January Sale and Rizzle Kicks

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone is sticking to their resolutions, after chatting in the office we realised that we tend to fail so we decided avoid the disappointment by not setting any. In fact I don’t think I have achieved one since I decided to become 33% less angry back in 2001!

With the New Year comes the January sales and hopefully some amazing bargains. We are now at a point when further reductions are being added to further tempt you to part with you Christmas money (or vouchers if grandparents have been involved). Most of the large retail stores have lowered prices including Topshop and River Island. I nearly bought next year’s Christmas cards at Sainsbury’s but realised that I was turning into my mum so I put them back.

In order to get the best bargains there are a few tips that you could use:

1.     It is likely that many of the main stores will have been picked over as there have been a few weeks of sales already so it may be worth trying stores in quieter areas. This is easier in bigger cities but it is worth a shot (obviously you may want to check online too).

2.     There may be an item that you like but the colour isn’t quite right, don’t ignore that bright green top, dye it a darker colour. Granted there is a tiny bit more work involved but it’s worth it.

3.     If the size you want is gone then you could always try a size above or below. Sizing is often a bit hit and miss so you could get lucky but if not some simple sewing can help make the item fit perfectly.

4.      Some of the better deals will be on random styles or items. Why not take something that you wouldn’t normally wear and give it a go, what’s the worst that can happen?

5.      Independent stores also have some great sales so make sure you don’t stick to the bigger stores!

Hopefully these tips will help you jazz up your wardrobe for 2012.

I shall leave you with the Rizzle Kicks song because it’s amazing!!

O

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Versace x H&M

Hi Everyone,

Versace x H&M appears to have been a success with the website crashing, people queuing overnight across the globe, additional security and photos of empty shelves being posted online. 

The marketing has been in overdrive for a while with the multi-coloured animal print images adorning London Underground and H&M stores with media coverage helping to increase the buzz. But what has the partnership achieved?

Possibly not suitable for the office party

The collection had been previewed and the vibrant colours and loud patterns will certainly brighten up the winter wardrobes. In all honesty the woman’s collection appears much more wearable than the men’s but the tie-in with a high street chain means that the collections get less opportunity to be ‘diluted’ from the catwalk creations. 

Bright vibrant and wearable

The result is that styles are being introduced that are slightly more extravagant/fun but in the era of Lady Gaga creations being slapped across all media what was once considered ostentatious seems relatively mundane. It is also good to see another top fashion icon reaching out to a new audience as opposed to a minor celebrity endorsed range of clothing (The Amy Childs Collection??)

Kudos goes to all involved as the partnership has only created winners, Versace and H&M have an increase in media exposure and sales and the customers are introduced to reasonably priced designer garments.

Best get down to the store and see what's left!

O

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Winter Survival Plan

Hi Everyone,

Winter is here! It’s colder, darker and wetter and no matter how much we want to resist it is definitely time to work on the winter fashion (this Halloween being the exception). In this instance a quick google search will tell you all the trends for the winter so instead of re-hashing what everyone is saying so below are four things that will get me through the cold winter nights.

Wooly hats – Fun and practical, what’s not to like?

    

Mulled wine – Tasty warm and so Christmassy I can literally feel Santa’s presence after a few glasses.

Winter Coat – So big they feel like they can shield you from bullets as well as the elements and if I’m running around London, I will be pretending I’m Sherlock.

Duvet days – There will be times you wake up and you can hear the wind howling, the rain hammering, at this point it is time to let the duvet consume you!

You all better get your winter survival plans prepped, because it’s happening!!

O

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Originals On Tour - Tallinn, Estonia

Hi Everyone,

So we had an extra-curricular activity recently which involved us playing on a cricket tour against the Estonian national team. In the process of the weekend we wore some pretty fetching outfits.

Me and Paul looking dapper before the first match (which we lost heavily).

Me rocking a bowtie as Tallinn deserves maximum effort.

Always enjoy a little bit of street art.

I do like my animals so here are a selection of Tallinns finest.

That’s all for now, be back later in the week.

