Rudell the Jewellers host Patek Phillipe Exhibition in Harborne, Birmingham

Rudell the Jewellers were delighted to host the 2011 Patek Phillipe Exhibition at their luxury showroom in Harborne, Birmingham.

The extensive collection was on display from the 22nd to the 25th of September and comprised of over eighty exquisite timepieces as well as the beautiful new additions to their jewellery portfolio.

Rudells clients were invited to come and enjoy the luxury environment in the showroom and discuss their requirements with our highly trained staff. Adrian Lurshay, Brand Director and Sarah Roake from Patek Philippe UK were also in attendance and on hand to impart their expert knowledge to clients.

Debuted at Baselworld 2011, Rudells Patek Philippe exhibition presented their broad selection of new timepieces, with a main focus on Grand Complication watches – highly complex masterpieces of micro-mechanical ingenuity, featuring combinations of minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, tourbillons, and/or chronographs.

For the first time in the history of Patek Philippe, the showcase introduced a Grand Complication wristwatch for ladies. The 7071R Ladies chronograph is a masterpiece in rose gold, it has 136 diamonds elegantly set into its case and available with a black or white dial.

Gentlemen viewing the collection were equally impressed with the Grand Complication 5270G-001. The Perpetual calender chronograph features a thirty minute count sub-dial as well as night and day function and leap year counter; a true centrepiece to the collection.

Rudells Watch Manager Gina Feng was delighted with the response to the collection, “It is wonderful to be able to showcase such a complete collection of these outstanding watches, and share them with our clients. We would like to thank Patek Philippe for sharing their exhibition with us”.

How to Wear Animal Print – Style Advice from Pure Collection

Animal print is very on-trend this season, seen on shoes, bags, tops and even tights. Traditionally it has been difficult for women to style, but with some simple tips to keep in mind, adding a bit of animal print into a casual or night time outfit can be easy and fun.
Pure Collection have a fabulous Cashmere Animal Print Cardigan, £149 back this season in the same neat fit with a brand new animal print design. It’s 100% Cashmere, finished with mother of pearl buttons and rib trims. Wear it buttoned up or open over a camisole top.

The key with styling animal print is to pair it with solid pieces, picking out the shades from the print to replicate in the rest of your outfit. These Slim Leg Jeans, £89 come in a deep indigo and complement the cardigan perfectly. The fabric is a touch stretchy for extra comfort and fit.

For practicality as well as style, accessorise with a Mock Ostrich Leather Belt, £59 .This comes in the finest leather and is finished with a pewter metal buckle. The sandy tones of the Ostrich effect bring out the animal print seen in the cardigan.

A bag for this outfit needs to be of high quality yet subtle; this Pocket Detail Tote Bag, £279 comes in softly textured leather and a multitude of pockets for all your bits and bobs. The dark tone helps the animal print stand out and won’t compete for attention like a bright coloured bag would.

Finally to finish, a Cashmere Infinity Scarf, £79 in Grey Camel and super soft 100% Cashmere adds the final luxurious touch to the outfit. Its infinity style provides warmth for autumn, whilst remaining lightweight.

Pure Collection Autumn Winter range is now online, featuring quality, luxury items that will last through the seasons.

www.purecollection.com

Autumn Winter Fashion Presents The Car Bootique – The Ultimate Fashion Showcase Westfield London

Fashion lovers - get ready - as the Car Bootique returns to Westfield London Shopping Centre for its second year, this season in association with Mercedes-Benz. From Tuesday 27th September to Sunday 2nd October, the über chic Car Bootique will be taking the traditional concept of a car boot fair to new heights as Westfield London’s most sought-after fashion brands take the wheels of a Mercedes-Benz car filling the boot with exclusive lines and savvy stylish buys.

