Stokk - Web Design Andover

We've had so many compliments about our website, we thought we would share with you the wonderful and talented company responsible for it!

Ladies, I give you.... Stokk.

Stokk have created us such a brilliant website, taking our initial brief and delivering everything we asked for. You will see from their portfolio of work that they have worked with many other local companies, creating impressive brand identities and excellent websites. In addition, they also offer professional photography and video work too.

Stokk pride themselves on high quality workmanship. They won't cut corners, because it will always come back to bite you! Doing it right the first time is always the most cost effective solution.

For more information visit their website: www.stokk.co.uk

Desina - For the girl that loves her curves

Desina is an online lingerie and swimwear company specialising in larger cup sizes ranging from DD-K.


It was set up by Sophie Adesina who wanted to help women find beautiful lingerie and swimwear.

When Sophie found it difficult to find lingerie that was beautiful and fitted well, she thought that she was the only women who was frustrated by the limited choice available, but after asking around found that this was a problem that most ladies experienced, so she set up Desina.

There are lots of beautiful, well designed bras now on the market, so let Desina help you find the perfect ones for you! Visit their website www.desina.co.uk

The site is packed with practical and elegant styles that can be worn for any occasion to suit your lifestyle.

Sophie offers a personal fitting service to ladies in the Andover area, and Desina also offer local fitting services provided by trained fitters across the country - for more information see the website.

As any woman knows, the secret to looking great is good quality foundations, so The Dress Boutique recommends Desina for all your undergarment needs!

Call Sophie to book your personal fitting appointment on 01264 760 062

Katie Piper in Glamourous Photo Shoot

'It's amazing to feel like a model again!'

Katie Piper poses for glamorous magazine shoot

Katie Scoops Price of Andover Award!

Katie Piper has won a Pride of Andover Award for Courage.



Last night over 200 people packed into the Lights Theatre for the annual Pride of Andover Awards - an evening of emotion and celebration as 14 prizes were handed out to people from all walks of life in Andover in recognition of their contribution to the community.

Also recognised was arguably the highest profile winner of a Pride of Andover Award ever... Katie Piper hit the headlines last year after waiving her right to anonymity in order to tell her story after she rebuilt her life following an horrific acid attack.

She set up her own charity this year to support burns victims and said it was wonderful to be recognised by her home town, "This award is particularly special because it is where I grew up and went to school. Ultimately, what Andover means to me is when everybody actually turned their backs on me and didn't want to be seen with me because I was disfigured it was Andover that I came home to and it was there that I was able to feel safe when I didn't really think I'd feel safe again."

Congratulations Katie!

For more information about the Katie Piper Foundation visit the website: www.katiepiperfoundation.co.uk

To donate please visit our JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/thedressboutique

LK Bennett Naomi House Fashion Show

On Thursday 21st October we are going to the LK Bennett Fashion Show in aid of Naomi House!


It's set to be a fabulous night of ‘fashionable’ entertainment to raise much needed funds for the local children's charity.

Due to the phenomenal success of this year’s Spring LK Bennett fashion show, Naomi House are organising an Autumn show.

The event will take place at the new Holiday Inn in Winchester.

Tickets are £40 and include a welcome drink on arrival, a 3 course meal, the Fashion show, a magician, a Rat Pack style singer, a goody bag, as well as hair and makeup demonstrations. There will also be some stalls – ideal for some early Christmas shopping!

To book yourself a place or a table of 10 contact Verity in fundraising on 01962 843513 or at verity.groom@naomihouse.org.uk

Wella UK are the Headline sponsors for the LK Bennett Fashion Show. The event is also supported by Box Hairdressers in Basingstoke and Bare Necessities Urban Spa in Winchester.

'At Last...' Charity Fashion Show

At Last of Andover, are hosting a Fashion Show & Gift Fair to raise funds for Stockbridge Pre-School


7.00pm-9.30pm Friday 15th October
Test Valley School, Stockbridge. Hampshire SO20 6HA

Following the success of last years event, the organisers promise a glamourous evening with over 25 quality stalls including, jewellery, handbags, gardenware, handmade chocolates, kitchenware, shoes and boots, books and pictures.

As well as the fashion show, there will be a raffle and a silent auction with some fantastic prizes up for grabs!

All proceeds go to Stockbridge Pre-School.

Entry Ticket just £3.00 (includes a glass of wine!)

Available from At Last, 91 High St, Andover SP10 1ND
Tel: 01264 335 444

or John Robinson Butchers, Hight Street, Stockbridge, SO20 6HF
Tel: 01264 810 609

FOR SALE Vintage Evening Gown

Vintage Evening Gown
SIZE: 10

FABRIC: RAW SILK

COLOUR: Mainly red with shades of pink, purple and orange mixed in!!!

