Style HQ

DP Wins at Cosmopolitan Fashion Awards 2010

We are proud as punch here at DP, following winning gold at the Cosmopolitan Fashion Awards 2010 today!

We fought off stiff competiton including Next and ASOS to be awarded 'Best Workwear' for our fashion forward formal lines. 3 piece grey tweed suits (very ahead of Marc Jacobs AW10 collection) and fitted capped sleaved shirts made up just some of the pieces we won on.  

Here's Melissa, our PR office modelling the award with Cosmo's Fashion Assistants Natasha Guiotto and Clare Smith. 

 
And some of the other winners...

Hottest Partwear - Karen Millen

Most Ethical Retailer - People Tree

Best for Jewellery - Accessorise

Best for bags - New Look

Lust after label - D&G

Two's Company

Hit those mag stands this Friday to grab the April edition of Company, to get the pick of the High Street SS10 collections. DP HQs PR Guru Rachel gives the lowdown on our collection, whilst Miss S, Topshop, ASOS, Dune and more reveal their collections.

Vintage inspired fabrics make for a welcomed, fresh change to wintery rock n roll lines. Just loving the DP Collection white lace dress - very Vera Wang!

Bloomin' Beautiful

With the brand new maternity range that’s just arrived online and in stores, we’ve been thinking about maternity styling, which can be tricky. We wanted to give you a few tips on how to dress through pregnancy, so I asked the maternity team for their suggestions:

If you want to stay on trend for the whole nine months, try our new over-the-bump leggings, available in black or navy, which are not only a great fit but really comfortable too. You can team these with a 2in1 cardi to create a slimming effect by combining long lines and a close fit, which draws the eye vertically.

For an easy to wear casual outfit, we also have an indigo skinny jean with under-the-bump waistband, which works well with our empire ditsy top. The empire line is really flattering with a bump, and the ditsy print means you’ll stay in style all summer.

Look out for our new fit advice page, which is coming soon exclusively on the website and will help you find out more about what to wear and how to wear it.

Great advice from the team! Don’t forget, for any questions you can email them directly on maternity@dorothyperkins.com

Becky x

Dorothy Perkins hits the catwalk at London Fashion Week's Look Show...

London Fashion Week might still be in full swing, but after Saturday’s Look Show, the team at Look are taking a well earned rest. The show went without a hitch, and although this was the first Fashion Week event to showcase the cream of the high street, we’re pretty sure that its resounding success will mean that it certainly won’t be the last.

We’ve been following Deputy Fashion Ed Jodie Nellist’s behind the scenes blogs from way back when the Look Show was just in the planning stages, and now we’ve got her last insight to find out how the event itself went.

We’re all still buzzing from Saturday – it nearly killed us all but the show was a total success. Erin O’Connor was amazing – she proved her supermodel status sashaying her stuff down the catwalk while smiling and doing peace signs at the crowd. Pixie Lott’s performance was brilliant – she really wowed the audience, we never realised she had such a powerful voice!! The readers loved it and everyone was really proud to be a part of such an amazing unique event.

The Dorothy Perkins section of the show looked great – a really strong collection! Afterwards everyone kept coming up to me saying how brilliant it looked and loads of people said they were hitting the store to snap up the rose applique jacket pronto. So if you want one I’d get there quick!!

Also the DP’s style advisor service was a real success – loads of people showed interest and the girls got loads of appointments booked up for the up and coming weeks. Overall we’re so happy with it all and we can’t wait to have a little recuperation time!! Well until next year!!

We’ll be broadcasting footage from the event here on DP.com and on our Facebook page in the not so distant future, letting you in on just what those lucky fashionistas get up to at London Fashion Week, and we’ll be showing you exactly how to achieve the array of stunning looks seen on the catwalk. In the mean time, have a look at these behind the scenes snaps of our Style Advisor area.

 

Keep checking back for more...

Katharine x

Mind your PPQ's

Luck be a laydee .... and that sure was me this weekend, with my hot ticket to 'Fantasia' PPQs AW10 show at Somerset House.

 
Dressed in a studded tee, zip up body con, silver socks and grey peep toe shoe boots (DP of course), I felt fairly fabulous.... although any arrival at a show faced with uber fashionistas always takes you down a peg or two...

Jo Wood, Marina and the Diamonds and Jodie Harsh to name but a few made for an eclectic front row.  Girls to the right and left were all poised with their Blackberrys ready to take notes (gone are the days of scribbling on paper). And it's show time.

Models with strong attitudes, and even stronger walks stormed the catwalk. Aside from the auburn hair, the only colours on the catwalk were black and gold. Outfits were rich in tactile fabrics such as velvet, cord, fur and silk. There were strong nods to the renaissance period, but also to powerful African Queens. From playsuits, to party dresses, to warm winter coats and trouser suits, the collection was highly wearable, and utterly desirable.

Steph x

Only hours to go before the Look show!