O

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Summer Highs and Media Lows

Hi Everyone,

Having major issues with my computer today which has made me a wee bit grumpy, this may be reflected in the content of my blog. Fair warning.

I want to start with some positives, firstly, the amount of colour that people are wearing at the minute is great. I remember getting the tube over the winter and it did appear that many people were mourning the loss of the sun as the colours were sombre and styles were practical. The changing of the seasons has changed the attitudes and the summer wardrobes are being accessed.

Highlights I have witnessed whilst biking around town include brightly chinos (men and women) and animal print jumps suits (just women). A few pics below, not mine though as I can’t bike and take photo’s at the same time.

I also re-discovered an old tune the other day that I thought I would share. It popped on in the office and there was some proper Cheshire cat grins all round.

Something that is bugging me at the minute is the media. I am aware of the slight irony in complaining about media via social media but I’ll explain my points. I checked out a website the other day and apparently two ‘stars’ of The Only Way is Essex, who each recently had new nose jobs have split up. If you dropped your coffee because of the news, I’m sorry, I should have warned you in advance. Why is this news? Why am I being told this? Does anyone really care? I will, obviously not be aware of all the factors in this equation but it appears that this show and other ‘star’ shows e.g. Katona, Price, Hilton, Kardashian... have the sole purpose of telling us things that we don’t need to know. It also doesn’t help that they are so heavily scripted that it’s not even reality. So these people are acting at being themselves for the entertainment of the public.

The main factor is money, but where does it come from? Katona was supported (they paid for her house) by her management agency as she is bankrupt. They then make their money by filming her life and selling it to the TV stations who can then sell the advertising slots. The ‘stars’ also cash in via exclusive magazine deals, which inevitably will mislead you with a headline and then show some pictures of the ‘star’ in a new manufactured situation, more non-information.

Then there is the beautiful situation of an agency being responsible for a number of the ‘stars’ who then have relationships which breakdown when a new book/show/product is released. I feel like I’m watching the most ridiculous puppet show in the world and I’m paying via my time and consequently my anger. Which of course brings me on to my role, if I care so little why am I reading and writing about it? I do hate myself for it, I am justifying it by believing that I can stop other people from being taken in these non-celebs so that they eventually disappear and TV stations can focus on spending time, money and other resource on better TV, real actors and quality journalism.

I am partly to blame for the existence of such ‘stars’ as I do look at the websites in the hope that I will find something that interests me e.g. new film trailers, festival info etc. By using these sites they have an increased number of site visits, the site becomes popular and they require more information to satiate the world’s desire for more information. There can’t be that many things happening at any one time so other stories are required and the ‘stars’ are there to fill the void.

At least in this case the damage is limited to extending or creating an undeserved celebrity status. The desire to satisfy national media is somewhat different and the actions are ultimately (and allegedly) more perverse. The phone hacking situation that has been rumbling along for a while has exploded. Very few eyebrows were raised when a few MP’s and celebrities had their phones hacked. Perhaps it was because they got a large payout or perhaps it was the fact we (the public) believe that as they are public figures that we owned them anyway. However, the new allegations of hacking of the publics’ phones whilst they are undergoing turmoil are causing uproar. In some cases police investigations may have been compromised. Other (read as ‘the competitors’) media response will increase the pressure against News International For example, here is a screenshot from the homepage of News International newspaper ‘The Sun’ and here are the homepages of other news outlets. It may be tricky to see, but suffice to say 'The Sun' doesn't seem to think the story is high priority.

Whilst all this happens, the editor at the time Rebekah Brooks undertakes some ‘Matrix Style’ bullet dodging. The idea that the editor was unaware of the actions of the staff is beyond ridiculous but perhaps I am looking for a scapegoat, ignorance is not an excuse. I think worse revelations and allegations will appear shortly so it may get a bit messy.

I have ended up ranting more than I expected, whoops. I do feel like I’ve gathered my thoughts so brace your selves for a succinct conclusion.