Fitted bodice with sweetheart neckline, shoetring straps, very full skirt that could be lifted even more with the help of a hooped petticoat to achieve that prom princess look! Features frill detail on the bottom of the skirt.

Ideal for someone with a penchant for vintage, retro style, or who simply wants a dress that is a little out of the ordinary.

PRICE: £50

For an appointment to view please call 07881 627411

Who's following us on twitter...?

Nicky Hambleton-Jones!!!

We only have a few followers on Twitter, but we were thrilled to see that Nicky is following us! We hope she likes what she sees.

Five years as presenter of 10 Years Younger, the UK's leading makeover show, and the success of her own personal styling business have made Nicky Hambleton-Jones a household name, providing inspiration and motivation for millions of men and women UK-wide. As a top personal stylist, qualified Dietician and anti-ageing expert Nicky believes that everyone has the potential to look fantastic effortlessly.

Nicky is a qualified dietician and personal stylist, and she certainly knows what works. Her speciality is working with real people, and helping them to redefine the way they feel about themselves - her first port of call, their wardrobe!

Nicky now runs style firm NHJ Style Consultancy, running courses for would-be stylists and workshops and parties for those wanting to be styled.

For more information visit her website: www.nhjstyle.com

1 day to go...

...until our official opening party! The bubbly is chilled, the pimms is on standby and the sparkly lights are up, now, what to wear?!


-- Post From My iPhone

Looking forward to meeting Katie Piper!

Just had to write a quick post to say how excited I am about our opening party this weekend!

As well as gathering together friends, family and business aquaintances to celebrate the launch of The Dress Boutique, I am mostly looking forward to meeting Katie Piper who is going to be our VIP guest, officially opening the new premises.

We had a mention in the Andover Advertiser this week, and hopefully we will get some coverage in the local media after the event too, so keep a look out for us...

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

LuLu x

LuLu Loves - Country Styled Homes

Fellow Andover Women in Business Club member Larch Gauld came to The Dress Boutique today and helped me add a few finishing touches to our decor.

Larch knew exactly what I had in mind with my country / french / shabby chic interior and bought with her a collection of items from the range of accessories she sells through her business Country Styled Homes.

Counrty Styled homes supplied an eclectic mix of American Shaker and American Primitive, Shabby Chic and English Country Styles.

They sell a large range of Country, Primitive, Shaker and New England style gifts, decorative, scented items for the Home and Garden and personalised gifts.

Many of the products are handmade including hand-painted wooden items, hand-made homespun scented gifts, personalised embroidered hearts and other items as well as wreaths, garlands and hearts made from dried flowers and fruits.

For crafters they also stock a range of dried fruit, lavender, herbs and spices, wooden and tin shapes and shells and a range of homespun fat quarters.

To decorate our barn I choose some sprig, twig hoops, some heart shaped wreaths, a wire postcard holder and letter rack for my desk - they look lovely!

To buy online visit the website: www.countrystyledhomes.co.uk

LuLu x

Preparing from our Official Opening!

It's fair to say we are a little frantic at the moment finishing the barn in time for the official opening party next weekend!

There's not too much to do, just waiting for the chippie to come and hand our lovely internal door, the gardener (aka dad) to come and plant up our window boxes and then it's just a case of touching up the paintwork and cleaning the windows!

I really looking forward to welcoming Katie Piper to the barn and we are hoping for some media to attend which will be great for raising the profile of The Katie Piper Foundation.

We will of course post pictures of the event - so please check back soon!

LuLu x

Andover Women in Business

As a woman setting up my own business in Andover, a colleague of mine suggested that I join local business networking group Andover Women in Business Club...


Formed in 1992, the Andover Women in Business Club has over 40 members. It offers help and shared experiences for business and professional women and provides a platform for networking. The Club is friendly, informal and supportive, bringing together both employed and self-employed women from all walks of life.

I was a little daunted as I attended my first meeting, but everyone was really friendly and I have made some very useful contact, so I would reccommend it to anyone either running their own business or just looking to make new business connections in Andover!

Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month with dinner, followed by a Speaker. Other social events and workshops are organised appropriate to the members' current needs.

Come along and meet us! You are welcome to attend one of our meetings as a Guest if you would like to see what the Club has to offer.

For further information, visit the website: www.awibc.co.uk

FOR SALE - Vintage Evening Gown

Unusual Vintage Style Evening Gown

Aqua Blue Raw Silk.

