Review: Clothes Show Live

Clothes Show Live is still on at Birmingham NEC, and I went along yesterday with my mom for a bit of retail therapy!

I’m a big fan of the event and the show at the fashion theatre itself was amazing. The show was hosted by George Lamb and Britain’s Next Top Model judge Grace Woodward, with a performance from X Factor alumni The Risk.

Maria Fowler and Arg from TOWIE made brief appearances along with Darren and Lynsey from Hollyoaks at the start of the show.  Meanwhile with this year’s BNTM winner Jade and Dirty Sexy Things star BB strutting their stuff on the runway, and Kimberly Wyatt performing with her new band Her Majesty and the Wolves, it was a star studded show!

The show’s Department Store theme brought the store’s mannequins to life after closing time with an explosion of dancers and models taking over the catwalk to a lively and energetic soundtrack. Visiting different levels of the store allowed them to explore different fashion themes, from women’s and menswear to street style and my favourite – weddings.

Of course the other thing people visit the Clothes Show for is shopping, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this year’s fashion offerings. I did enjoy checking out the likes of Love, Dahlia and Tatty Devine, but a lot of the other stalls were very similar, offering styles that weren’t really for me. If you’re a fan of brands like Juicy Couture and Superdry, you won’t be disappointed – girls were queuing to get in for a bargain!

The one zone that really beat the others in terms of savings is the beauty zone. This is where we got a bit carried away, getting won over by the amazing beauty deals they have. At Models Own it was three items for £10, with a free goodie bag containing an incredible 12 full-size products! I bought a WAH nail art pen, nail varnish and black eyeliner and got these goodies for free – I’m not sure the orange eyeliner will be getting any use though…

Models Own Wah Nails pen, nail varnish, three eyeliners, two double eyeshadows, two lipbalms, mascara, two lipglosses, two loose poweder eyeshadows, nail buffer and case - all for £10!

At Jelly Pong Pong I got all these goodies for £5…

Jelly Pong Pong Wide Awake palette, mascara and lash extensions set, Brazilian Sun bronzer, lip frosting and cheek stain

And at Lee Stafford I picked up their goodie bag – between 12pm and 3pm you get 10 hair products for £10! Now I just need to find somewhere to store them all.

My Lee Stafford hair goodies

All in all, it was a fun day and a good opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done – or just treat yourself like I did. If you have chance to get down to the show tomorrow or Wednesday I’d recommend it – I think on the last day they reduce prices a lot so don’t miss out!

Have you been or planning on going to the Clothes Show this year? What did you think?

Chloe

WIN two tickets to Clothes Show Live 2011!

It’s been an annual fixture on the fashion calendar for 23 years now, but this year Clothes Show Live is back with an even bigger and more interactive show than ever!

Between December 2 – 7, Birmingham NEC will be taken over by Wardrobe fave George Lamb, up-and-coming girl band Parade, and a whole host of top retailers, models and dancers for Clothes Show Live in association with Suzuki.

We’ve been to the event a few times now and can honestly say it’s the ultimate girls’ day out. With fashion and beauty retailers including Benefit, Motel and Juicy Couture along with an extensive vintage collection and lots of graduate designers it’s a great place to shop til you drop and complete all of your Christmas shopping!

When you need a break from all the shopping you can check out the incredible fashion show in the Suzuki fashion theatre. With a fusion of dance, clothes and great music it’s the most exciting part of the day and a good way to get some inspiration for your shopping afterwards! The theme of this year’s show is ‘The Department Store’, with eight scenes all inspired by the different levels of Bloomingdales in New York.

The Dance Show is also back for its second year at Clothes Show Live and will feature incredible dance shows, interactive dance classes, master classes, seminars and awards.

If that wasn’t enough for you there is also the potential to be scouted by Select models and do some celeb spotting with the likes of members of the Hollyoaks cast, the TOWIE cast, Alexandra Burke and Jeff Brazier plus George Lamb and Parade all in attendance.

Now here’s the exciting bit – Clothes Show Live in association with Suzuki is giving two lucky Wardrobe readers a pair of tickets to this year’s show! Whether you’re looking for the latest, cutting edge fashion; glamorous catwalk shows featuring not-yet-seen designer collections; the perfect opportunity to pamper and relax; AND much more – this is a competition and show not to be missed!