Over six days of pure fashion, try and buy new and one-off pieces to seamlessly transition your wardrobe for autumn winter.
Men’s and women’s clothing brands including Reiss, Coach, French Connection, Twenty8Twelve, Onitsuka Tiger, Ted Baker, House of Fraser, Firetrap, River Island and DKNY Jeans, plus more will be on offer. Enjoy speed grooming with make-up artists who will be applying their expertise with the latest colour palettes and products, and sharing their top beauty tips.

BLOGGER TUTORIALS
Want to tell the world about your Bootique experience? Pull-in at a Blogger Tutorial session for the chance to learn the art of blogging from high profile names in the bloggers realm. On Saturday 1st October come and join Jenny from The Style PA, Emily from Fashion Foie Gras and Navaz from Disney Roller Girl for masterclasses on how to compose the ultimate fashion and beauty posts. Sessions will be available for beginner, intermediate and advanced writers.

CALLING BLOGGERS: WANT TO WRITE FOR THE STYLENOTES BLOG?
We’re on the hunt for three guest bloggers to write for the Stylenotes blog in the areas of beauty, women’s fashion and men’s fashion. Whether you have a unique writing style, are a video novice, a photoshop pro, a style icon, or if you simply love Westfield London – we want to hear from you! This is a fantastic way to showcase your talent on a well-established platform, plus earn money for your work. See the website for entry details.

A FABULOUS FASHION FINALE

If all the trunks of treasures haven’t completely satisfied your love for a fashion fix then get yourself a front row seat at Westfield London’s exclusive fashion shows, on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October. One live show will take to the catwalk four times on each day showcasing the very best in autumn/winter style***.

If you love food as much as fashion, then why not take the weight off your pins and refuel at one of Westfield London’s 65 restaurants which offer an array of food styles and fusions from around the world.

For further information, please visit: www.westfield.com/london

Rudell the Jewellers Entertain with Audemars Piguet at Edgbaston Golf Club

Rudell the Jewellers in association with Audemars Piguet were delighted to entertain 40 clients on 12th September to a fabulous golfing event with Lee Westwood on the beautiful course at Edgbaston Golf Club, Birmingham.

Audemars Piguet, Manufacture of the finest Swiss watches, count many professional golfers amongst those who choose to wear the brand. Midlands golfing hero, Lee Westwood, currently ranked World #2 is a brand ambassador for Audemars. Rudells arranged the day to celebrate Anthony Rudells passion for the game and love of the Edgbaston club, of which he was a long standing member.

Players on the day participated in a golf clinic with Westwood, in which many players were helped to improve their swing before teeing off with their partners in the 18 hole, 4 ball tournament. Lee played the 3rd hole with each of the twelve teams and showed his mastery of the 'hallowed' game against testing weather conditions; although the day remained dry it was incredibly windy on the course.

Glenn Jenkinson, Rudells Sales Manager said "we were incredibly fortunate to share our day with Lee Westwood and when we contacted our clients to invite them to enjoy a wonderful day at Edgbaston, they were genuinely delighted at the thought of playing a couple of holes with Lee”.

Once all the teams had completed their rounds, everyone relaxed and enjoyed a drinks reception back in the club house and took the opportunity to view the complete collection of Audemars Piguet timepieces that were on display before the prize presentation took place. Mrs Sara Fullard came in first place and lifted an Audemars Piguet Golf Bag valued at £1000 as her prize. After the presentations the players enjoyed a sumptuous four course dinner with fine wines.

Friend of Rudells Dottie Beanland, Warwickshire Ladies County Captain who was present on the day said, "The Ladies of Warwickshire County Golf are proud to have Rudells as a sponsor and I thought it was a wonderful day in celebration of Roundys life and love of golf. It was exciting to meet one of the best players in the world, Lee Westwood, whose clinic was humorous and informative and he was an extremely charming gentleman ".

Jon Weston, Rudells Managing Director and Gary Mead, CEO of Audemars Piguet UK, were both delighted at the turn out by Rudells clients. Jon was especially delighted at the success of the day and felt it was a wonderful tribute to the life of a true friend and mentor.

