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.

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

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 Rugby Club Wedding Fayre

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


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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

Boutique Mail

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


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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

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.

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!

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

The Dress Boutique Official Opening Party!

Plans for the official Opening Party are underway!

We are planning to have a small party in September for friends and customers of The Dress Boutique to celebrate our official opening.

A very special guest will be unveiling our new sign and official opening the boutique office!

We are very excited indeed.

Dates and times will be confirmed in the next couple of weeks so watch this space!

LuLu x

The Dress Boutique supports Enham

The Enham Charity provides Choice, Control and Independence for Disabled People

From housing and employment to personal development and care, Enham delivers a wide range of essential services that provide choice and empower people to make their own decisions about their lives.

Enham is holding a Hollywood Gala style ball for their residents on Saturday 11th September 2010. The evening looks set to be great fun, with a red carpet arrival, film star lookalikes and a live performance from local band - The Torn Off Strips.

The Dress Boutique was approached by the ball organising committee to see if we could donate a couple of dresses for their residents, and we were pleased to be able to help this worth cause - much to the organisers surprise, we ended up donating an assortment of over 20 dresses along with a variety of accessories!

We hope that all the Enham residents enjoy their big night!

For more information about the charity visit their website: www.enham.org.uk

The Katie Piper Foundation Launch

But Katie Piper, from Andover, is the perfect advertisement for the groundbreaking surgery which has given her her beauty back.

Standing tall and beaming with pride, it is hard to believe that just a year ago she was disfigured and afraid to leave her house.

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.

Katie said that her ordeal has changed her view of beauty and she aims to offer non-medical advice to burns victims to build up their confidence through hairstyling, make-up and mentoring.

'Beauty used to mean to me being the person with the best figure, the prettiest person walking into a room - that's what I thought beauty was,' she said. 'But I have realised that is was nothing - it was a false and superficial view.


'I hope by sharing experiences the Katie Piper Foundation can help other disfigured people to build in confidence, to stand tall and feel beautiful too.'

The Katie Piper Foundation was set up to make a difference to burns survivors.

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.

The Dress Boutique will be supporting The Katie Piper Foundation as its charity of the year.

For more information visit: www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk

Andover Rugby Club Wedding Fayre

The Dress Boutique has just confirmed that we will be exhibiting at the Wedding Fayre at Andover Rugby Club on Sunday 22nd August 2010.

Catch the current trends and bridal forecasts as a host of local suppliers exhibit inspiring table set-ups, lavish cakes, charming invitations, artistic floral arrangements and lots of other elements to inspire you to create the wedding of your dreams!

For more information call Sam Luke on 01264 339518

The event takes place at: Andover Rugby Footbal Club, Foxcotte Park, Andover Down, Charlton SP11 0TA

Admission is FREE!!!

We're in the barn!!!

Horrah! 4 hours of hauling boxes upon boxes of dresses from my Mum and Dads House to the Barn and we are in and unpacked!

Big thanks to Tracey, Will and Lorraine for helping me pack-up and un-pack all the dresses. I owe you all a drink!

Just some finishing touches to the decor and we will be ready for business.

I have to say that the office is great - it's light and airy with plenty of room to store the dresses.

We will be having an official launch party and open day in the not to distant future so - watch this space!

Royal Ascot - Dresses

This year was no different as the gates opened for Ladies Day today, women were out in full force in some delightfully colourful outfits!


There is never such a fantastic opportunity to have fun with colours, patterns and textures as Royal Ascot!
As this lovely group of ladies proves - anything goes on ladies day, so long as you have a stunning hat, beautifully coordinated with your dress, shoes and accessories for maximum impact!

It look slike these ladies have had some fun with their outfits, choosing bright colours, but carefully selecting styles that suit their body shape and personality.

The matching shoes and bags enhance their colourful ensembles.

I really do hope that I get to go to Ascot next year!

The TONY Awards - Red Carpet Fashion!

Being a MASSIVE fan of musicals, I bring you my favourite picks from the TONY Awards Red Carpet Dresses...

The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® were established in 1947 when the Wing launched an awards program to celebrate excellence in the theatre.

Named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had recently passed away, the Tony Awards made their official debut at a dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947. Vera Allen, Perry's successor as chairwoman of the Wing, presided over an evening that included dining, dancing, and a program of entertainment. The dress code was black tie optional, and the performers who took to the stage included Mickey Rooney, Herb Shriner, Ethel Waters, and David Wayne. Eleven Tonys were presented in seven categories, and there were eight special awards, including one for Vincent Sardi, proprietor of the eponymous eatery on West 44th Street. Big winners that night included José Ferrer, Arthur Miller, Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Patricia Neal, Elia Kazan and Agnes de Mille.

Catherine Zeta Jones won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in A Little Night Music, and her dress was certainly a winner for me. Aside from her heavy make-up and embarrassing tribute to her husband (I can't really say much more than that as I blubbed my way through my own acceptance speech at my Am Dram awards last year!) I thought her dress was beautiful. Her light blue strapless Atelier Versace gown had an amazing ruched bodice which was decorated with shimmering beads with the chiffon floaty train providing a soft contrast to the structured bodice.

Idina Menzel, one of my all-time favourite musical idols, choose an interesting look with a Carolina Herrera navy and white strapless dress. This dress wasn't such a hit with the fashion critics, but I for one like it. It has a hint of vintage about it but without looking old-fashioned.



Katie Holmes kept it simple in a Giorgio Armani Privé smoke grey strapless silk chiffon evening gown, with her touselled hair I thought she had an understated elegance about her! I love the colour and will be looking for something similar to this for The Dress Boutique.


My absolute favourite dress of the evening was Lucy Liu's gorgeous Marchesa Fall 2010 blush strapless tulle gown with sculpted hand embroidered bodice. Following the 'Nude' trend we saw at the Oscars earlier in the year, this palest pink colour looked just stunning with her porcelain skin tone and from the smile on her face she looks comfortable and confident.