For your chance to win this amazing prize, just answer this simple question in a comment below, along with the day you would be available to attend the show.

 What is the theme of this year’s show?

Competition closes November 27. Only one entry per person. The prize is valid for one person and a guest to attend Clothes Show Live at Birmingham NEC on their nominated date. Winners will be selected at random and notified on 28 November.

Clothes Show Live in association with Suzuki and The Dance Show take place at Birmingham’s NEC, from 2-7 December 2011. Standard tickets cost £27+ and include entry to both shows and a dedicated seat in the Suzuki Fashion Theatre. Upgrade to a Platinum Ticket for just £12 extra to receive fast-track entry, priority seating in the Fashion Theatre, a goody bag and a show guide.

 Tickets are available online now at clothesshowlive.com or by calling 0844 581 1256.

+All tickets are subject to a £2 booking fee

Chloe

Style Birmingham Live 2011

With London Fashion Week taking over our twitter timeline (not jealous at all), we needed something for us Midlander’s to look forward to.

Step forward ‘Style Birmingham Live’.

Style Birmingham Live is a fashion, beauty and shopping event around Birmingham city centre. A weekend full of catwalk shows, competitions, in-store events and er GEORGE LAMB *swoon*

This year, Wardrobe were kindly given press tickets to the event which we were really grateful for- not that we would have missed this anyway.

Unfortunately Steph couldn’t make it down for the weekend but me, Chloe and Bhav all met up on the Friday night for a VIP night at the Town Hall. It was lovely to meet some of the other Midland bloggers and we hope to see more of them in the future…i’m sure we will.

At the VIP night we got a sneak preview at the weekends catwalk show which was hosted by George Lamb. God he’s so fit, definitely one of the most stylish guys around. Such a charmer too- more on him later!

There was also an audience Q&A with celebrity stylist Bradley Taylor which Bhav went to. The message was just to have fun with fashion and styling and not take dressing up too seriously. He also talked a lot about how living in Birmingham is often a lot better than living in London as we have all these fabulous independent stores. It’s great to have Birmingham acknowledged as a fashionable city! On the Saturday and Sunday shows, the audience who asked the best question to Bradley got a bottle of champers… and a kiss from George!

It was a stylish affair and us Wardrobe gals did scrub up well…but due to all the rush we didn’t take any photos! Gutted. Trust me, we looked hawt.

The Town Hall catwalk show was AMAZING. Great visuals, music and clothes. Oh and the models weren’t so bad either. The items used throughout the weekend on catwalk shows were all clothes and accessories that were available to buy in the shops which was great because you could go out and buy it on that same day.

If you don’t follow football then ignore this next bit, but don’t you think this model looks a bit like Fernando Torres?

Those were just a few photos I took from the Town Hall catwalk show on the Saturday. During the show there were 8 trends in total including ‘New Native’ and ‘Dark Side’. The items featured on the show were a mix of high street and designer. After the show, VIP ticket holders got to meet George Lamb and have their photo taken with him. Chloe may have met George before but between the two of us we were buzzing. He is totally worthy of his nickname of ‘Gorgeous George’… *swoon*

The both of us SO didn’t play it cool infront of George but he must have that effect on most women…

With so much going on during SBL, it is impossible to do everything in a day which is why your pass is spread out over the weekend.

However, me and Chloe could only do the Saturday so we tried to squeeze as much as we could in one day. The main things we wanted to see were the catwalk shows in particular ‘The Show: Redifinition’ at the Bullring.

It was a spectacular show which combined technology with fashion. Alongside real life models you saw holograms of models- brilliant 3D effects. Once again the items featured on the catwalk were a mixture of high street and designer- all available in the shops.

It really was amazing to watch. I wish my camera picked up more of the holograms but I wasn’t fast enough. The last photograph gives you a little idea of what the show was like.

It was a great two days in Birmingham and I wish I could have experienced the Sunday too. There literally was so much going on. We also couldn’t resist some cheeky shopping in the Bullring. Standard…

Once again a huge thank you to Retail Birmingham for supplying the tickets- we can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Did you go to Style Birmingham Live 2011? What did you think?