FACTFILE:
Rudells currently have two showrooms one in Wolverhampton and the other in Harborne, Birmingham. Please visit them for a warm, friendly service and to view their quality jewellery ranges, prestigious watch brands and giftware.

The website contains a wide range of jewellery from diamond rings, necklaces and earrings to bracelets and watches, our ranges include ladies and gent’s jewellery. There are many sections dedicated to new and previously owned products and sections for all types of occasions like wedding and engagement rings.

Debenhams' Fashion Dictionary gets an update

Debenhams has added new words to a fashion dictionary it gives to personal shoppers, due to an influx of new terms that have emerged from the fashion press.

Whilst newly made up words such as 'shooties' and 'jeather' are instantly understood by clothing industry insiders, terms from last year's dictionary such as 'jardigan' and 'tregging' are now only understood by shoppers thanks to the dictionary says the store.

So mainstream are these unusual ways of describing clothing that even the Oxford English Dictionary has been forced to include terms from the Debenhams fashion dictionary such as 'jegging' and 'mankini' for 2011.

Said Debenhams spokesperson Ed Watson: "The addition of 'jeggings' and 'mankini' to the Oxford English Dictionary shows our glossary informed the masses and we now need to take it upon ourselves to create clarification once more".

"We are still aiming to strip away as much of this new language as possible and use plain English to describe everything we sell."

New fashion phrases added to the dictionary include mangrow (baby grow for men); shinos (short/chinos); trogues (trainer/brogues); jorts (jean/shorts); athleisure (clothes to take you from work to the gym); spants (skirt/pants); swacket (sweater/jacket) and glittens (mittens that roll back to reveal gloved fingers).

Debenhams' Ed Watson said: "We believe these words are only properly understood by approximately five per cent of the population - yet they are commonly used throughout the fashion industry.

"It’s virtually a secret language, designed solely for fashion experts and people who read fashion magazines on a daily basis.

"Debenhams decided to produce the dictionary so that every shopper, both fashion expert and non-expert alike, can shop easily and clearly in all of our stores. Debenhams is encouraging the fashion industry to use existing English words to describe garments rather than these made up amalgamations."

Watson continued: "Ideally we would like to drop all these amalgamations, but our hands are tied due to the terms being used on search engines. We are committed to keeping their use to a minimum. Hopefully the dictionary will go some way to cleaning up the confusion.

"It is now easier to understand complex calculus than some of the words commonly used by commentators within the fashion industry to describe garments."

Marie Clair, spokesperson for Plain English Campaign said: "The world of fashion is reliant on these changing trends, which are often based on little more than classic foundations with clever twists.  These latest words are just existing, familiar words that have been cut and stitched to make nothing more than the 'Emperor's new clothes'". 

The New Debenhams 2011 Fashion dictionary will be out this week.

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New first for Debenhams. It is first high street retailer with complete mobile package

Debenhams has announced the launch of its new mobile-enabled site, allowing customers to access the website and shop on their mobiles, as and when they need, becoming the first on the high street to offer a complete mobile package across all mobile technologies.

This follows a clear demand from customers with traffic from the Debenhams website accessed from mobile phones increasing by a massive 225% from August 2011 compared to the same time last year.

Complementing the existing Debenhams app on the iPhone, Android and Nokia as well as an iPhone app for the Beauty Club loyalty scheme, the new Debenhams mobile site means that Debenhams is now fully mobile - with a mobile offering suitable for every handset available on the market and the first high street retailer to offer a complete range of mobile offerings - combining mobile apps and a designated mobile site.

The Debenhams mobile site was developed entirely in house and offers the full functionality of the website including store locations and opening hours when on the move. Customers can also watch Debenhams TV through YouTube as well as become a fan on Facebook through the mobile site.

Simon Forster, director for Debenhams.com said: "Mobile continues to form a large part of our digital strategy, as an area which shows no sign of slowing down. We have seen a clear demand for shopping on the go. The addition of the m-site to our mobile offering means that no customer is excluded."

