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

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