EDITEURS AT LARGE

What seems like a long time ago now, but was probably only about April, a plan was masterminded. Initially by fellow Manchester blogger Clare and boutique owner Adam, but many - including myself - got roped in to help out along the way. A party, just for fashion bloggers, with the opportunity to get a pro picture in The éditeur's designer duds. Throw in cupcakes, champagne, and a cracking goodie bag into the mix and you surely have the key to every fashion bloggers' heart.

Last Thursday was the big night, and we crammed in The éditeur's shop to consume said cupcakes and champagne. We worried that nobody would turn up, that too many would turn up, and that nobody would get along - but it seems our worries were unfounded, as everyone was super friendly, and were eager to cast off their clothes and slip into something a little more luxe. Even I was impressed with the goodie bag, despite the hints along the way - Wolford tights, a ChloBo bracelet, and a hairpiece made especially by hat designer Laura Apsit Livens.

My chosen outfits were a Patrizia Pepe ski jacket & slip dress (a kind of riot grrl/early J. Lo mash-up) and a Michael Kors cape & slinky dress (so new they're not even on the website yet). I was a little bit in love with both looks - I was especially surprised at the dreamy fit of the Michael Kors pieces, having always assumed he was more of a TV personality than a real designer - and I'm so impressed with the photos, I almost look like a REAL MODEL. Just not quite as tall, or thin.. or, well, model-like.  I had to be prized out of my outfit at the end of the evening, as most of us did. I've featured the lovely ladies dressed in all their finest below; click on the photo to be taken to their blog.

Big, big thanks must go to the lovely team at The editeur, Clare for getting me involved in helping to organise the event, and all the bloggers who attended. I had a fabulous time! Cheers, and here's to the next one.

GUEST EDITEUR

Last week I had the opportunity to play dress-up in MW Matthew Williamson, Equipment, and Alice by Temperley at Chester womenswear boutique, The éditeur. The full results will be trickle-fed onto their blog over the next few days (you can check out the MW Matthew Williamson post already), but until then here's a small preview of the outfits I styled! Can you tell I'm a fan of the trophy jacket?

The Orange Revolution

    COS dress, Miista shoes, vintage clutch, belt & necklace
Along with the rest of the country I'm rejoicing over this week's glorious weather, and used the sunshine as the perfect excuse to wear a sunny dress. Hardly an orange revolution as the title suggests - far from it, as this is one of my favourite colours to wear. This evening I had an epiphany over its drapes, however; I've owned it since Christmas and this is the first time I realised I was wearing a piece of material on the wrong side. Duh. After a little repositioning it now fits and looks a whole lot better.
Wore this for a dinner with Annabel and Adam of The éditeur and Clare of tweet. Lots of exciting goings on - we dined with the new England football manager (well, sort of, he was on the other side of San Carlo), a prominent purchase was made from the online store during the main course, and arrangements began for an event, which will remain up our well-tailored sleeves for now.. but expect to be hearing lots about it in the very near future!

Chester: Retail At Its Best

Growing up, Chester was my nearest city, and once a month or so I popped in for a quick shop. It wasn't as thrilling as going into Manchester, the big city of shining lights - or that's how I saw it, with its enormous Topshop and the wonder that is Afflecks Palace. I took Chester for granted, I think, and kept my blinkers on as I popped in to pick up an essential.

Today I visited Chester for the first time in over a year and saw it with fresh eyes. Whether it was because the sun was shining brightly (at last! Hoorah) or that the city really has changed, I walked around in wonderment, scooting up and down the steps of the historic Rows and rattling over the cobbles. The city centre was bustling with activity, with independent boutiques nestled happily between multis, and big-name retailers inhabiting beautiful Tudor buildings.

I spent a long time in Aliz Vintage, a store housing vintage Chanel and YSL pieces, along with fabulous lower-priced 1970s lurex dresses; two of which I tried on, one being too large, the other too small. Not my day! I was also treated to a tour of The éditeur, complete with a cup of tea and a slice of hat designer Laura Apsit Livens's birthday cake.