The actions of the press and other media to meet the requirements of the public have changed due to the advent of the internet. As we search for up-to-date coverage, new stories and further information we have created a demand that the media has not been able to meet without taking part in questionable actions. In some cases this results in the generation of ‘stars’ and exploits manufactured situations. In other cases this results in plagiarism, illegal phone hacking and contempt of court. In my case I think I am more annoyed by the fact that I feel that media has enough power to consume my time on things that are so obviously banal. This means that I need to be better at resisting such stories and/or need to accept that the make-believe lives of people of limited ability are interesting enough to warrant time in the public domain.

In order to lighten the mood and as a thanks for reading here is a picture of a pug surfing.

O

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Originals On Tour

Hi Everyone,

The last week saw the Originals Team take a little time off so it was a bit quiet on the blog front last week. We are now back so here are a few of the pics from our excursions.

Jimmy ventured to Glastonbury to sample the delights of pitching in the wet (that sounds a bit saucy but it really wasn’t).Highlights included the Wu-Tang Clan, Tinie Tempah and The Chemical Brothers. Jessie J failed to impress, I think that the broken foot was to blame so we won’t hold it against her. Jimmy had the privilege of meeting and having some facial hair chat with the big man himself Michael Eavis!

Group Hug

Random Flag Action

King of the Castle

Lord of the Dance

Next stop is the London Festivals!!

Unlike Jimmy I had the pleasure of visiting the South of France for some beach/food/chilling action.

The fashion and music news from Nice is as follows:

Fashion – Ok, so I feel like I should quantify this next section. I am fair skinned, there isn’t much between me Casper the friendly ghost (see below), so due to being fair skinned I have avoided the sun since I was young.

Consequently I haven’t been to the beach in a while, my expectation was that there would be a lot of cool, well dressed beach folk, I was mistaken. There were a lot of banana hammocks on show and plenty of topless-ness too. I can safely say that the beach fashion articles in all the magazines are currently being ignored for the sake of comfort and nudity. My new saying when it comes to beach clothing is “If you don’t cover it, cream it”. There were some women looking like they had two very tan, leather handbags attached to their chests.

Music – In general, the sprinkling of French music we heard was ok. As with any country you go to there will be some good and some bad. One obvious point is that the budget for French music videos is significantly lower than UK and US counterparts. There were some pretty poor performances but I did see a bit of Ben L’oncle Soul on Taratata, he pretty much owned Pigeon John on this but I enjoyed it, on the whole.

PIGEON JOHN / BEN L'ONCLE SOUL : I got a woman - MYTARATATA.COM
TARATATA N°390 (Tour. le 13/06/2011 / Diff. France 4 le 28/06/11 & France 2 le 01/07/11)

I won’t bore you with any other details but suffice to say it was a great trip to Nice.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled for some interesting stories and I shall report back later in the week.

O

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When is an Injunction Super?

Hey Everyone,

In between working on some new frame designs (note-to-self do not use Mischa Barton as a muse, see below), a new web design project and working out just how hot Rihanna is (currently devising a new ratings scale) we have been debating the super injunctions.

The arguments from both sides of Originals HQ are pretty valid and we all understand that it’s a complicated issue. Who’s rights are right and should we even care?

The whole Imogen Thomas story was a bit of an average story until CTB (aka Ryan Giggs, according to John Hemming MP) decided that he wanted to find out the names of the tweeters via the courts. We all agree that CTB had a right to his privacy but his actions have only galvanised tens of thousands of people. An honest admission and some responsibility for his actions may have helped salvage his reputation but essentially advocating a witch hunt only garners negative headlines.

There are numerous grey areas including the validity of the Super Injunctions in a global social media domain etc. There was some initial suggestions that super injunctions are used by the rich to keep secrets and I’m sure that happens but Premiership players don’t sign up to abide in a certain way off the field so why is there such public interest over his nocturnal activities. In the instance of Fred the Shred, the link to the public interest as more apparent and I can see a strong argument against a Super Injunction ever been given. However a footballer being unfaithful, whilst wrong, really has no relevance to the masses.

The right to freedom of speech can contradict the right to privacy and Twitters role in how the story has developed has resulted in it helping determine the how laws are monitored and adhered to on a global scale.

