August 2009 Archives

IF like us you drool over the Chanel Camelia rings but the number of noughts on the price tag leaves you choking, then make your way to Miss Selfridge.
There you will find this beautiful lookie-like ring. And the best bit is it is yours for just £10. Race you there....

SUMMER may be almost over but there is still a chance to be bronzed and beautiful.
The good people at 17 have a fab offer on their 17 Bronzed and Gorgeous Summer Glow Kit, to help you pull off the must-have sunkissed look - it's all yours when you spend £5 or more on 17 products between now and September 8.

LIVERPOOL fashion designer and dress maker Francesca Kearns is looking for female models to take part in her début catwalk show, which will take place this autumn in aid of local charity The Lily Centre.
So, if you have ever dreamt of strutting your stuff down the catwalk and think you've got what it takes to be a top model then why not head down to the casting?

If you're looking for a stylish new coffee table book, you could do worse than picking up a copy of Louise Baring's new book Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour.

The book chronicles the work of the fashion and portrait photographer who worked on Harper's Bazaar in the 1930s before joining Vogue in the 1940s.

Parkinson also photographed many of the greatest icons of the twentieth century, as well as some of the world's most beautiful women. Those featured include Audrey Hepburn and famous fashion models such as Jerry Hall, Barbara Goalen and Parkinson's wife, Wenda Rogerson.

The much-anticipated collection from Katie Holmes is due to be unveiled to the world next month.

The actress and designer Jeanne Yang have teamed up to design a premium women's and children's line with the mini-me versions inspired by Katie's very own fashionista, her daughter Suri.

BY GUEST BLOGGER KAREN PODESTA OF GEEK CHIC

Our impeccably stylish friends and TeaDance sponsors Silverberg Opticians had us round for a cuppa at their Whitechapel store earlier this week so we could try on our favourite frames. With over 2500 designer pairs in store I was in spec-heaven and stayed for hours, having fashion palpitations as I pulled pair after pair from the racks. I have to share some of them with you...

BY GUEST BLOGGER GEMMA ALDCROFT OF GEEK CHIC

While I was researching for Club Geek Chic's TeaDance (this Saturday at The Racquet Club) I of course went straight to YouTube and typed in 'Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers'. I found this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYHZh-xnqhE&feature=related

It is from the 1935 film 'Top Hat'. Isn't this just one of the most delectable pieces of film ever? The music, the dancing and the clothes make me hanker after a more elegant time, a time when people could talk to each other on the dance floor, when men and women didn't feel the need to down huge amounts of Blue WKD before holding each other close and when gentlemen could look manly rather than 'quirky' or 'alternative' whilst wearing a tailcoat with a carnation in the lapel.

Ok, so Fred Astaire is no Gerard Butler-style hunk (and I am rather partial to a bit of Gerard from time to time) but there is something incredibly sexy about a man who can sweep you around a dance floor like you're made of tissue paper.

And as for Ginger's clothes...well, obviously it doesn't do any harm that she's got a wonderful dancer's body but I think ladies really dressed to flatter their figures back then. How is it that, as in the above clip, Ginger could wear a dress made almost entirely of pink marabou feathers and not look overdressed? The bling back then was somehow more stylish than current fashions like on Katharine Hepburn's famous party dress from the 1939 film 'The Philadelphia Story'...

It's not subtle but it's certainly sophisticated!

I suppose what I'm trying to say is in the 1930s men weren't afraid to be charming and elegant and women could dress in an incredibly feminine way without appearing 'girlie'. Katie Hepburn's character Tracy was actually quite a ball breaker but she never stopped looking like a lady!

So this is what I will be bearing in mind when I decide what to wear for our lovely TeaDance event on Saturday. In order to look like a sophisticated lady of the 30s dress for your figure, keep the bling to a minimum but make it count and whatever you wear, wear it as if Fred Astaire is about to walk in the room, gather you up in his arms and sing "Heaven...I'm in heaven...".

There are still some tickets left for TeaDance at the Racquet Club this Saturday from 5pm when you will be treated to a spot of Irving Berlin and full afternoon tea amongst other things! Go to www.clubgeekchic.co.uk and click on the paypal link to purchase.

BY GUEST BLOGGER KAREN PODESTA OF GEEK CHIC

Hello readers Behaving Stylishly, and thanks Girls for inviting me to your blog! I'm Club Geek Chic's new Events Director and what a fabulous time I'm having already! As you'll find out in later blogs, Gemma and I have lots of exciting events planned for you all...including our fabulous TeaDance at the Liverpool Racquet Club this Saturday.

So here we are again in the midst of yet another British 'summer'. Lazing in the park one minute, running for shelter the next. What fun.

WELCOME TO GUEST BLOGGER GEMMA ALDCROFT:

Hello again stylish ones! How lovely to be invited back to the GBS blog!
After a break of seven months Club Geek Chic is back and tomorrow you'll be hearing from my new partner in chic-geekery Karen Podesta! And we hope to meet some of you at our wonderful TeaDance event at the Racquet Club on Saturday...more of that later in the week.
In the meantime I'd like to talk about something that fashion-wise is very close to my heart.

YOU may remember a little while ago we had the pleasure of Gemma Aldcroft, the woman behind Club Geek Chic, guest blogging for us.
Gemma held the first of her clever Club Geek Chic events, a bijou affair in The Italian Club on Bold Street entitled 'Words and Music' offering city socialites a sophisticated and intelligent nightlife, two years ago.