Bagging a bargain this sale season...

To be in with your best chance of picking up a bargain, it helps to know when the sales start though my personal tip would be to wait till the tail end of the sales when you're most likely to find the best buys.  The likelihood is other shoppers haven't spotted that item's potential so you're less likely to see lots of other people wearing it and, the price will have been knocked down to the bone.  Bonus!!


Oh, and p.s. please vote for me in the Vintage Life Covergirl Sweetheart Competition (see below)


FASHION

• Jaeger: Starts Boxing Day. Up to 50pc off
• Burberry: Already on online. Up to 50pc off
• Gap: Already on. From 30pc off
• Hobbs: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Warehouse: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Reiss: Starts today. Up to 50pc off
• Oasis: Already on. Up to 45pc off
• Whistles: Starts on Boxing Day. Up to 50pc off
• Zara: Starts today until Boxing Day. From 30pc off
• New Look: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Banana Republic: Already on. From 30pc to 50pc off
• LK Bennett: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• My-Wardrobe.com: From today until January 19. From 30pc to 50pc off
• Peacocks: From Boxing Day. Up to 50pc
• Matches: Already on. From 30pc off
• Karen Millen: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• H&M: Already on. Up to 60pc

DEPARTMENT STORES

• Fenwick: From December 27 to the end of January. Up to 50pc off
• Liberty: Already on. Up to 60pc off
• Selfridges: Online from Christmas Day. In store from Boxing Day. Up to 75pc off
• Harvey Nichols: From Boxing Day, up to 50pc off fashion and up to 30pc off shoes and ­accessories. Final reductions from January 20, up to 70pc off
• Harrods: From December 27. Up to 50pc off
• House of Fraser: Online from Christmas Eve, in store from Boxing Day. Up to 50pc off
• Debenhams: Starts Boxing Day. From 25pc to 75pc off
• John Lewis: Online from Christmas Eve, in store from December 27 to January 15. Up to 50pc off

HANDBAGS

• Anya Hindmarch: Starts December 27. Up to 50pc off
• Lulu Guinness: Starts Boxing Day. Up to 30pc off
• Mulberry: In store from December 27. From 30pc to 50pc off. Preview starts online on Christmas Eve
• Smythson: From December 27. 20pc off

SHOES

• Russell & Bromley: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Kurt Geiger: From today. Up to 50pc off
• Aldo: Already on online. Up to 50pc off
• Jimmy Choo: Starts December 27. Up to 30pc off
• Gina: From now until January 29. Up to 50pc off
• Rupert Sanderson: From December 27 to January 29. Up to 30pc off

LINGERIE

• Myla: From Boxing Day. Up to 50pc off
• Rigby & Peller: From December 27. Up to 50pc off
• La Perla: From December 27. Up to 40pc off
• La Senza: Already on. Up to 40pc off
• Knickerbox: Already on. From 25pc off
• Figleaves: Already on. 25pc off.

CHILDREN

• Marie Chantal: Starts December 28. Up to 40pc
• Mothercare: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Ralph Lauren: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Mamas&Papas: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Bonpoint: From January 10. Up to 50pc off
• Alexandalexa.com: Already on. Up to 30pc off

FURNITURE

• Ikea: Starts Boxing Day. Up to 50pc off
• Argos: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Laura Ashley: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Heals: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• BHS: Already on. Up to 60pc off
• DFS: Already on. Up to 50pc off
• Furniture Village: Already on. Up to 55pc off
• Carpetright: Already on. Up to 50pc off

I am the Queen of Hearts

So, I can reveal that this weekend, I was busy chopping off their heads for painting the roses red for Vintage Life Magazine's Sweetheart Covergirl .  Vote for me and I promise not to send you to the same fate :)

Please visit the link and VOTE FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bit more about it...

Vintage Life Magazine is running a competition to find their Valentine's Sweetheart Covergirl.  The only requirements were that the image be vintage inspired and of professional quality.