Traditional fitted bodice with full skirt which could be lifted even more with the help of a hooped petticoat to achieve that Prom Princess look!

Price £50

For an appointment to view please call 07881 627411

Please leave your comments!!!

Dear fans and followers.....

It has come to my attention that we didn't have our blog set up to receive comments from non-members of the Blogger network. After a number of you told me that you wanted to leave a comment but couldn't, we did some investigation and discovered that we had not 'allowed' non Blogger members to leave their comments. Anyhow, this has now been corrected and you can comment our our blog to your hearts content!

Simply write your message in the comments box then below that where it says 'Comment as', click the button 'Select Profile' then choose 'name/url' from the drop down menu.



A pop up box will then appear asking you to enter your name - just type your name then click 'continue' and follow the instructions.


It's really simple.

I look forward to reading your comments :)

LuLu x

Andover Rugby Club Wedding Fayre

Had a great day at the wedding fayre today, great to meet so lovely brides in Andover!


-- Post From My iPhone

Introducing....

A new service from The Dress Boutique!
Are you a Bride on a Budget?

Are you looking for the perfect bridal gown but don’t want to spend thousands of pounds?

Don’t have time to trawl the shops or the internet to find a dress in your price range?

The Dress Detective will help you find your dream dress!

All you have to do is let us know your budget and a description of the dress you are looking for, then we’ll do the detective work!*

For more information give us a call on 07881 627 411

* Engagement Deposit and Commission fee applies - 10% of the dress value

Hello!

My photographer husband Matt was taking a few practice shots while we were up at the barn the other evening and he took this lovely picture of me, so I thought I would post it on here and say hello!

Boutique Mail

Have just sent out our very first newsletter!
To subscribe please email us mail@dressboutique.co.uk


-- Post From My iPhone

Official Opening Party

The Dress Boutique will be holding a launch party for our friends and family in September, and a very special guest will be officially opening our new premises...

We are really please to announce that Katie Piper
will be officially opening
The Dress Boutique!

The 26-year-old former model suffered horrific burns to her face and neck after she became the victim of an acid attack orchestrated by her jealous ex-boyfriend back in March 2008. Since then she has had over 40 ground-breaking operations to rebuild her face and has tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness of her injuries and the medical care available to other burns survivors.

In July 2010 Katie launched her charity The Katie Piper Foundation. Katie feels that she’s been extremely fortunate with the life-changing treatment and support she received after her attack, so much so that she set up this foundation to improve rehabilitation facilities for burns survivors while providing a network of support and information on burns, scars and treatment, both medical and non-medical.


For more information about The Katie Piper Foundation visit their website: www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk

For Media enquiries regarding our launch party please contact us: mail@dressboutique.co.uk or call 07881 627 411

OPENING HOURS

Please note that we are open strictly by appointment only!

In order to give you a personal service, we operate by appointment.
Appointments are available evenings and weekends.
Please call me to discuss your requirements on 07881 627 411

Stokes of Stockbridge

For those of you that regularly visit Stockbridge, you will have seen plenty of activity going on at the old filling station Stokes! Here at The Dress Boutique we are following their developments with an avid interest - we are always on the lookout for somewhere new to have a bite to eat!

They have now completed the reroofing of the property, windows and replacement balcony are currently being fitted, and they hope to have painted the exterior and dismantled the scaffolding within one month. My sources tell me that they are on target to open the ground floor coffee shop in December and the Wine bar and restaurant on the first floor in January.

To follow their renovations visit the website: www.stokesofstockbridge.com

The Dress Boutique supports the Jamie G Sporting Trust

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Jacqui Gentleman, founder of the Jamie G Sporting trust, in loving memory of her son Jamie who died suddenly on 15th March 2009 from Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Jacquie came to see me at The Dress Boutique in search for a dress to wear to the Jamie G Gala Ball on 2nd October, and to discuss ways in which I could help the charity...

Jamie was well-known in Andover for being a keen Sportsman, from a very early age he showed that he was a natural all round Sportsman...Football, Darts, Fishing, Golf, Rugby Taekwondo to name but a few. Even more importanly he approached all these sports with the same fierce but fair Sportsmanship. He enjoyed his sport, he would be the first to hold his hand out if he won or if he lost, so kind, so gentle and a true Gentleman through name and nature.

‘The Jamie G Sporting Trust has been established to preserve the memory, and reflect the personality, of Jamie Gentleman, a young, competitive, Andover sportsman, who demonstrated the highest standards of team spirit and sportsmanship.