Images taken by wardrobemag.com (please credit)

Sunny

Birmingham Bullring presents The Show: Redefinition

This weekend we’re excited to be heading back to Style Birmingham Live – a unique three day event taking part across the city centre, including fashion shows, in-store events and George Lamb! I attended the event last year where I was lucky to meet Mr Lamb himself, but unfortunately didn’t get to check out everything else the event has to offer.

This year I’m looking forward to exploring the full event, and one aspect I’m definitely looking forward to is The Show: Redefinition in the Bullring Centre. This year their fashion show is quite literally being redefined, with revolutionary 3D technology colliding with fashion for a unique and groundbreaking show.

Over the past few years we’ve seen fashion and technology come together more and more – Burberry presented us with the world’s first live-streamed 3D fashion show just last year – but this event has to be truly unique…

Real-life models including last year’s BNTM winner Tiffany are set to walk the runway alongside holographic counterparts in a show that blurs the boundaries between illusion and reality. If that isn’t exciting enough, there’s also the promise of a special guest taking to the runway!

Of course, the main focus of The Show: Redefinition is fashion; this year’s models will be showcasing some of AW11’s key trends including fetish, forties glamour and gothic influenced Dark Romance. All of their looks come from retailers from within the Bullring including Forever 21, River Island and Kurt Geiger, while make up comes courtesy of the The Body Shop and hair by Regis in Debenhams.

For me, this is one of the key appeals of the show. Unlike major shows where we’re left waiting months before we can get our hands on the clothes; with The Show: Redefinition it’s easy to take inspiration and get the catwalk looks in your wardrobe the very same day!

For more information and exciting behind the scenes features head to Browse Bullring. Their site includes a breakdown of the season’s key trends, blogs from the people involved and news of the other events you can look forward to at Style Birmingham Live. There are also competitions so you might be able to win tickets to join us at the show!

If you’re interested in coming along to The Show: Redefinition the show times are as follows…

The Show: Redefinition Times
Friday 23rd September: 10.30am, 1pm, 3pm, 5.30pm
Saturday 24th September: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm
Sunday 25th September: 11.30am, 1pm, 3pm

This video below has more information on what you can expect!

Will you be coming along to The Show: Redefinition this weekend?

Chloe

NB: This is a Sponsored Post, but we only write about brands/events that both ourselves and our readers are truly interested in. As visitors to the event before we genuinely feel it’s worthy of a visit!

Viral video by ebuzzing

Cooler than the Red Dress

When it comes to party outfits, it’s all too easy to opt for the failsafe LBD for a classic and timeless look. However, if you want to stand out from the crowd this winter take note from the celebs below who prove that it’s all about the LRD (Little Red Dress).

Simple yet sexy, the LRD makes a statement without the need for fussy accessories or too much effort. Much like the LBD, a red dress will also become a wardrobe staple as everyone always loves a Lady In Red!

You may be unsure that red will work for you, but as Alexa, Georgia May and Michelle show, there is a little red dress to suit all skin tones.

Georgia May Jagger matched her lippie to this gorgeous lace trim red dress at a party, while Megan Fox took it a step further matching her LRD to the red carpet at a premiere earlier this year.

Georgia May Jagger looks stunning in her lace trimmed red dress

All eyes were on Megan Fox in this plunge neck red dress

Clothes Show Live: More Celebs Confirmed

Fearne Cotton

As if we weren’t already looking forward to this years Clothes Show Live…

Now it has been announced that three of our favourite celebs are set to attend the show alongside the Hollyoaks boys and girls as reported a few weeks ago on Wardrobe.

Queen of all things cool Fearne Cotton and TV hotties George Lamb and Dave Berry will be there to celebrate the shows 21st birthday. They’ll be presenting in the Fashion Theatre at this years Clothes Show Live held in Birmingham.

Tickets are still available but hurry! You can go on Clothes Show Live for tickets or by calling 0844 579 3178

See you there!

Dave Berry

George Lamb

The Clothes Show Live will take place 4-9 December at the NEC Birmingham. For more information go on to  www.clothesshowlive.com

Sunny