Zandra Rhodes handbags

Morning everyone!

Who likes Zandra Rhodes? Who wants a Zandra Rhodes bag?

Well, we've just had a delivery, and look what the postman's dragged in..........

Browse today, buy tomorrow! Well, if you're signed up to our newsletter that is, because there's 10% off all weekend for our bestest friends. Sign up now, or if you're too late, start making some friends in the right places so you can bag, borrow or steal that voucher code!!

Ciao Bellas!

Catie

Ginger Nuts

Morning campers!

Seeing Eat, Pray, Love tonight - anyone already seen it? Taking my Mummy as she's been looking after me very nicely indeed lately (i.e. for the last 24 years). She's got a lovely new grey coat so I'm also going to treat her to a sparkly brooch to make it even prettier. I'll be sporting my Fever Toulouse dress with a black belt and my Nica Clutch.

Feeling tired today, think it's a hangover from the immense number of Ginger Nuts I ploughed my way through yesterday. Seriously. Ginger Nuts. Even though I'm not a 76 year old man. It's just they were half price and I thought I could fancy a Ginger Nut. Then one turned to two, to three, to ten. Anyway, anyone working for a biscuit company should feel free to send me the kind of biscuits that self-respecting 24 year old women ought be munching on.

New stock in today for our new store - lots of Irregular Choice boxes and Darling coats everywhere! Will put anything new on the website ASAP.

Someone, anyone, come and confiscate the biscuits....
Catie

Olbas Oil and Soup

Greetings!

Good news - I can now officially breathe through my nose! I'd like to thank Olbas Oil for sponsoring this cold, and my brother, for bringing it home with his washing and ironing last week.

So now that I'm feeling all chipper, what have I been up to? I've been blowing fuses in the office which I didn't notice until I put a spoonful of fridge-cold butternut squash and coconut soup (M&S) into my mouth and thought this isn't right. Twenty minutes later, covered in dust from searching every nook and cranny for the fuse box, I had hot butternut squash and coconut soup and it was amazing. Highly recommended. Managed not to spill any on my fabulous new Fever dress thanks to my genius idea of basically covering my entire self in Moomin tea towels, so it's all good in the Aspire hood!

I've also been bombarded with orders, as per. Today it's been lots and lots of sale dresses - loads of fantastic bargains to be had so I'm not surprised - and more stunning coats. Brrrrr. Also been working on the next newsletter - subscribers are in for a treat, so spread the word, tell all your friends to sign up, and enjoy!!

Off to take some photographs of our brand new jewellery - in the mean time here's our current range.

Until tomorrow...
Catie

Tick Tock

Arghh, I cannot believe it's quarter past 5! But the watch around my neck tells me it is, so it must be!

How was your weekend, everyone? What did you get up to?

I went shopping on Saturday with my bestest friend, despite the fact I was a bit snotty (Ok, a LOT. Shut up Charlie). We went on a road trip to Milton Keynes - very random but great! My only regret is that we were far too cold to explore outside and look at the markets and hunt down any independent little shops, so we had to stick to the giants. If I'd bought this amazing Yumi coat last week I could have coped. I love that our Aspire shops are so well placed - not on the outskirts of a town with a big shopping centre which is sadly where a lot of independent retailers end up due to ludicrous rent costs.

Are any of you independent retailers waiting to win Lotto and get a big store?

I'm much, much poorer than I felt at the end of last week. Did I really need 5 long sleeved t-shirts, yet more leggings, three pairs of over-the-knee socks and black wellies?? Winter terrifies me. On a happier note, though, I'm feeling much healthier thanks to all the special tea I've been drinking and far too much Olbas Oil. Note to all readers: never touch your eye with an Olbas Oil finger, or take the "sprinkle 3 drops on your pillow" to mean "pour the whole bottle on your pillow, then enjoy rolling over in the night and getting it in your eyes, ears, mouth, and really not that much up your nose".

Anyway, the weekend is over, and I came in to what is becoming my usual Monday of a gazillion internet orders and lots of emails. Big sellers this weekend have been this Flutters and Fancies satchel and yet more tea towels. What's with the tea towels, everyone?? Lots more people emailing to be on the waiting list for the Paper Plane purse - and I'm one of them!

