What is a modern woman? In a historical snapshot the 50’s saw ‘our’ men come back form war and we returned to our rightful place in the kitchen. Then we had the 80’s, and suddenly we could smash through the glass ceiling in the workplace. What happens now though?

What is it that women want? A career or a family? Or something else, something more, do we actually want both?

Dr Pam Spurr wrote for MSN UK on the subject………

We may be entering a credit crunch, but personal shopping services are booming in popularity. As customers are becoming more cost conscious, they are increasingly employing the services of a personal shopper to ensure those precious pounds are well spent. Customers are searching for clothes that fit in with their existing wardrobe and making sure that what they purchase will not only go the distance but, are good value on a cost-per-wear basis. Add to this the tantalising offer of a personal stylist to whisk you round the shop for free, and thousands of customers are signing up to the ‘in-house’ services across the country.

Sounds great until you start to realise the actual cost of that free service. What if the person ‘advising’ you had no additional training than anyone else on the shop floor? What if that person worked on commission, gaining a higher paycheck for greater sales? Suddenly the flattering service they so tantalisingly offer, with the separate changing room, massive mirror and rack of specially chosen clothes (never from the sale section), isn’t quite so seductive.

For qualified and experienced style consultants across the country, it’s been an interesting dilemma, most of us have continued to work steadily, as the quality of the work speaks for itself. Some customers will always go for a free service, much like some people will always chose the cheapest builder. However, they rarely factor in the additional cost of having the work re-done.

The huge changing room to yourself in a brilliant weapon in the psychology of sales. Everyone looks smaller in a large room (most customers want to look slimmer), you then have a rack of clothes chosen ‘especially for you’, cue the British politeness of being obliged to agree with the sales person, as they have made the effort. The rooms are often white, making the clothes ‘pop’ out and appear more attractive. Then, add an enthusiastic ‘expert’ telling you how wonderful you look and it’s no surprise that most customers leave with bags full of shopping and an significantly lighter purse.

So, how do you let the the new customers know that you do get what you pay for and that the service we offer is actually better?

Customers are seeking advice because they don’t know what suits them. Many of my clients have been stuck in a rut and really have lost the ability to see themselves in a new light. Makeover shows work on the ‘wow’ factor where people undergo huge transformations but, it doesn’t always have to be such an ‘extreme makeover’ to create a massive impact. You can look 10lbs slimmer in the right clothes, surgery is not mandatory to looking better!

For the private style consultants, this just makes our job slightly easier, customers are increasingly saying they saw someone for free, but just didn’t feel they came away looking better. Many pulled out the clothes at home and didn’t get the desired reaction from partners, family and friends.

It might take customers slightly longer than before, as they go on the bargain detour, but quality will always win out.

The real value is always in qualified, experienced and perhaps most importantly independent advice.

For personal shopping services contact Chameleon Fridays.

Jodie Kidd has been ditched by her model agency after she reportedly gained too much weight.

Jodie Kidd, is not known for being even curvy let alone overweight and regularly battles media attention for alleged eating disorders due to her stick thin frame. Despite this her Agency, Independant reportedly dropped her after gaining a few pounds.

Jodie’s increased eating habits (for that read normal eating) are reported to have started after she lost her contract with Marks and Spencer following the cocaine scandal.

Here are some practical tips for getting the best look for your special day;

• Be realistic
  What you dream of wearing may not be the dress for you. Take into consideration your height and figure; there is a vast and exciting selection of bridal wear from the short and sexy to the rich and regal. Look around and try on lots of styles before you settle on a dress - it may be completely different from the one you envisaged!
• Keep in budget
  Think about what you can spend, not what you want to spend. This may well be the deciding factor between haute couture and a less expensive dressmaker. See High street brides for budget altearnatives.
  
• Be seasonal
  Consider when you are getting married. Winter weddings are becoming increasingly popular and with them they have brought an advent of new and exciting bridal wear. Rich velvets, medieval-style hooded cloaks and bejeweled tiaras are some of the attractive and unusual accessories for a revitalised wedding season.
• Follow nature
  Each season brings new and vibrant colours and fragrances, they are there for a reason. Consult your florist on the appropriate flowers for your season, he/she will be able to offer you creative ideas that you will not have imagined.
• Be prepared for your hair
  Have a hair rehearsal well in advance of the day. As with your dress your idea may not suit your style. Your hairdresser will take into consideration not only your veil and headdress but also your choice of bridal wear and wedding theme/season. Source
• Be Make up ready - View Bridal beauty for make up tips on your big day.

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As the credit crunch hits the US hard, A bride in the US has taken the unprecedented step of autioning a place at her wedding in the guise of a brdesmaid or bridesman, to raise funds. The New York Times reported;

Being a bridesmaid can be expensive, as any woman who has been fitted for a dress she did not pick out, or spent hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket, can attest. But, then again, most bridesmaids know the bride.