If there are any winners in this super injunction episode; then Twitter, lawyers and the newspapers could be considered high on the list. At the end of the day the people actually involved in the story are all worse off and I think that is sad, not as sad as Britney performance at the Billboard Awards though (blimey she has gotten lazy).

In true Originals style here is a picture of a Rihanna looking amazing on the white carpet!!

O

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Fashion Icons – Batman and Cheryl Cole

Hi Everyone,

Whilst casting my peepers over the inter-web a few things caught my eye so I thought I would share them.

Working in the fashion industry we are aware that designs and styles are often influenced from many sources. This week has been no exception and you have to love the inter-web and it’s users for the ability to spot where ‘similarities’ have occurred.

Here’s a look at our fav homage’s/inspirations this week.

Firstly we have the super-cool lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars, the age-less Jared Leto, sporting a cape. The man-cape has been gracing the catwalks for a while with an example from the Trussardi 1911 A/W 11 shown with the caped crusader himself, Batman. I think it's only a matter of time before man-capes will be appearing on a high street near you.

As many students will know equations can be rearranged and the picture below shows how Ocean-crossing Cole seems to be inspiring globally. Rebecca Ferguson (we are making no comment on her relationship with 18 year-old Zain Malik) and Sarah Jessica Parker appear to have embraced different aspects of Cole's style. Which is sensible as you certainly don't want to look like a bad imitation.

At Originals HQ we love the capes (that will be my super-hero fetish) but we doubt that the big hair would last if you’re disco dancing with the lights down low.

The quest to be Original will always be fraught with wrong turns down questionable cul-de-sacs but keep testing/trialling and mixing it.

I’m going to get sized up for some capes.

O

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Good News Friday!! Including Obama, Green Lantern and X-men

Hi All,

Nearly the weekend again and according to all sources, it’s going to be a scorcher! I shall be packing my Frisbee and heading to the park.

Due to some short weeks there has been a distinct lack of Good News Friday Blogs, but we’re back now!

1. Impromptu Shopping – The Originals Team disbanded for the bank holiday weekend and travelled back home, I went back up to Grimsby. It was full of surprises, with questionable sea bass, dry humping/dancing from mum’s dog and some clothes shopping.

I genuinely can not remember the last time I went shopping in Grimsby but I managed to pick up a few bits. Kudos to the Burtons sale but my fave purchase was my casual joggers (below) from River Island. Back to the vintage stores this weekend.

2. Obama roasting Trump – I do love a slice of politics and for all of Donald Trumps posturing (read as promotion for American Apprentice) regarding Obama’s birth certificate, it was amazing to see the President defending himself and making Trump look like a chump.

3. The Leisure Society – Perfect lazy summer music, I’ll be playing this all weekend. I think ‘Into The Murky Water’ is my favourite track but I can be a bit fickle so expect a change in the future.

4. Geeking out – There has been a number of new/updated trailers this week including some character trailers for X-Men First class, my favourite is Banshee.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

There is also a new and possibly final Green Lantern Trailer, Kilowog looks amazing.

Finally, it’s free comic book day tomorrow. I would highly recommend the re-print of Green Lantern #30!

Well I hope that keeps you content over the weekend.

O

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A McQueen Weekend

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all feel refreshed after another long weekend!

What a huge few days it has been for the team working at Alexander McQueen. Firstly there was the amazing wedding dress worn by Kate Middleton, designed by Sarah Burton and the Metropolitan Museum of Art held a retrospective for the designer last night.

Royal Wedding fever is starting to die down, although the reports of people queuing outside Westminster Abbey to view the bouquet may suggest otherwise. However, the dress worn by Kate looked incredibly elegant, stylish and classy. How the dress and designer were kept a secret we’ll never know so credit all round. Apparently replica versions are already hitting stores!! In all it was a good day for British fashion with Vivienne Westwood, Philip Treacy and Anna Valentine all coming out on top. Personally, I liked the fact Princesses’ Beatrice and Eugenie went for a bolder approach to stand out.