The purpose of the Trust will be to raise funds from charitable donations and to distribute them in support of sporting activities for the young of the Andover area. The beneficiaries will be individuals, sports clubs and other sporting organisations.’

The Jamie G Sporting Trust Gala Ball will be taking place on Saturday 2nd October 2010 at The Wolversdene Club, Andover, and The Dress Boutique has agreed that for every dress hired from us for this event, we will donate £10 to the charity.

To book an appointment to find your perfect dress call Louise on Tel.07881 627411 quoting Jamie G.

FOR SALE - Glamourous Gown

Do you fancy some Hollywood Glamour?!

DESIGNER: Roman Originals
SIZE: 10-12
COLOUR: Black / Gold
DESCRIPTION: Beautiful evening dress in black satin with gold satin features.
This dress sweeps into a full skirt with fold-back detail finish with a pretty silver brooch. It has a side zip as well as laced back so there is some give in the bust department! Optional Straps
PRICE: £75

For an appointment to view please call 07881 627411

Need a Bag?

Don't buy one - hire one!!!

As well as providing beautiful evening dresses for hire, The Dress Boutique offers a range of accessories such as Pashminas, Stoles, Capes and Boleros, Tiaras and bags.

With prices starting from just £5 for bags from Acessorize, Coast, Karen Millen and LK Bennett, there's no need to spend loads of money on an accessory that you might not use again.

Our collection of accessories to hire will be on the website in the next couple of weeks so check back soon ladies!

Andover Rugby Club Wedding Fayre

Just 2 weeks to go until Andover Rugby Club Wedding Fayre!

We're getting really exciting about exhibiting at this event on Sunday 22nd August.

Now that we are up and running in our new premises, it is an excellent opportunity to let everyone know who we are! As as well as displaying some dresses from our collection, we will also beshowcasing some beautiful pre-owned bridal gowns that we have for sale.

Visit our stand to sign up to our prize draw to win a voucher for a FREE evening gown hire!

FOR SALE - Little Black Dress!

Looking for a LBD?

DESIGNER: tbc

FABRIC: Crepe

SIZE: 10

DESCRIPTION: Simple black dress with diamante detail on straps and on the front of the dress. Elegant column style with a low cut front. A great little number for cocktail parties.

PRICE: £25

For an appointment to view please call 07881 627411

FOR SALE - AMANDA WAKELEY

Elements by Amanda Wakeley Collection
White Silk Satin Evening Gown
Simple elegant design with unusual fishtail feature.
Size 10/12

£95 or near offer!

To make an appointment to view call 07881627411

Let the photography commence....

Now we are in our new premises, we are working on developing our website to feature photos of all the lovely dresses available to hire and buy from The Dress Boutique.

Holiday over, we are now in the process of 'shooting' every dress in our collection with the aim of getting them all on the website by the end of August!!!

With over 300 in stock, that's quite a lot of work, but with the help of a few great friends and a few bottle of wine I'm sure we'll get it done in no time and have some fun along the way!

We'll be featuring a dress of the month here on the Blog and also showcasing new dresses as we update our hire stock and take on dresses to sell in the coming months so watch this space!

LuLu x

JustGiving charity donation page now online!

You can now make a donation to The Katie Piper Foundation via The Dress Boutique.

We have set up a JustGiving page so that you can make donations to The Katie Piper Foundation quickly and easily online.

I will be using the page to track the amount I raise for the charity over the next year as I am planning a number of events including a charity ball, prom fair and fashion show!

Please show your support and visit our page:
www.justgiving.com/thedressboutique

FOR SALE! Wedding Dress

Here we have an Essense of Australia wedding gown.
Decorated with sparkling Swarovski crystal and diamante detailing on the front of the dress and crystal buttons on the back.
The bodice is beautifully ruched to the hipline with a flowing skirt and train.
Can be worn with or without straps
Australian White.
A fantastic opportunity to own a stunning designer dress at a fraction of the original retail price (approx £1000)

Offers in the region of £400

Shoes, veils and tiaras also available - visit our boutique barn to see our full collection!









This dress has been professionally cleaned and is ready to wear.

For an appointment to view this dress please call us on 07881627411

FOR SALE - Lady in Red

Make like Jessica Rabbit in this red hot number!

DESIGNER: Jump
SIZE:10
FABRIC: Satin
DESCRIPTION: Ideal for all occasions this dress is a figure-hugging fishtail style, fitted on the hips and flicking out on the hem. It has an unusual strappy detail, finished with sequin 'flowers' on the back for a bit of sparkle.
Only worn a couple of times.

PRICE: £45 or near offer

For an appointment to view please call 07881 627411