I enlisted the help of professional photographer Lorraine Johnson and together we created a Queen of Hearts look using an original square dancing dress from the 50s that I procured through etsy.com, a crown (self-made), some gorgeous Fornarina shoes and roses that have in part been painted red.

TO VOTE:


First click "like" on the Vintage Life's page.
Then click "like" on under the photo you would like to win.
That's it! Thanks VLM Team xx

Some more styling projects...

Happy Monday to you all and I thought I'd share with you some of the photos from a recent styling project.  At the Mistletoe and Silk Event, my task was to make over 5 ladies ready for our Catwalk Show.  This was more than a tall order that at the same time as styling these lovely ladies, I was also managing the event.  Ordinarily, I would have liked to have placed more of a modern look on some of the outfits and paid a little more attention to detail but given time constraints, it just wasn't possible.  Either way, I hope you like the results...

Thanks to Marc at Pandafoto for the photography

And the resulting look was...

Which dress wear to the James Bond Christmas Ball

So, i'm biting the bullet and i've been issued with my license to kill card all ready for our work James Bond themed Christmas party at The Avenue.  I thought i'd make the most of the fact that my day job involves working for a rather affluent engineering company so tomorrow i'll be sinking some champagne on them.  It's a long time since i've been to a work Christmas do.

But the question is, what to wear?  And since the recession has not been kind to me it's going to have to come from my existing wardrobe.  I'm hoping the girls coming to our event at Mistletoe and Silk on Sunday will use it as an opportunity to get glam! That's the one i'm saving my new dress for!

So, the slinky red number?

Or the sparkly blue?

As the days fly past and tickets sell fast for a Christmas fair in Dulwich with a difference - Mistletoe and Silk

As the days fly past and tickets sell fast, we are busy finalising preparations to bring you a smashing event - Mistletoe and Silk.

In the Youlovefashion.com Bazaar you'll find wares from:

Pintuckvintage
Retro earrings
Butterfly Girl vintage
Vintage decorations
Gillian James homeware
Strictly Vintage
Miss Butler Vintage
Sue Bonditz Vintage
Rustic Man- men's wallets and socks
Lauryn Butler Vintage
Kei vs Ivy Independent Designer Jewellery
Amica gifts - decorations and luxury jewellery
Nearly new clothing
Art prints, cushions, vintage jewellery, cards and decorations from Youlovefashion and CherryPicked

In the Cherry Picked Pop Up Pamper Parlour you can get treated to:

Eyelash Flicks £20
Mini Manicures £10 from Danni
Swedish Neck and Shoulder Massage from Felipe (prices tbc) who will also be selling aromatherapy candles
Indian Head Massage £5 from Karen
Mini Facials £5 from Lorraine
Reflexology from Cat at Butterfly Therapies (payment by donation)



Have your tarot read by The Sassy Sorceress, bring your gifts to be wrapped, listen to our live singers and take a punt in our charity raffle.  Watch our Catwalk show (clothes will also be for sale) with clothes from Juno Says Hello and enjoy an exclusive burlesque performance from Lady Cheek making the evening just a little bit naughty!

Shanghai in the 70s for Mistletoe and Silk?

As all you ladies know I'm sure, we like to plan an outfit for an important occasion a little while ahead.  And I was so pleased with the shirt I managed to find through etsy.com (for £10 including postage would you believe) that I thought i'd try dressing it up and see whether I might sport it at our next event.

But as the square dancing dress that arrived with it is so much more feminine and frilly, i'll probably go with that instead so I thought i'd share my fabulous find with you and say a big thank you to www.etsy.com/shop/ohsydney

It gives me a feeling of Shanghai in the 70s and demonstrates my love of mixing modern and vintage so I thought i'd finish the look with some chopsticks in my hair.  Come and see my 1950s genuine American square dancing dress at Mistletoe and Silk next weekend (12th December).