Debenhams is also championing new technology linked to smartphones, with the addition of initiatives such as Aurasma, bringing together TV and print media, and virtual shopping with the integration of QR codes into smaller stores in order to extend the range on offer. 

In the first six months, the Debenhams iPhone app has been downloaded over 500,000 times and has taken over £1million in sales.

FACTFILE::
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a total of 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark.

It offers a wide range of products across menswear, women's clothes including dresses and skirts, childrenswear, lingerie, accessories, health and beauty, homeware and gifts.

Trading from over 12 million square feet of space, Debenhams employs nearly 29,000 people. In addition, it has 61 international franchise stores in 24 countries around the world.

Debenhams customer offer encompasses a unique combination of own brands, international brands and concession brands. Own brands comprise own label brands - such as Red Herring, Mantaray, Maine New England, Debut and Bluezoo.

Designers at Debenhams, an exclusive portfolio of diffusion brands from internationally known fashion designers includes lines from Jeff Banks, Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Henry Holland, Betty Jackson, Julien Macdonald, John Rocha, Ben de Lisi, Erickson Beamon, Lisa Stickley, Eric Van Peterson and Matthew Williamson. Ranges from Jonathan Saunders, Jonathan Kelsey, Roksanda Ilincic and Preen are also available in the newly introduced Edition boutique in selected stores.

It's just an illusion - tights that give you perfect pins!

On first glance, Kate Winslet stunned us with her eye-popping curves. But it was all a trick of the eye. Stella McCartney’s 'optical illusion dress' with its perfectly positioned panelling flattered Kate's shape, gave her an impressive bust-line and super-skinny waist.

Hosiery retailer Tightsplease.co.uk are awaiting stock of a clever pair of tights that give the wearer the illusion of slimmer legs. Pretty Polly's Slimming Effects Tights are printed with subtle shading to give legs a slimmer silhouette and perfectly proportioned pins.

Hosiery trickery isn't something new. During World War 2 nylon was used to make parachutes instead of hosiery and this gave rise to women staining their legs with tea bags, gravy browning or even shoe polish to give the impression of wearing stockings, whilst others enlisted the help of friends to draw vertical lines down the back of their legs to imitate seams. Luckily, today's technical advances in hosiery manufacture and computer- led design have enabled women of the 21st century to simply pull on a pair of perfect pins.

Slimming Effect Tights are available at Tightsplease.co.uk for pre - order, Available in One Size, £12.50 !

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Debenhams has unveiled a new multi-million pound marketing campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011

Starring designers Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and for the first time, Henry Holland, the autumn campaign follows the successful spring launch of Debenhams' first brand campaign for four years.

Richard Cristofoli, Marketing Director at Debenhams pointed out: "The spring campaign was successful - dresses featured in the advert saw sales double and our Reger by Janet Reger lingerie sales increased by 300%.

"Furthermore, the spring campaign was vital in reminding customers about the unique relationship Debenhams has with some of the biggest names in fashion. We've learnt from the spring ad and autumn represents the first significant evolution for the campaign."

Now under the banner 'Life Made Fabulous', Debenhams has developed the concept further and is confident of a positive response to match if not exceed, the previous season.

Each advert opens with a designer in their studio, adding the finishing touches to a garment. The transition moment is a close up of the product before the scene shifts to the same item being worn and enjoyed in real life situations.

All adverts feature the campaign strap line 'Life Made Fabulous with Designers at Debenhams', with the voice of the campaign coming from Billie Piper of 'Belle du Jour' fame.  

Richard continued: "Featuring big name designers that have been working with us for over ten years as well as some of the new additions like Henry Holland, this campaign tells the story of a Designer at Debenhams garment in an upbeat and beautifully shot series of adverts.

"We have secured some fantastic prime-time slots to launch the campaign, including Emmerdale and the X Factor and are excited to see the reaction from our customers."