Over in the US last night a host of classic McQueen designs were displayed as part of a retrospective look at the designers work. Sarah Jessica Parker wore one of the outfits from the collection (on loan) and looked incredible. I like the understated dominatrix look that Leighton Meister wore. It’s going to be interesting to see how far the high street will go with the S&M vibe in the next few months.

O

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Royal Wedding Part 2

Hi Everyone,

So we went and had a look at the preparations here are a few images of what we found.

Parliament Square getting busy with tents securing the prime spots for tomorrow.

So we know that Kate Middleton is making few public appearances but that doesn’t deter one fan. They have brought a doll version to replace her!

I’m sure there are people who have travelled from further afield but USA is being represented here.

Lady in a home made hat in the colours of the Union Jack, love her!

This picture does not do full justice to this ‘fan’ whose random shouting may result in some close attention from security!

We’re sure this is just a taster for tomorrow but the crowd are excited and so are we.

O

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Royal Wedding Part 1

Hi Everyone,

This week has been a short one, we’ve had a lot crammed into a short space of time with project work, birthdays and of course the Royal Wedding. We are assuming that our invite was lost in the post but we don’t mind as excitement is building in chilly London Town!

Views on the Royals are a little bit mixed in the office. Nobody owns a commemorative mug (although I’m sure one of my Grandparents has one) and nobody is up on treason charges so we sit in the middle ground. What is amazing is the atmosphere and excitement in London that is growing in the build up to the event. Hopefully the atmosphere is similar in villages, towns and cities up and down the realm.

Every coin has two sides, and there will be many people arguing the cost of the wedding, the security and the cost to the tax payer. However there are very few events (possibly the Olympics) that have such vast media coverage and focus on positive news. The coverage will also span many different genres, there will be history, fashion (hats and fascinators at the ready), the Military, politics, food and musical aspects all analysed, reviewed and viewed over the day, therefore, something for everyone. All eyes will be on the dress (personally I'm hoping the Queen pulls out a cheeky little number but I think I will be disappointed).

For some the Royal Wedding is a day off work for others it is a waste of time and money. For us at Original HQ it’s a day for people to celebrate and be involved in a huge event on a scale that rarely occurs.

We are going to head down to the preparations and take some pics. We’ll report back with any interesting news and photos shortly.

In the meantime here’s a picture of some Royal Pugs!!

(Source: cassket)

O

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Park Life

Hi Everyone,

So London Town was basking in the glory of Mediterranean temperatures at the weekend so the sensible thing is to enjoy some time at North London’s Parks, specifically Finsbury and Clissold.

Obviously there was some Frisbee action, a few refreshing drinks and some general frivolity. Both parks were lovely and the atmosphere was amazing (aside from some random chump swearing like a sailor around the boating lake). However, I was a bit surprised by the amount of toplessness on show, we are not prudes over at Originals HQ but watching a sweaty late-to-middle aged man strut around is enough to put anyone off their mini-milks

I think the Great British public do panic slightly when we see a bit of sun but there is a time and a place for such shows and it is definitely not on when I’m enjoying a picnic egg and coleslaw!!

This brings me beautifully onto park fashion, we don’t think that this falls into the traditional ‘Summer’ and ‘Festival Trends’ category as it’s too early to be really hot and the type of activity you may be undertaking may vary (easy now) from tree climbing, boulles (bit of culture for you), cooking on a disposable BBQ or just recovering from the stresses of the week.

So here are our tips for looking good in the park:

Cover up – The sun is still hot and as funny as it is watching the fools and their red faces it is not really advised to colour block using your face.

Layers – It will get cold at some point and there will be some shadows cast by clouds so shawl it up or have a jacket close by to shelter under until things heat up.

Deck shoes/pumps – As well kept as parks are there will be some mysterious objects nestled in the grass so make sure that you’ve got your trotters covered.

Loose light fabrics – If you get the fabric right then it needn’t be tight. You just need to create some space in between you and the item, physics will do the rest to keep you cool.

Sunglasses - Get those Original Frames on to complete the amazing summer look!!

PS Don’t climb trees in skinny jeans, they rip something rotten at the crotch.