All the talk in the office at the moment is about London Fashion Week, and of course the show we're most excited about is the Look show tomorrow, featuring Dorothy Perkins. We've just received another update from Jodie, Look's Shopping Editor, on how things are going behind the scenes, and it sounds pretty hectic! Here's what she had to say:

It’s the final week of the LOOK show and its all systems go. It’s been manic in the office this week. On Monday all 24 show models came to be dressed in all the outfits they’ll be wearing on the runways, that’s a whole lot of clothes - the fashion cupboard didn’t know what had hit it!

We had to photograph every girl in their outfits and now an entire wall of our office is covered in snaps of models. As with everything in fashion, nothing goes without a hitch so when loads of the clothes didn’t fit the models properly we had to ring round all the PR’s to order the right sizes – nightmare!

Luckily the fitting with Erin O’Connor went much more smoothly and we only need to make a couple of small tweaks – phew!

On Wednesday, Zoe spent the day shooting Pixie Lott and we oohed and aahed over the shots this morning – they look amazing!

Now we’re still in the middle of pre-show stress, everything has to be packed up, labelled and we have to write instructions for how to style every single outfit. Needless to say, we can barely see the floor in our office for clothes. I’m sure it will all be worth it in the end and as they say, the show must go on!

I hope you're as excited about the show as we all are!

Becky x

Rule Brittania

It seems terribly fitting that rays of sunshine are breaking out through a hazy skyline this morning in central London, as the first day of London Fashion Week commences. Out of all four Fashion Week cities, London has become synonymous with producing emerging talent, talent which too breaks out like rays of sunshine. From Vivienne Westwood to Alexander McQueen, to Stella McCartney and Matthew Williamson, the majority of true fashion greats debut in London. The fact that they move on to show in Paris and New York is often shunned upon by us patriotic Brits. I however, see such designers more as birds, flying the 'fashion' nest. We all move on. The fact that last year, which marked 25 years of LFW saw the return of those birds such as Christopher Bailey with Burberry, and indeed Matthew Williamson, was testiment to the strength of these roots.

And so to the present. So what designer delights are in store for us all this coming week? Well, the most exciting edition to this LFW is the fact that key shows are being streamed live for all of us civilians who haven't managed to bag an invite. Click to catwalk

Kicking off the schedule today, and our ones to watch are Hannah Marshall showing at 6.15pm and Holly Fulton at 7pm. Marshall's gothic style mixes volume and clean lines to create unique forms. Whilst Fulton's futuristic use of colour, shape and materials sets her aside from the rest.

Tomorrow we've got our beady eye on Henry Holland who is breaking digital boundaries this Fashion Week with the launch of the first ever catwalk to wardrobe app. Yes, thats right, if you're lucky enough to be in the front row with a Blackberry, as soon as you view his AW10 collection, you can purchase via your smart phone. 'Get on your Blackberry Brian Ferry'

Mark Fast, too is breaking conventional catwalk boundaries with his controversial use of plus size models. As a brand who dress all sizes, we here at DP salute you Mark. Despite all the 'size' hype however, his intricate and clever knitwear designs are the true heroes.

We've got high hopes for Louise Goldin, Peter Pilotto and one of my all time favs Boudicca.

Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang smashed NYC last week. But now it's our time.

Let LFW battle commence.

Steph x

Timeless Shoes launch online tomorrow...see why we're all so excited!

Never before has a footwear range caused such a stir here at DP online. When the long awaited images of the new Timeless shoes collection finally dropped into our inboxes, the silence that surrounded us all eagerly opening each image one after the other was very quickly broken by ooohs, aaaahs, and subsequent claim staking to the styles that took our fancy. After all, if we want to avoid the ultimate office faux pas of wearing the same thing as our colleagues, we need to get territorial – fast.

So, what is all the fuss about I hear you ask? Well, Timeless shoes quite literally tap into all of the season’s hottest trends, from sports luxe, cute and girly, and that all important muted colour palette. With styles that will be perfect for day through to night, these shoes are a must-have in every girl’s wardrobe.

So, if these few preview pictures are enough to get you just as excited as we are, you’ll be pleased to know that the range is launching online tomorrow. We’ll be sneaking in a quick Friday lunchtime purchase – my fave, in case you were wondering is the ‘Faye’ in grey with their peep toes, stack heel and chains - amazing.

Check back first thing tomorrow for the Timeless shoe launch, but you’ll need to be quick as we have a feeling that these beauties won’t stick around for long.

Katharine x

New Kids On The Block

What with all the excitement of our new SS10 collection, LFW debut, competitions galore and much more, we've not even introduced our newest Style HQ bloggers to the block ......  Steph (that's me) and Becky.