Then, there is Kelly Gray and her fifth bridesmaid. Ms. Gray, a Virginia Beach hairdresser, auctioned off the chance to be a bridesmaid in her April 2009 wedding on eBay. The winning bid on Wednesday was $5,700. Ms. Gray, 23, had long dreamed of being a bride, but she and her fiancé, Karl Gau, could not afford the $7,000 wedding they have planned at the Virginia Beach Conference Center. “While other children would say they wanted to be a teacher or singer when they grew up, I would always say that I wanted to be a beautiful bride!” Ms. Gray wrote on eBay. She said she did not want anything fancy, no horse-drawn carriages or ice sculptures, just a three-layer cake and dancing. “I want a wedding,” Ms. Gray said in an interview. “Normal is expensive.”

Ms. Gray said she had tried entering contests, saving money and writing to talk shows to help pay for the wedding, but nothing worked. Her boss, Gwen Lala, came up with the idea to auction off a spot in the wedding party.“I thought it would be fun,” said Ms. Lala, who said she had trolled eBay and realized people would pay for bizarre things. “They just have to stand up in the bridal party, and we hope somebody wants to come and do it.”

The winner, whom Ms. Lala would not identify, must also pose for pictures and the wedding video and join in “any other wedding activities.” The bridesmaid will wear an apple red dress and shoes of Ms. Gray’s choice. The dress is likely to be A-line and floor length, Ms. Gray said. She might be renting a tux, however, as she is willing to have a bridesman. The winner can eat from the still-to-be-chosen buffet, but must pay all travel expenses.

Ms. Gray realizes she is taking a chance, but she and her fiancé are undeterred. “I know some people out there are crazy,” she said. “We just want anybody who is willing to have fun. We’re fun, and we’re hoping someone won’t come in and ruin it for us.” Source

“I know some people out there are crazy?!” Wow, what a great way to talk about the your wedding benefactor. Let’s hope they’re so fun they can look past that comment.

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The big day can be so stressful that having a bad skin day may just be the final straw. For brides wishing to avoid the potential meltdown, here are some top tips from celebrity make up artist Jemma Kidd.

• Don’t have intensive beauty treatments the day before, as skin can react to, and is more sensitive in, the heat. Have a skin microdermabrasion facial about a month beforehand - then pedicures and manicures the day before.
• Well-groomed eyebrows are essential. Invest in a professional to shape them - done properly they can transform your face.
• You could try my Jemma Kidd Make Up School “Lash Tint” instead of mascara. This lasts for 24 hours with no smudge, no smear, so even if you cry you won’t end up looking like a panda eyes.
• Keep it natural. Daylight can be quite unflattering if you pile on make-up, especially powder. What you really want is flawless skin - try to get a slight base tan ahead of the day without burning so it evens out your skin tones.
• Use cream products that aren’t too greasy - you don’t want to look melted in the sun. Creamy textured concealers, blushes and eye creams are much more hydrating on the skin and they are also easier to blend.
• To achieve a flawless-looking complexion, don’t apply loads of foundation. Instead, use a cream concealer to build up coverage where your skin really needs it - and blend, blend, blend. Finish with a light dusting of translucent powder to remove shine and help make-up stay put.
• Invest in a great skin illuminator - most brands do them and they will transform your skin and make it glow. Apply before foundation and then use on cheekbones to highlight. Becca does a great skin illuminator which can also be used all over the body to make skin shimmer (stockists: 020 7225 2501).
• Finally - don’t kiss too many people. Foundation rubs off and men with stubble will give you red cheeks.

If all else fails smile, there is always photoshop! See Cutting Wedding Costs for more tips.

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Weddings are big business in the UK, but with a few tips and tricks you can save some money to make your big day even bigger.

• The dress can be a huge expense. See Wedding Dress Savings and High Street Brides.
• It is not cheap for the guests either, with the average cost of travel, accommodation, gift and new outfit totting up to about £300. Be considerate by and help out by agreeing discounts on the reception accommodation for your party and providing coaches etc. You’ll have more guests attend, and that means more presents for you!
• The venues for receptions are often more expensive than at weekends, try going midweek (make sure you give guests plenty of time to book the day off of work).
• Catering is a major cost, so limit the official reception to a few people and then have a party in the evening for the others.
• Firms which hire out chauffeur-driven limousines usually charge much more if they know they are being booked for a wedding. First agree a fee and then let them know it’s for a wedding.
• If you are planning a cross-Channel trip to buy the wine or champagne for your reception don’t forget that many venues charge ‘corkage’ for allowing you to bring your own booze.
• Consider choosing dresses that the bridesmaids can wear again at other formal occasions; which would give better value.
• Hire a photographer just for the formal photographs. Let your guests do all the photography work for you at the reception.