The new backing track for the campaign is 'This is the Life' by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club. The band's name came about after member Sam Halliday mispronounced the name of the local cinema, Tudor Cinema, and it stuck.

The ads will launch during Emmerdale and will feature Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and, for the first time, Henry Holland.

In addition, Debenhams' biggest selling exclusive non-designer range Red Herring will also be featured in an advert showcasing some of the brand's most popular young fashion.

The full 40 second adverts will also run during the coveted X Factor showing following the launch.

Also supported digitally through Debenhams.com and Debenhams TV, the campaign is enhanced with exclusive interactive material such as interviews with each designer, top picks and social media activity, taking a look at how the designers work to create their collections in store each season.

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Marks and Spencer announces the final instalment of the unique collaboration with Anna Smit and The Royal College of Art

Marks and Spencer is proud to present the final RCA Limited Collection as designed by overall winner Anna Smit. Selected from 10 shortlisted students in September 2010, Anna Smit has been working with the M&S design team to create a capsule collection of stylish staples as a continuation of her winning designs.

Said: Anna Smit:  “This collection is a continuation of the previous collection I did for Marks & Spencer. I have looked at opposites in simple silhouettes, fluid shapes in contrast with rigid shapes and how to flow from one to the other. Fabrics have either been manipulated so that they themselves transform from soft to solid or appropriated to specific cuts allowing their structure to transform garment silhouettes.”

The capsule collection comprises of four tailored pieces including jersey ruched leg trousers £39.50, a tobacco fluid form top £35 and two dresses; a colour block dress £49.50 and a navy draped dress £45. The collection launches on www.marksandspencer.com and in the Marble Arch store on 8th September 2011.

Topshop and Topman to open flagship in Chicago 8th September 2011

Arcadia owned Topshop/Topman has announced the opening of the second flagship in the U.S., bringing both brand's joint style authority and brave trend-setting approach to fashion to Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

Topshop/Topman Chicago will boast the same selection of trend-driven pieces, specialized collaborations and bespoke services that both brands have become known for. With covetable collections available to the price-conscious consumer, Topshop/Topman have long had their legions of followers, and as British high-street style champions, Topshop/Topman remains a favourite amongst industry insiders alike.

Similarly designed in the spirit of London's iconic Oxford Circus store, Topshop/Topman Chicago will be outfitted with a modern and sleek décor, including lacquer finishes and suspended glass fixtures, super slick walls and stark white tiled floors.

Set across the cellar and first floor, Topshop will showcase Unique, the directional collection presented at London Fashion Week, along with exclusive designer collaborations with many of New Gen’s young talent, as well as the extensive trend-driven mainline. The first floor will host the Boutique area, featuring limited edition ranges and premium styles.

An impressive denim range by MOTO, a vast shoe lounge, and a breadth of casualwear, lingerie, as well as Petite, Tall and Maternity will be also available. What's more, accessories and concessions to compliment will be merchandised throughout both floors. Boasting several changing rooms and a VIP suite on the first floor, all are constructed with maximum comfort and shopping ease in mind.

Topman's brilliant men's fashion premium line, Topman Design, as well as various designer collaborations will be found on the second floor. The floor will feature an exhaustive denim area, freestanding fixtures complete with variations of tees, printed tees, polos and vests. The Smart area shop-in -shop offers sharp tailoring, fine knitwear and chic accessories for special occasions. Similarly, men's shoes are showcased in their own designated area.

Set in a private suite of luxurious fitting rooms, a team of talented Personal Shoppers will be on hand for complimentary appointments, offering a menu of tailored services for any shopping occasion. Topman boasts its own complimentary stylist service, whereby customers can employ the skills and advice of trained stylists in the privacy of the Topman Stylist rooms, in similarly private and comfortable suites, with no obligation to buy. Customers can also enjoy sweet treats and refreshments, the latest fashion magazines as well as expert personal shopping advice.

