Summer may have only just arrived for some of us, but in the fashion world – Christmas is already here! Earlier this week, I was invited along to Lipsy’s head office in Central London on behalf of Scarlett London Blog to preview their glamorous clothes (and be pampered by professionals!). What a treat!
Upon arrival, I was greeted by one of the Lipsy girls and was shown around a variety of different rooms each filled with a certain trend. One room was filled with baroque, another with fur and another with gorgeous embellishments – I was in heaven! Lipsy have recently announced Millie Mackintosh as the face of the VIP campaign for a second consecutive season, so there was also a room filled with the ‘VIP Collection’ for Christmas also! Other famous faces in the VIP room (although not there in person) were JLS and the Duchess of Cambridge, who have each worn Lipsy designs or have worked with Lipsy in the past!
Latest celebrity fans of Lipsy include Little Mix, who were pictured in Lipsy’s VIP room in peter pan collared shirts and cute skirts. I’m sure they will be one of the many groups of celebs in the queue for the Christmas collection – as it really is a treat!
Like a magpie to a spoon, I was attracted to a rail full of nude embellished dresses which were emblazoned with everything from feathers to sequins to diamantes (though, not all on the same dress!). It’s clear that this Christmas’ ‘party dress’ will be as sparkly (if not more) as last year’s. I was however a little surprised that Lipsy had taken inspiration from Guiseppe Zanotti to create heel-less platforms, as they are a very ‘statement’ shoe and are quite different to the kind of ‘girlie vibe’ Lipsy normally go for. However, being Lipsy – they have put their own twist on the shoe and made it as girlie and glitzy as always – perfect for any Christmas party. Just don’t get too drunk, otherwise you may end up in A&E in those shoes!
Seeing as looking at gorgeous clothes, dresses and shoes is hard work, Lipsy had kindly enrolled a ‘crepe chef’ to cook up deliciously sweet (or savory, if you preferred) pancakes throughout the event. As someone who is drawn to the smell of sugary lemon pancakes (with a drizzling of chocolate), I chose the large sweet option and headed off into the next room, scoffing it as I rifled through the mix of casual pieces that Lipsy have designed for the Christmas season. There were a real mix of gorgeous items, including waxed jackets (which would even be perfect for the constantly fluctuating UK weather) and Burberry Style patent satchels.
The jewellery previewed at the event was just as glamorous, with diamante encrusted drop earrings, sparkly necklaces and glitzy bracelets – perfect for complimenting any Christmas outfit! (Oh and I spotted an amazing pair of pink platform sandals, which deserve to be on everyone’s Christmas wish list – see below!).
After raiding the rails of Lipsy, I headed to the PR office – turned beauty salon to have my unruly eyebrows made over by celebrity make-up artist Tahira Wells. She kindly groomed and perfected them, and left me with eyebrows that would make even Cara Delevingne envious! She used a stencil that worked with my face shape to achieve the thick, dramatic look that I wanted and layered the powder on my brows to create a more bold statement. She then finished off my look with strong eye liner and lengthening mascara! I was all set to go out, if only I had one of the Lipsy dresses to wear!
On the opposite side of the room, there were several girls having their nails painted with an extremely glittery polish!
Just before I left the event, Shani from Lipsy kindly showed me around the VIP dresses section (which as I mentioned earlier, are currently modelled by MIC star Millie Mackintosh). These dresses are certainly not your average ‘bar/clubbing’ dress but they are gorgeous! Think ladies day, red carpet event, cocktail party or prom night! Although the dresses look amazing on Millie (mind you, let’s face it – that girl would look amazing in a sack!), in real life they are absolutely stunning and so intricately designed. They are a little more expensive than Lipsy’s main range, but then – they are VIP! Many of the dresses I saw at the event in the VIP section are currently available to buy from Lipsy’s website, so if you did fancy looking round early for your Christmas Cocktail Party dresses, then you can have a peek on Lipsy’s website!
I really love that Lipsy has taken small influences from the catwalk, such as the bohemian baroque trend and sequins and metal combinations, yet have added their own glamorous twist to appeal to the mainstream!
I don’t want to sound like I’m analysing a piece of Shakespeare in A-Level English, but Lipsy really has got it right with this collection with regards to perfectly moulding together the world of high street and designer to create a collection that is affordable, yet still gives off a luxe appeal!
I want to thank Shani and the rest of the Lipsy team for a wonderful evening and I am really looking forward to when the Christmas collection hits stores in late Autumn! For the VIP collection visit http://lipsy.com