Nearly home time now, and to me, that means go downstairs and buy the following items:
Lovely soft Yumi jacket - because I really am very cold,
Antique watch necklace - because my friend will kill me if she doesn't get her hands on one soon, and
Tea with the Queen tea towel - because, well, if everyone is....

Cheerio!

Playing dress-up

This morning I went to a Macmillan coffee morning for a spot of tea and cake with a bunch of complete strangers...I don't really know how I ended up getting invited but nevertheless it was a very pleasant home-made double chocolate chip cookie morning! Everyone complimented my Fever Maple dress, which was lovely. Then I rushed over to get to work for midday, only to arrive and find my workmates playing dress-up in the shop!

Here's the beautiful Libby in the gorgeous Darling Josie tunic and Darling Betsy coat:

Here's Marie looking stunning in our new Fever Empress coat, patent Orla bag and Too Sweet shoes:

And lastly, a very rare snap of photo-phobic me, wearing my beloved Fever Maple dress, and a warm, snuggly coat which isn't on the website yet, so it's all mine for now!

Now we've finished playing dress-up, it's time to get back to work.....although I love my job so much it doesn't exactly feel like a hard slog!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! What are you all up to?

Catie x

10% DISCOUNT TODAY!

Good afternoon, comrades.

To celebrate us reaching 1000 followers on Twitter, we have decided to give all of our friends a lovely 10% discount until midnight!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I only have two paydays left before Christmas, so I've realised it's time to start stocking up on little gifts*.

A few gift ideas for under £15:
Gorgeous little super-soft real leather purse, available in three designs.
Very cute make up bag "Let's Kiss and Make Up" - adorable postcard design!
Vintage envelope style travel pass holder - the most stylish way to swipe your Oyster card or flash your bus pass.
Compact mirror with swallow design - look out for butterfly and rose designs, too.

Oh gosh, I could keep on going, listing all of the things I want to find in my Christmas stocking. But you know where to find them all!

The discount code is TWITTER1000 - and it can be used on sale items, too!

Don't forget to get involved on the blog with comments, and please do introduce us to your lovely friends! Also a very good time of year to casually leave our website knocking around the house [in capital letters, on huge post-it notes, in every room...] for your nearest and dearest to get the hint and buy you gifts.

Until tomorrow......

Catie x

*This doesn't mean I'm not still treating myself to the aforementioned Pavia Coat.

What To Wear Wednesdays - Power Wednesday!

Cooey!

I fancy a Power Wednesday. Wednesdays are my least favourite day - it always feels like it should be Thursday. So the best way to get through is to have a Power day - get loads done, keep really busy, and time will fly! And then of course it's off to the cinema for a cheeky 241. What's on this week?

The thing about Power Wednesdays is....you have to dress the part! You can't get lots of work done in your PJs and slippers (we know that's what you do, "working from home" people!) or your standard reliable comfortable jersey dress and ballerinas. Oh no. Did you ever learn anything on a non-uniform day at school? Of course not. So it's time to dress yourself properly. Next week wear something like this.....

...and I'm positive it'll make a difference to your productivity! Or else you could waste hours showing everyone your new handbag or stroking the crushed velvet bows on the shoes....

What's your least favourite day of the week? Do you have any tips for survival?

Let me know, I need your help!

Catie

What to wear Wednesdays - Power Wednesday! by Aspire Style featuring poetic licence shoes

Fever Delilah Pencil dress - £60
Pencil dress »

Darling Sasha cardigan - £45
Cardigans »

Uttam Boutique Naiomi cardigan - £45
Cardigans »

Poetic Licence Too Sweet shoes, cherry - £69
Poetic licence shoes »

Poetic Licence Sweet Talk shoes - £59
Poetic licence shoes »

Orla Kiely quilted patent leather bag - £235
Patent leather handbag »

Nica Tilly clutch - £35
Nica handbags »

Sunshine

Morning all! Ah, the sun is shining over Stratford-upon-Avon today, it's glorious.

Lots more orders overnight for keyrings! The snow bunnies are fabulous though so I'm not surprised.

Today I am wearing my lovely Fever Maple dress, teamed with some patterned black tights - the may be sunny but it's still chilly - and an old pair of boring black heels which I must, MUST swap for these ludicrously cute Poetic Licence Sweet Talk shoes on payday.

Does anyone else start making a shopping list a few days before payday?

