fabulous Garden Parties Nearly Here!

May 8, 2012 at 11:51 am · Filed under Events, Jo Stroud, What's Happening at fabulous! ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

With Summer (hopefully) just round the corner, it’s time to get ready for our annual Garden Party season!

This Summer fabulous will be hosting two lovely afternoons combining fine food and company with a spot of retail therapy! The Garden Parties are a great opportunity to browse and shop brand new and extended collections by fabulous’ most popular designers as well as meet some of the designers themselves!

Jo Stroud, owner of fabulous, describes the Summer Garden Party as, “a lovely relaxed event perfect to share with your girlfriends or work colleagues, or as a treat for a special someone. For many years we have hosted a Summer Garden Party for our store in Royal Leamington Spa at Mallory Court Hotel, which has always proved popular; and I’m very much looking forward to sharing our latest collections with the fabulous ladies of Bath at our first Garden Party at The Bath Priory, as it’s a beautiful location with a superb restaurant”.

The Bath Priory, built in 1835 as a private residence on land once owned by The Priory of Bath Abbey, provides sumptuous surroundings and a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for the fabulous Summer Garden Party. Guests will dine in the hotel’s restaurant, which was named the number one restaurant in the South West in The Sunday Times Food List.

Mallory Court, located on the outskirts of Leamington, is one of the Midlands’ finest luxury hotels – a quintessentially English country manor house hotel. With stunning views from its terrace over the gardens and the Warwickshire countryside beyond, Mallory Court‘s multi award-winning Dining Room is the region’s most celebrated restaurant.

Before and after lunch, the latest jewellery collections will be available to peruse and try on, before they have even reached the stores! Collections will include Lola Rose, the “go-to” brand for Summer with pieces in brightly coloured semi-precious stones and modern yet feminine designs. Also Daisy Jewellery will be showcased, a brand which has a growing fan base due to its delicate designs in 24carat Gold plate and its Chakra range which promotes well-being.

What’s more, designers such as Chloe Moss of celebrity favourite ChloBo, whose collection features luxury boho stacking bracelets; Linda MacDonald of Linda MacDonald Jewellery, famous for her collections inspired by nature; and Marisa Horden, the lady behind Missoma, the glamorous collection feted by fashion glossies, will all be in attendance, happy to chat about their designs and share their style secrets over a glass of Pimms!

Brand representatives from fabulous’ other favourite designers will also be on hand at both parties to reveal the insider info on key pieces for the new season.

If you would like to join Jo at one of the Summer Garden Parties please call your nearest fabulous store: Bath - 01225 330 333 or Leamington – 01926 430 934. Tickets cost £29 each and include lunch and refreshments. Tickets are £26 each when placing a booking for three or more people.

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Be on Trend for Summer with Fabulous!

May 1, 2012 at 5:30 pm · Filed under It's all about Fashion!, Watches ·Tagged , , , , , ,

We were flicking through the Sunday papers last week, having fun browsing Summer’s latest trends – when we spotted that lots of pieces that fabulous stock featured in the YOU magazine’s Accessories Report! Here’s a run down of what you can pick up at fabulous that will get you noticed for all the right reasons this Summer!

Swatch Colour Code Wrap watches look casual and fresh for Summer!

Pandora is perfect for working the pastel trend this season! You can see a Purple Leather watch,  Leather Charm bracelet with charms and a Rhodonite ring.

These earrings are from Pandora’s Compose range – you can mix and match each component to create a totally unique look!

 This feature includes three different watch brands that fabulous stocks – Pandora, CK by Calvin Klein and Thomas Sabo! Soon we will stock some other watch brand favourites also featured on this page – stay tuned!!

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Our New Website!

May 1, 2012 at 4:13 pm · Filed under What's Happening at fabulous! ·Tagged , , , ,

After months of hard work from our creative and web teams – our new website has finally been launched and went “live” last night!

fabulous has always had a transactional website but while the fabulous stores have expanded and been refurbished over time, our busy award-winning website waited in the wings like a trusted friend for the face-lift it deserved!

