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

15% off - one day left!

If you received our newsletter on Friday, you'll know we're offering 15% off all items until the end of today as a Bank Holiday gift from us to you!  (If you didn't, why on earth are you not on our mailing list?  Quick, go here now and sign up before you miss out on another stonker of an offer!)

And when I say 'all items', I mean ALL ITEMS.  Including our sale, where most items are already 50% off!  Just look at some of these bargains...

Irregular Choice Pep in your Step shoes, was £79, now £39.50 - £33.58 today only!

Orla Kiely butterfly stem shoulder bag, stone, was £110, now £60 - £51.00 today only!

Fever Cezanne side lace dress, was £69, now £34.50 - £29.33 today only!

Fever Florida spot, navy and pink, was £59, now £29.50 - £25.08 today only!

Yumi Natosha butterfly dress, white, was £50, now £25 - £21.25 today only!

Yumi Siana dress, pink, was £50, now £25 - £21.25 today only!

If you fancy something new instead, we've had loads of deliveries of Autumn/Winter stock during the past few weeks; why not get 15% off one of these beautiful new products:

Fever Ballet skirt, cream - usually £39, £33.15 today only!

Orla Kiely cross stitch caraway bag - usually £295, £250.75 today only!

Charming Taylor coat - usually £79, £67.15 today only!

Tara Starlet full circle red floral prom dress - usually £75, £63.75 today only!

Irregular Choice Patty shoes, black - usually £49, £41.65 today only!

Doll Face weekend bag - usually £49, £41.65 today only!

Darling Sasha cardigan - usually £45, £38.25 today only!

Why not have a look at our New In section for even more new stock?

The 15% off code is valid until midnight tonight (Monday 30/08), so be hasty!  Just enter the code AB15 at the checkout and the discount will be automatically applied.

Until next time,

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

Jobs at Aspire Style

We at Aspire Style have some very exciting news to announce...

WE ARE EXPANDING!

Our fourth and newest shop will be opening in Solihull this Autumn, and we're looking for a new team to join us. We've set up a careers section on the website which can be found here, where you'll find details of all the jobs available in Solihull and our other stores too.  Currently we're recruiting for:

Assistant manager, Solihull

Sales assistants, Solihull

Sunday supervisor - Solihull

Sunday supervisor - Stratford upon Avon

Saturday sales assistant - Stratford upon Avon

Website co-ordinator - Stratford upon Avon

Sales assistant - Warwick

Full details on the jobs and information on how to apply can be found on the individual job pages accessible by the main careers page or by clicking on the links above, so if you think you've got what it takes to be an Aspire girl, don't hesitate to apply!  Make sure you fill in an application form (downloadable from the website) as we cannot accept applications without one of these.  Please email careers@aspirestyle.co.uk if you have any questions.

We'll let you know more about our fabulous new shop in the forthcoming weeks!

Until next time,

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

And the winner is...

Massive thanks to all of you who entered our competition this weekend, either by Facebook or Twitter, or by commenting on our previous post.  We've had a look through all the responses we've got, and chosen our lucky winner...

Congratulations, Joanna Ashton!

Joanna entered on Facebook and said the following:

I love the flutter and fancies satchel. It is so girly and pretty yet really practical for work. I think it's really original and I look at it and wish it was mine every time i go into your shop! Am going for interviews at the moment (so am currently broke) and would love a good bag for interviews and work that reflects my personality :D I would also wear it at the weekend if I had it because it's perfect for everything :D

And here's Joanna's prize!

Joanna: to claim your wonderful Flutters and Fancies satchel, please email your address to shop@aspirestyle.co.uk and we'll get it posted out to you.

Thanks again to everyone who entered - you all said such lovely things it was really hard to choose.  Don't worry if you didn't win this time as we'll definitely be running more competitions in future.  Keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time,

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

Competition time!

Roll up, roll up for the chance to win pretty goodies!  Normally we hold competitions like this solely on Twitter, but we figure that's quite mean to all those poor Facebook-only people out there.  Also, the competition this time is going to be on for MUCH LONGER - a whole weekend as opposed to a measly two hours!  I know, we're spoiling you.  Perhaps it's because we feel so terrible about being a bit quiet really on the old bloggery front.  We don't want you thinking Aspire doesn't love you anymore; absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we're maxing out our fondness levels for you right now.

The prize this weekend is a lovely one indeed.  Obviously everyone has different tastes, so instead of picking just one thing, we want you to tell us what your favourite Aspire Style product is and why, and it could become yours!  Just enter your answer in the comments below, and you can earn two extra entries by posting on our Facebook fan page here or tweeting your answer (make sure you include @aspirestyle).

Ts and Cs: You can only enter once through each medium (the comments section, Facebook and Twitter) - don't be spammy!  It's not big and it's not clever.  Points for originality.  The competition will close at lunchtime on Monday the 26th of July and the winner will be informed on that afternoon.

Good luck!

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

Aspire Style - fame at last!

You poor, neglected things.  I know, I know, it's been a while, but for good reason!  We've been very busy here at Aspire Style HQ over the past few weeks.  Firstly there was our amazing three flash sales which took place over the first weekend of the month which proved to be such a success we will definitely be holding them again soon!  If you missed out, make sure you're kept in the know next time by signing up for our mailing list.  We don't spam, I promise, and it means you'll be informed about our news and promotions before anyone else.

Secondly, we've also had products featured in Grazia two weeks in a row, which has kept us pretty snowed under.  The first product to grace the pages of one of our favourite magazines was the Ruby Belle Madagascar bustier dress (£39), still available in sizes 8, 12 and 14 (limited stock):

The following week, not only did Grazia feature our Fever Cezanne side lace dress (£69), it also showcased it on the cover (top right hand corner)!

As this item was already an Aspire bestseller, you can imagine how many orders we had after all the nation's most stylish ladies clapped eyes on it.  Unfortunately they got our website address slightly wrong, but the determination of our lovely new customers won through.

We've only got very limited sizes left but are still having the odd one or two returned, so if you weren't able to get the size you want, either keep an eye on the website or email us with what size you want and we'll let you know if we get one in.  Alternatively, we now stock the Cezanne print in a beautiful cocktail dress (£65):

And if it's the flattering side lace shape you're after, we have this in a lovely blue butterfly print:

A massive HELLO to all our new customers (and a reassuring 'we haven't forgotten about you' hug to all our lovely loyal ones) - we look forward to seeing more of you!

Until next time,

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