasure", I don't doubt it for a second love.

Guest Styling at Modiste

I was really pleased to be asked to be the guest stylist at Modiste Boutique in Bramhall for their festive styling event.  We had such a great day, there were nibbles, bubbly, fabulous clothes, plenty of jewellery, make up and hairstyling, accessories and to top it all off - cake.  Ladies were invited to book slots with me so I could 'style them up' and boy did we have lots of takers.  I was so busy on the day I didn't get chance to take many pics.

As per usual when I'm shopping I was met with some resistance to some of my item suggestions "that won't suit me", "I'm too old to wear that" etc etc.  However I challenged the ladies to prove me wrong.  The didn't by the way :0)  I focused my selections on body shape and gave tips on how to dress to enhance their good bits and gave lots of hints on disguising the areas they were not so keen on.

Sue and her daughter Celia

Modiste, owned by Sue (who also creates made to measure pieces) is a lovely boutique, based in my native village of Bramhall.   The boutique first opened in 2008 and recently moved to the village square location.  Stocking labels such as Sugarhill Boutique, Mina, Ce Me and Nancy Dee to name just a few, there is something to suit all shapes (which made my job super easy).  The jewellery collection is definitely worth a view too, with some really unusual pieces and some real show stoppers and the prices are AMAZING with most of it being priced under £30!!

Here are some of my favourite pieces that are currently in store.

Mina Charlotte Dress

I love this (so much so that I bought it) it's super flattering and can be worn lots of different ways.  Dress it up with sparkle for a party, or with leggings and boots for the day.

Ce Me Taupe Jersey Dress

This has to win my award for super flattering dress of the day.  If you are conscious of a tum, then this is the dress for you.  The rouching at the sides nips you in and the wrap effect at the front hides any signs of a tum.

Mina Danielle Top

Until you put this top on you will not appreciate what it can do for you.  The sparkle clasp draws your eye to the waist.  Looks fab over a simple black vest and black trousers.

Sugarhill Boutique Jumpsuit

A great alternative to a dress and this one is super chic.  Don't be afraid of trying a jumpsuit, if you get the right style for your body shape they can look amazing.

Olivia looking gorgeous 

One of my favourite dresses was a teal Nancy Dee dress.  One of the ladies kindly agreed to pose for a pic after she had her hair and make up done and styled by me.  Everything she is wearing is from the store and I added the sparkly belt to highlight her waist and 'festive' up the dress.

So a fab day and a pleasure to work with Sue.  Sue regularly updates the Facebook page with the new stock as it arrives.  Modiste can be found at:

20 The Village Square

Bramhall

SK7 1AW

0161 478 5136

If you would like some help dressing for your body shape or choosing something for the festive season then please get in touch.