We are thrilled with the new look of the website! It remains instantly recognisable as being totally fabulous – the theme is pink of course! But we feel that it has a much more slick and clean feel to it and it is even easier to navigate than our previous site, with new filter search options.

Aside from this, there are few other new features of the site which we think will improve our online shoppers’ experience…. Have you spotted the tabs underneath the main banner, inviting you to browse what’s new to fabulous, our fabulous favourites and, if you’re not sure where to start, some fabulous inspiration?! It also acts as a gateway to the Designer Lounge – a fresh new area of the site where you will find interviews with designers, insider info on new collections and the latest jewellery industry news!

At the bottom of the homepage, you’ll find links to most of the important original sections of the site such as About Us, Events and Returns information. But now you’ll also notice that we have brand new info about Birthstones – which are so popular as gifts! Plus – check out the cute heart shaped social media buttons, which make it even easier to stay connected with fabulous.

Arguably one of the most important new features of the site is the real-time stock level indicator for every single item! Our aim is to get your order to you as quickly as possible but on our previous site you wouldn’t know if your item was in stock until you had placed your order…. Now each product page informs you of an estimated delivery time to help you have the best online shoppping experience possible.

 

We hope you enjoy using our new website! We can’t wait to hear your feedback, good or bad! Feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail us enquiries@fabulouscollections.co.uk

 

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Pandora is celebrating its 30th birthday this year!

April 12, 2012 at 2:57 pm · Filed under All About Jewellery, Competitions and Offers!, Events, Pandora, What's Happening at fabulous! ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Pandora, the ever-popular charm bracelet and jewellery brand, has had a remarkable journey from being a small Danish jewellery shop to a world-leading international brand.

In celebration of its 30th birthday the brand has compiled its own list of Unforgettable Moments – just like Pandora customers do on their bracelets! Here are a few of these special Pandora moments that we thought you might not already know…..

  • It was 1982 in Copenhagen and Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his wife opened their first jewellery shop. The couple would go on to be at the helm of a world renowned jewellery brand!
  • At the end of 1999, after several months of developing and testing various creative ideas, the first in-house jewellery designers employed by Per created the Pandora charm bracelet concept. The way Pandora charms twist onto the bracelets is actually patented to Pandora.
  • Until early 2000, the concept wasn’t called Pandora – it didn’t have a name at all! There had been an internal competition for employees to come up with a brand name but with only hours to go until printing deadlines for the marketing material there was no winner! A school girl who had been helping at the office suggested “Pandora” – distinct, memorable and easily pronounceable in different languages!
  • When Pandora bracelets first when on sale in February 2000, the charm collection was made up of only 15 charms! Ten of which are still available today, including the well-liked strawberry.
  • In 2003, the first Pandora shop in America was opened, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • 2008 was the year that Pandora first advertised on television.
  • Pandora celebrated becoming one of the world’s three largest jewellery brands in 2009.
  • During the Summer of 2009 an important moment took place in bringing fans of Pandora together –the first ever message posted on the brand’s Facebook page invited them to share their favourite charms.
  • On an Autumn day in 2011, Pandora had a royal moment! HRH Princess Marie of Denmark was spotted wearing Pandora!
  • Also in 2011, the Pandora angel became the most widely worn charm as its unit sales passed the 2.5 million mark!

To help celebrate this special birthday, Pandora are giving something back to its loyal fans…. From Monday 16th April until Sunday 22nd April 2012 shoppers can receive a FREE Pandora Silver Bracelet worth £55 (product code 590702HV) if they spend £125 or more on Pandora!

This offer is subject to terms and conditions. The complimentary bracelet is 590702HV and cannot be returned for a refund. Image of bracelet shown for display purpose only. One bracelet per customer. Subject to availability. Please ask in-store for details. Excludes Northern Ireland.

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Head Over Heels in Bath

April 4, 2012 at 10:31 am · Filed under Events, It's all about Fashion!, Jo Stroud, Things we Love ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jo rubbed shoulders with fashion royalty during Bath in Fashion!

I was lucky enough last week to be invited to the hottest ticket in town, during Bath in Fashion week – a rare talk by the fabulous Manolo Blahnik, hosted by ‘Bath Life’ magazine – an event which sold out in 20 minutes!