Instead of interviewing ourselves which would be a little weird... we're interviewing each other (how exciting!)....so here goes:

Becky on Steph:

Your Style ID

I'm not afraid to try anything, which can be a good and bad thing.... I'm probably one of the first to wear a trend, and probably the first to take it off! I wear any colour, any shape and mostly any pattern. It would probably be easier to say what I don't wear rather than what I do! At nearly 6ft tall, heels stop at 3 inches for me..... and I'm not a huge fan of checks or paisley print.... but apart from that, anything goes! Right now, I'm wearing a black sports luxe style dress with a white collar, black footless tights, black and gold studded heels and a Hermes style scarf wrapped round a top knot in my hair.

I've got two great loves .... one is skulls, and the other is foxes.... so anything Alexander McQueen (RIP) or Mawi, for their incredible use of skulls, and Zoe & Morgan for their Foxy Knocker jewellery.

Who inspires you?

Ooh, anyone doing something different.... from Tommy Ton with a lense, to Heston Blumenthal in the kitchen, to Karen O on stage. In the world of fashion, I love love love Luella for her take on quintessential English traditions and her love of foxes, Erdem for their eclectic use of pattern and colour, and Sophia Kokosalaki for her intricate, detailed work with leather. 

One to watch

One of the coups of working at DP HQ is that I get to see what trends and key pieces are coming up ...... and what I am truly lusting over right now is this rose detailed jacket, as featured in Look a couple of weeks ago. Just 3 weeks until this baby hits stores.... can't wait!

 

If I'm lucky enough to get my hands on one I'll be teaming with either floral print harem pants and wedges or with denim shorts and killer heels.

Steph on Becky:

Your Style ID

My style is normally very casual; jersey basics, leggings and oversized cardigans and jumpers. People think I don't wear many colours but I do: black, grey, charcoal, dove, ash and occassionally beige! My friends laugh at me for not going out without my "armour" because I love studded accessories and scary shoes. Today I'm wearing one of many pairs of studded ankle boots and a Fiorelli bag covered in bronze and gunmetal studs.

Who inspires you?

I'm really into music and I'm a huge fan of anyone who incorporates fashion into their stage show, like Bat for Lashes, MIA, Alison Goldfrapp, Lady Gaga or Little Boots. I think you can take inspiration from anywhere and often find myself picking out clothes based on the music I'm listening to, a book I'm reading or a film I've seen.

One to watch

I was a bit apprehensive about having to take off my big, black boots when summer arrives, but I can rest easy now I've spotted these nude shoes covered in gold studs. So many trends in one pair of shoes! I can't wait for these to arrive in March.

 

Steph and Becky x

Talk of the Toon

Today see's the launch of a brand spanking new Dorothy Perkins flagship store in Eldon Sq, central Newcastle.

With more product ranges than you can shake a fashion forward foot at....  Tall, Petite, Maternity, Purple, Uttam, Rise, Vera Moda, Fiorelli, Mischa Barton handbags ... we really have something for everyone!

To celebrate the launch we've jam packed the stores with offers galore for the next couple of days ....

- 20% off the first 100 customers today and tomorrow
- competition to win a years worth of shoes
- free Simple gift to customers spending £30 or more
- chance to win a £1,00 shopping spree with our gift card lottery on Friday 19 Feb
- hair demonstrations from Salon Confidential
- hair consultations from Vidal Sassoon
- treats from Benefit
- drinks from Lambrini
- a  chance to win a £200 Style Advisor shopping spree

Plus, our Style Advisor Sarah, will be on hand to answer all your fashion dilemmas. To book an appointment call Sarah on 0191 232 9405 or to find out more visit the site for more info.

What are you waiting for? If you're in the Newcastle area.... get yourself down to Eldon Sq for some retail and pampering therapy!

If you live further a field.... and need a little more encouragement.... here are 5 other fab reasons to visit the 'toon!

1.  Star and Shadow Cinema Antique Fair

What's it great for? - all things old and unique... from printers block letters, to retro telephones

Where do I find it? - Stepney Bank, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 2NP, 11am-4pm bi monthly on a Sunday

More info

2.  High Bridge St

What's it great for? - Vintage clothing and accessories at Period Clothing and one-off designer pieces at Skirt Boutique. But watch your heels on the cobbles!

Where do I find it? - just round the corner of Eldon Sq!

More info

3. Black Door Brasserie

What's it great for? - Espress Lunches for ladies what lunch! Cheese fritters with rhubarb chutney are particluarly delish, only if you're not on a diet!

Where do I find it? - In a Warhol style converted warehouse .... The Biscuit Factory, 16 Stoddart Street

More info

4. The Baltic Centre Contemporary Arts

What's it great for? - Modern art exhibitions .....Damien Hursts latest installation 'Pharmacy' centres around a chemist, and questions our overuse of medicine in the past and present. You'll also find cult interior gems in the art shop downstairs - from bird hooks to perspex jewellery

Where do I find it? - On the Tyne ....

More info

5. Millenium Bridge

What's it great for? - experiencing an adrenalin rush whilst taking in the beautiful coastal view on the world's first and only tilting bridge!

Where do I find it? - Over the Tyne.... just by the Baltic Centre

More info

Steph x