O

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Marketing, Minority Report and McDonalds

Hey Everyone,

I watched The September issue in the week and came away with a new hero, Grace Coddington. I love her. I can bore you with the details but I recommend that you watch it. It has been well written about in other places but Grace undoubtedly outshone Anna Wintour. Bearing in mind the film took place only with Anna Wintours approval and it is believed it was part of a campaign to soften her image. Whether or not it is successful or not is debatable but it has gotten me thinking about marketing in a bit more depth.

The September Issue is a great piece of marketing as regardless of your personal feelings about the people, Vogue is still being promoted to the hilt in the film. This type of marketing is not available to most companies is shifting due to social media. We have been quite studious recently and attended conferences and expos related to social media and its use for marketing. We at Originals HQ see the benefit of social media (thus this blog) and there are great examples of it working well (KLM and Google spring to mind). Equally mistakes can be made and as social occurs in real time there is less of a review cycle to catch any slip-ups.

The main point that all seem to agree on is that social media and consequently the associated marketing is only in its infancy. As company’s attempt to pry your hard earned cash from your mitts with new and innovative ways we are all subjected to marketing of different types. The Minority Report style retina scanning style personalised adverts will be here sooner rather than later.

I suppose at the end of the day it is all about choice and as long as people can chose whether or not they are subjected to the marketing then its all fair game.

Right I'm off to see if I can win on the McDonalds Monopoly Game!!

O

Paris and Lewisham Fashion Shows

Hi Everyone,

The magic of sunshine! Everyone is happy, well apart from the people on the tube this morning (it nearly got a bit crazy on the Piccadilly Line).

If we swoop past the gossip from Paris Fashion Week (Kate Moss smoking and Kanye West not getting in anywhere) there has been some cool collections. The Louis Vuitton collection (see below) shows some strong vintage influences which confirms what we were seeing at the London Fashion week.

We also had the pleasure of attending the fashion show that was organised, managed and devised by the students at Christ the Kings Sixth Form College. It was probably the most high energy fashion show we have ever been too with music and performances blended into the show. The Originals frames we donated were also shown off with as part of some very cool outfits. Well done to all involved!!

Not long until the weekend so have a good one!!

O

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MIDO 2011, coming to Milan soon!!

MIDO 2011 will open its doors on March 4th-5th and 6th together, as always, with the other fashion exhibitions in Milan: MIPEL, MIFUR e MICAM, and it will present the world premiere of the latest trends in eyewear fashion.

Originals will of course be attending MIDO 2011. We are busy picking out a favourite outfits ready for all the glamorous parties and getting ready to drink plenty of champagne. The rich blend of global trends and the fabulous Milan nightlife means everyone at Originals HQ is getting more and more excited!!

There is still plenty of work and mountains of jobs to get sorted before we can all get out to MIDO. We will be showcasing the collection along with all our new marketing and advertising collateral.

We will let you know all the details nearer the time, but for now its ciao bella....

Celebrity Fragrances!

Hi Everyone,

Semen caught my eye (so to speak) yesterday and I can’t shake it off, so I thought I would lay my thoughts down and see what you guys think.

It has been reported that Lady Gaga has requested that her first fragrance smell of blood and semen. This instinctively leads to huge joke potential e.g. “If I want to smell like blood and semen then I’d spend a night in … insert location”. After an hour or so of doing this, Originals HQ had a chat about celebrity fragrances. A quick search on the old internet leads to numerous lists that show how many celebrity fragrances (or as I will now call them, celebrances) have been released. In 2010 it looks like there were well over 20 celebrances, with releases by such esteemed celebs as Mariah Carey, Bruce Willis and Peter Andre.

I should point out that I have not smelt any celebrances or bought them for anyone, in fact the limit of my fragrance selection is seeing if I like the one mum gets me at Christmas. If I do then I stick with it, if not I return to my default setting of Issey Miyaki (I am currently enjoying Lacoste Challenge). But at what point is a decision made by the consumer that they want to smell like a particular celeb? From what I understand the process of creating a scent is a long scientific process with mixing of the smells and the creation of unique combinations undertaken by experts with years of experience. I can only assume that this is an expensive process. I cannot see all the experts sitting at table waiting for a call from the celeb du jour and seeking their requests for a smell.