I always seem to have mentally spent my wages before I actually get them. This month I have to buy new brake pads (yawn!) and I will resent spending money on my car when I could be buying pretty things, like this necklace which I love. I also need to buy a warm coat ready for the winter - remember how freeeeezing it was last year? Please help me decide - Charming Ingrid or Fever Pavia - which one to buy??

Cheerio!

Catie

Day One

Cooey!

Those of you who have been following the blog for a while will know that our beloved Ria has left Aspire Style to move to the Big City, leaving little old me to fill her shoes here. Don't worry, you can still catch up with Ria via her own fabulous blog - she'd love to hear from you so get in touch!

So, on my first day without Ria holding my hand, what have I been getting up to? Well so far the day has been taken up with sending out lots of orders placed online over the weekend. The most popular item was the Dandy make-up bag and I can see why - it is super-soft and very cute indeed. We also had a bizarre surge on tea towel and keyring sales, which I will put down to early birds stocking up on stocking fillers...I suppose it is almost October - only a couple of paydays left.

Are you being ultra-prepared and buying gifts already?

What do you have on your Christmas list?

I would love to hear from you so get involved, start commenting, and pretty soon I will be announcing a comment competition....

Toodle pip!

Catie

Winter shoes at Aspire Style

Now that Autumn is officially here (it's October in 14 days, you know) it's time to put away those sandals and cover up your toes, lest they fall off through frostbite.  But don't reach for the wellies just yet - we've got some very stylish new footwear options from two of our favourite brands, Poetic Licence and Irregular Choice.

Poetic Licence Glamming Up shoes - £69

Poetic Licence Too Sweet shoes, turquoise - £69

Poetic Licence Too Sweet shoes, cherry - £69

Irregular Choice Flick Flack shoes, purple - £59

Irregular Choice, Flick Flack shoes, black - £59

Poetic Licence Sweet Talk shoes - £59

The Irregular Choice Flick Flack shoes, which have been very popular in past seasons, are now available in the Autumn/Winter 2010 design and come in purple and black - lovely and seasonal!  If you're starting to plan your outfit for your office Christmas party (you should, it's only three months away), the Poetic Licence Glamming Up shoes and the Too Sweet shoes (available in turquoise and cherry) ooze glamour and are guaranteed to turn heads!

My personal favourite has got to be the incredibly cute and aptly named Sweet Talk shoes by Poetic Licence.  Easy to wear with a smart dress for work or a 50s style frock for fun times, the heel is short enough to ensure you can work all day and dance all night.

***

On a slightly sad note, this will be my last post for Aspire, as I'm moving to the Big Smoke on Sunday.  I'll be very sad to go, but am leaving you in the more than capable hands of Catie, who is looking forward to taking the baton of resident blogger.  Be nice to her!

Ria

www.aspirestyle.co.uk

www.twitter.com/aspirestyle

The Sale continues... and expands!

Now our Sale has ended in the shops, we've had a chance to count everything at Aspire Style HQ and put even more on the website!  Look at these bargainous dresses, all at 50% off:

Fever Cezanne side lace dress, was £69, now £34.50

Fever Copacabana maxi dress, was £65, now £32.50

Yumi Shana dress, black, was £55, now £27.50

Yumi Sequin Bobble knit dress, cream, was £50, now £25

Fever Jungle bustier dress, was £39, now £19.50

Darling Mackenzie skirt, was £49, now £24.50

Ruby Belle Madagascar bustier, was £39, now £19.50

Remember, sizes are limited and are selling fast, so make sure you hurry!

Until next time,

Ria
www.aspirestyle.co.uk
www.twitter.com/aspirestyle

Charming at Aspire Style

Those of you who are regular visitors to our shops or website will have noticed a new addition to the Brands section in the form of Charming - a beautiful range of clothing new in for Autumn/Winter '10.  Charming, a London-based brand, was formed in 2009 and their collection is "inspired by bohemian styled clothing with a fresh new twist".  Their fabulous coats are already flying off the rails as our customers prepare for the cooler months, with the vivid Taylor coat (£79) proving particularly popular:

We've also had a lot of customers interested in the Georgia dress (£59), with its stunning appliqué flower detail...

...and the Rhonda jacket (£69), which would look stunning atop any outfit on a night out:

Check out the whole range here, and don't forget to pop over to our New In section for the latest items to drop at Aspire Style!

Until next time,

Ria
www.aspirestyle.co.uk
www.twitter.com/aspirestyle