One disappointing discovery was the rebranding of Browns department store: it has always been a Debenhams but had a strong personality of its own, too. Now it seems Debenhams have clumsily ripped down the Browns sign to make way for their own branding, taking a little bit of Chester's retail history along with it.


 How cute..!  Have you ever seen such a beautiful Superdrug?
Of course, I couldn't leave without taking a photo of the second most photographed clock in the world... especially so well contrasted against a brilliant blue sky!
I loved Chester's bustling mix of independent, British, and multinational retailers, all under wonderful 16th century rooves; perhaps Mary Queen of Shops should take a trip to Chester before she pronounces the Great British High Street dead and buried.

The éditeur's Exquisite Edit

Tasty food, endless wine, and bohemian-luxe fashion; Chester boutique The éditeur sure know how to throw a pre-races party. Held at Chester racecourse's 1539 restaurant last Thursday night, I donned sequins for a mid-week night out with plenty of style credentials.



My table was a vibrant mélange of stylists, bloggers, and fashion industry insiders. Banter was lively, my only regret being that I was a little too starstruck to talk to the ladies from Alexander McQueen sat a few seats along. My time will come! Co-owner Adam was on hand to fill any wine glasses looking remotely half full (funnily enough I only seemed to drink one glass the entire night. My head the next morning said otherwise) and answer any questions about The éditeur we may have had. I was surprised to hear that the boutique had only been open for a year - they have already established a strong online presence with an impressive selection of designers in a short amount of time.

The foundation of the business is their dedication to finding the right underwear for their clients. If we haven't experienced it ourselves then we've definitely witnessed it - visible panty lines, ill-fitting bras and the really unattractive line a pair of hipster pants makes. Co-owner Annabel is passionate about lingerie; having cut her teeth working at revolutionary bra retailer Bravissimo she now ensures all clients have correctly sized underwear to complement their beautiful new outerwear purchase. She told me most women wear bras too large in the back and too small in the cup - I made a mental note to make sure I get measured as soon as possible.

 

 

Of course, the reason we were all gathered together was to see The éditeur's fashionable offerings (though my taste buds would tell you otherwise - I could easily wax lyrical about the food). The show was intended for those attending the races to peruse their options, but all outfits featured would be ideal for summer and beyond - I'm looking at booking a holiday to Ibiza and would love to pack each item for my holiday wardrobe. Might need more than hand luggage, mind you.

My favourite pieces were from Tibi - the brand sit perfectly within the throw-on-with-sandals vibe I'm feeling right now, and I ache to wear the pastel and black fleur de lis print on a balmy Balearic evening. The Patrizia Pepe white and lemon ombréd dress shows off a golden tan whether home or away, and I see cool girl extraordinaire Erin Wasson wearing this on an exclusive, deserted sandy beach.. oh, somewhere in the Maldives, perhaps.

Laura Apsit Livens' hats were on show, and The éditeur will soon be stocking these beauties - creating a one-stop-shop for any races- or wedding-goers.

There was also man candy.. uh, I mean menswear, courtesy of fellow Chester retailers Citygate. Again, there was a fabulous mix of summer daywear and fashion-forward suits ideal for any age. 

I've now had the chance to attend fashion shows from a handful of the North West's leading independent boutiques, and what strikes me most is that each indie is utterly unique, with its own ideas and approach to retail. They recognise the need for omnichannel retailing and take calculated risks exploring avenues many global companies wouldn't dare to. The éditeur are a small team, yet are always looking for methods of moving forward: they have recently employed a photographer and a SEO specialist to make the website a force to be reckoned with in the fashion batt-etail-field. Speaking to Annabel and Adam, you can't help but feel their excitement for the boutique - and I look forward to finding out what they have up their sleeves for the next twelve months.