If you have managed to keep the bills low enough, it could be worth spending a little extra on wedding insurance. There are real risks of ruined dresses, damaged suits, cars that turn up late, lost photographs and even, dare we say it, cancellation. Full article

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Monsoon: Wiston Wedding Dress

As the sound of belts tightening across the country, signals cut backs to the retail industry. Brides-to-be are benefiting from a clever twist on the traditional wedding industry. Whereas Berketex Bride previously ruled the budget end of the industry, now brides have ‘designer’ high street ranges at their fingertips.

Even better is the quality of the dresses, with silk, lace and chiffon all being readily available on the high street. Brides no longer have to compromise when on a budget by having a higher man-made material content. It’s now possible to save money and not have to wear nylon taffeta.

Here are the current high street choices;

• Marks and Spencers kicked off their launch with executive Stuart Rose stating: “We dress hundreds of thousands of girls every day, so why not for their wedding day, too? This is a good, affordable offer for our customers.” The collection includes five wedding dresses to suit a range of budgets, tiaras and veils, outfits for the groom and bridesmaid’s dresses. Prices for the dresses start at £59.99 and M&S also have a dedicated bridal lingerie range to further ensure more spending in their store.
• H&M recently launched their designer dress collection from the Dutch duo Viktor and Rolf. The dresses priced at £219.99 were so popular with fashion concious shoppers that the available stock appeared on Ebay for double the price within 24 hours.
• George at Asda launched with Angela Spindler, George’s global managing director saying: “You’ve heard of fairytale weddings well we think that most wedding dresses are being sold with a fairytale price tag. With the introduction of our new bridal collection all that is set to change.”For the truly budget conscious, Asda claim they can dress both the bride and groom for £200. Dresses start at £60, with the addition of bridesmaids and pageboy outfits to complete the collection.
• BHS launched at the end of 2007. They have a range of both dresses and separates, with bodices starting at £30. This range was given furthur coverage as it was championed for the wedding show episode of The Apprentice this year, by runner up Claire Young.
• Monsoon have launched their range at the top of the high street market with dresses from £135. What the extra money will buy you is vintage styling and luxurious fabrics. Their range comes complete with bridesmaids dresses and utilizes its Accessorize department by proving a full range of accessories.
• Debenhams use their top designers, like Julien Macdonald, Jasper Conran and Pearce II Fionda , to design dresses with a starting price of £65. They also have a dedicated wedding service which enables their clients to get everything they need in store, from the dress through to the wedding gift list.

• Gap have yet to launch, but their selection of bridal dresses are rumored to be by British designer Roland Mouret.

Fashion designer Jeff Banks however, doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, when he was quoted saying (when viewing the Asda collection), “Brides spend years planning their weddings these days and the dress is the central part.” This may be true, the question all brides need to ask is just how much they want the cost of the dress to feature on the big day. See also Wedding Dress Savings.

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As the credit crunch steps up a gear and the threat of a recession looms, how can a bride-to-be cut costs on the big day.

The average UK wedding now costs £15, 244., with women being 28 and men age 30 for the ‘I do’s’. Taking into account that the average first time buyer is 34, requiring a deposit of £18,000, (this is approximately 5 years of saving), do we have our priorities wrong?

By no means am I saying that marriage is not important but , can this love keep us so warm we are now forgoing a property to cement it?

What can be a significant cost on the day is the wedding dress. There is a huge industry just surrounding this one item of clothing, with a price tag of £1000 upwards being commonplace.

Here are some alternatives to save you money;

• Why not consider hiring a dress. You will have a large choice at a fraction of the price for a purchase. You can add savings to a honeymoon of a lifetime or some fabulous shoes you will get more future wear from.

• Give your dress a new lease of life by dying it or tailoring it differently. Some women want to have a special dress that is only theirs, but many brides who purchase, simply pack the dress away in a box and rarely look at it. The question you need to ask is what is your social life like, will a dyed wedding dress, be something you can make use of (black tie functions etc)? If so, maybe buying a dress is a good investment.

• How about profiteering from the decline in the US economy. Internet savvy brides are ordering gowns they’ve tried on in the UK from the States. Even with shipping, many dresses still work out significantly cheaper.

• Buy from the high street, many stores now have dedicated Bridal ranges, starting from £60 at Asda and M&S. See High Street Brides for more.

• Try buying your chosen dress directly from the manufacturer. Shops have to add a premium to cover their overheads such as premises and staff etc and you may be able to avoid paying this by going straight to the source.

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Marks and Spencers have recently come under fire for charging £2 more on bras from certain ranges. The additional premium is put on bras at a size DD and larger. Beckie Williams set up the group Busts 4 Justice on facebook in response to the tax on bigger bras, and an ‘unsatifactory’ response from the retailer to her complaint. The group now has 1526 members and is rising daily.

Marks and Spencers response to the complaint stated that, as there was extra material used to produce larger sizes, it equated to more money at the register. Beckie has since argued that this is not the formula used for any other type of clothing.

The High Street retailer said that the added cost - typically £2 - was “standard industry practice”. M&S added it found most customers “were happy to pay a small premium for the specialist work” needed to make larger sizes of their bras. Full article