Imagine the scene at Perfume HQ when Bruce Willis calls in to the meeting to say he really wants to capitalise on his image and create a manly smell that will incorporate his favourite smell of molten tar and matches after they’ve been blown out. The phone goes down, a few glances around the room, and then they continue as they were before the call ever took place.

The celebrances are obviously a marketing tool, how else was ‘A Devil Wears Prada’ fragrance ever created? The increase in social media and the insatiable demand for news has created more ‘celebs’ than ever before. The perfume industry, like the fashion industry, is capitalising on this. Although I would argue that fashion has a slightly more considered approach. I am thinking about the Kate Moss and Topman and comparing against Cliff Richard’s ‘Miss You Nights’!

I used to enjoy the cryptic perfume adverts that would emerge just before Christmas with beautiful people staring at the camera lustfully, creating an image in my mind that I would associate this lifestyle with my purchase of 90ml of liquid in an ornate glass vial. At what point do we look at a celeb and think that is the lifestyle I want, take me to The Perfume Shop, don’t stop at go, or red lights just drive.

What is the cut-off point? Irrelevance by Konnie Huq, Insanity by Boris Johnson? Perhaps I should just enjoy the celebrances, relish the near pornographic adverts (Beyonce) and get used to spraying blood and semen (scent) on my clothes at the start of the night.

But until then, I will just drop a hint to mum that I need another bottle of Lacoste Challenge.

To finish the week off, here’s a picture a cat wearing a make-shirt fruit helmet.

Have a good weekend Everyone.

O

Business chatter

Hi Everyone,

First blog of the week, sorry to keep you waiting.

So the talk of the economy today got us talking at Originals HQ, as we like to dabble in expressing are opinions on important issues. It is reported that there has been a constriction in the UK’s economy and on the High street even huge names like HMV have called in debt experts so we understand that things are still tough.

Originals HQ have always believed that it doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom. The ability to make a product(s) accessible to a wide audience, catering for their individual tastes and producing great products will always win out. ASOS is a prime example of spreading its wings, reaching new markets and widening its appeal by introducing ASOS Market Place. This has resulted in a 59% increase in sales in the 3months ending in Dec 2010.

The Kindle is an example of a great product that is selling extremely well. The Kindle is not cheap but the storage capacity, long battery life, cost of additional books and the ability to modify and search the text makes the product stand out. These factors have won over customers in these tricky financial times.

The Originals Team make a habit of trend-bucking (that’s what makes us so special) and we dabble into both approaches to make sure we continue to be trend-buck. Original Frames are in more stores than ever and this will continue to grow through 2011 and we are currently putting together ideas for future designs that will be amazing and support the current collection. We’ve also worked hard to make sure that the style, effort, love and beauty of the frames is translated into the final product by reviewing, sampling and sourcing materials of the highest quality.

Wow that was all a bit heavy, here’s a picture of dog in a hat to lighten things up.

Thanks for stopping by!

O

Vintage Festival heads to the South Bank

End of the week, and on top of that ‘Friday Feeling’ it has been announced that the Vintage at Goodwood Festival is coming to the South Bank this summer. Not sure if the festival will be renamed after all Vintage at Goodwood Temporarily Relocated to London’s South Bank Festival is a bit of a mouthful. Regardless of the name, we think it’s pretty exciting news and has got the Originals Team giddy for festival season already. There should be some great stuff on show with fashion, art, design and music from as far back as the 1920’s.

Cast your peepers on the info here: http://www.thevintageguidetolondon.com/breaking-news-vintage-at-goodwood-to-be-held-in-london-this-year/

So far, so good!

2011 – So far so good (granted its only the 19^th January)

It looks like Originals are going to be on the high street pretty soon, serious grown up conversations are being had but the frames should be hitting stores soon! Juicy details to follow.

Good news for We Love Africa their amazing jewellery is on ASOS Marketplace and you can get your mitts on them now, check it out https://marketplace.asos.com/search?q=weloveafrica