FACTFILE:

- TOPSHOP/TOPMAN Chicago will be located at 830, North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
- Tophop/Topman Chicago store will be three floors with TOPSHOP in the cellar and first floor, and TOPMAN on the second floor.
- 49,000 gross square feet, to trade 30,000 to 35,000 square feet
- This will be the second fully owned International Flagship

Molton Brown launches 'Navigations Through Scent' collection

Molton Brown has launched a new artisan fragrance range - The 'Navigations Through Scent' Collection.

The range includes five varied and distinct unisex fragrances to be enjoyed by men and women. To mark the brand's debut into the artisanal fine fragrance arena, this collection was exclusively available at Harrods from August 2011 and is now available in Molton Brown stores nationwide.

Taking a timely journey into the world of fine fragrance, Molton Brown has created a collection which surprises and seduces through its promise of intriguing stories and ingredients.

The 'Navigations Through Scent' Collection delves into the heritage of perfume, tracing its influences back to the ancient spice route, where rarity and the high value of the ingredients made trading along this trail both exhilarating and perilous. Following key focal points along the route, the journey starts in the Ancient World, the birthplace of fragrance – Egypt, China and Indonesia, then over to England for trade, before entering the New World in Canada.

The floriental-spicy scent of 'IUNU' (30° 12’N, 31° 32’E) starts the journey, transporting the mind to the Nile, echoing strength, power, seduction and majesty with its lead ingredient, Egyptian white jasmine, giving an elegant opulence. 'LIJIANG' (25° 16’N, 110° 16’E) leads to China, with its floral-musky scent capturing the light, delicate softness of silk and crisp tea. Its lead ingredient, osmanthus absolute, brings a fresh delicacy and sophistication to the fragrance. Next to Indonesia with 'SINGOSARI' (07° 91’S, 112° 65’E), drawing its inspiration from the beauty of the spices and memories of tropical weather, with patchouli perfectly capturing the essence of the country, producing a spicy-woody scent.

The journey continues to England for trading with 'APULDRE' (51° 02’N, 0° 47’E) which, through its lead ingredient of juniper berry, conjures images of green lawns, English mischief and gin & tonics, perfectly capturing its green-aromatic quality. The journey ends in the New World, Canada, with 'ROGART' (45° 33’N, 63° 9’W) a juxtaposition of continental ices and heat, civilization and wilderness with fir balsam and maple making up its woody-fresh scent, inspiring the warm feeling of being inside, with the cold weather outside.

Jennifer Jambon, Molton Brown's Principal Perfumer, spent a year travelling to these destinations and uncovered a host of unusual scent ingredients, all of which had a powerful influence on her creation process, evoking emotions and memories.

"It was my dream to develop an artisanal collection, that not only captured the essence of the Molton Brown brand, but also inimitable fragrances which resonated with the wearer, in a unique and very personal way. The 'Navigations Through Scent' collection has been designed to appeal to niche fragrance lovers everywhere. Each fragrance note has been beautifully and painstakingly crafted, using the finest, rarest ingredients. It took me a year of careful research, exploration and discovery to prepare these five unique scents, which I feel perfectly echo the essence of the spice trade, and the wonderful role of perfume through the ages."

Molton Brown's Navigations Through Scent Collection offers sensuous anecdotes of worldly destinations, unraveling personal memories and senses to capture a truly timeless experience.

FACTFILE:

The Molton Brown story began in 1973 when it opened its first emporium on South Molton Street in London’s Mayfair. A ground-breaking hair salon, it was renowned for its totally natural, no-chemical philosophy and ethical hair care line.  Early products were hand mixed in the salon from herbs and plant extracts; and were sold in hand-filled glass bottles.

Since its conception, the philosophy remains unchanged.  Molton Brown products are still inspired and created through unexpected combinations of natural elements and its creativity, to constantly surprise and delight. Each exciting new product fuses natural science with exotic flowers, plants and marine extracts sourced from around the globe.

www.moltonbrown.co.uk