Manolo has lived in Bath for many years, and this year finally agreed to get involved with this high profile event. He spoke about his start in life in the Canary Islands, his early forays into designing shoes for his dog, and then his stellar career designing some of the world’s most iconic shoes.

During the fascinating hour-long interview, we heard about the many famous names he has worked with or designed for, from Bianca Jagger to Angelica Houston to Kate Moss – telling us stories about the stunning shoes Kate wore at her wedding, hand-sewn in Italy the night before and flown in just in time; to the huge boost his career received from Carrie’s obsession with his shoes in ‘Sex and the City’.

Bath in Fashion gets better every year, this year featuring headlining talks and shows from designer Amanda Wakeley, Mulberry-founder Roger Saul, and milliner Stephen Jones, as well as Manolo Blahnik. With coverage now in Tatler, Vogue and the Telegraph, this week of fashion events and shows really puts Bath on the fashionista map.

We at fabulous have been heavily involved again this year, with our jewellery featuring in several scenes in the Spring / Summer 2012 catwalk show at the Guildhall, styled by famed stylist Rebekah Roy – stylist to Kate Moss – as well as being showcased at the Street Style events throughout the weekend.

Every time I go down to Bath to our store, I am amazed by the sheer vibrancy of what goes on in the city, and just how many events happen throughout the year. If you didn’t make it to Bath in Fashion this year, then keep an eye out on events later in the year, as it’s a really great place for a weekend away. We’re adding our own little bit of fabulousness to life in Bath this Summer, with our Garden Party at The Bath Priory – so if you want to see what all the fuss is about, take the opportunity to come and see us there. It’s on Thursday June 21st – we’d love to see you there!

Manolo Blahnik interviewed at Bath in Fashion

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How Much to Spend on an Engagement Ring?

March 9, 2012 at 11:03 am · Filed under fabulous forever, Weddings ·Tagged , , ,

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Brand New Pandora

March 6, 2012 at 2:44 pm · Filed under All About Jewellery, New Arrivals!, Pandora ·Tagged , , , , ,

Anna, from our Solihull store, reviews the latest collection from ever popular Pandora!

Spring is always a busy time at fabulous, filled with anticipation as we await the arrival of the new collections from many of our designers.  This year I had the pleasure of being invited to London by Pandora to see the Spring/Summer Collection in the flesh and learn a bit about the inspiration behind this year’s stories and the history of many of the materials used throughout.

Each year the buyers for Pandora UK select two themes from the Danish collection that they believe the UK will love and this year they’ve definitely got it right!  This season’s theme is ‘Floral Nostalgia’.  Taking its inspiration from nature and the delicate details of the Art Nouveau period there is definitely a vintage feel to this collection, with the wide use of feminine flowers and Pearls throughout.

The Art Nouveau period (1890-1905) gathered inspiration from nature and is widely recognisable by the delicate organic shapes and patterns used.  There is also a very feminine feel present throughout many designs and Pandora seem to have encapsulated this period perfectly with many of the jewellery stories heavily influenced by this decorative concept.  From roses and pearls to dragonflies and dark oxidised Silver you are sure to find something you adore in this collection.

The charms take on a more care-free ethos with the tag line ‘Embrace your sweetest memories of Summer gone by’; and with the majority of them being highly polished, they really do give off a ‘bright and breezy’ feel.  Add in an on-trend pastel Murano Glass bead and we defy anyone not to start counting down the days ‘til Summer!

And if you thought it couldn’t get any better they have released some of our favourite Gold charms in Silver … for a fraction of the price you definitely won’t feel guilty treating yourself!

The new collection will be in fabulous stores by the end of this week.

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fabulous Weddings!

March 6, 2012 at 11:33 am · Filed under Events, fabulous forever, Weddings, What's Happening at fabulous! ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Laura, our fabulous forever Brand Manager, gives us the low down on Wedding Fayres.

This time of year is proving to be all about romance from Valentine’s Day to Leap Day (men you can stop worrying now!!) It is also the main period in the year when engaged couples are out and about looking for wedding ideas – or even last minute planning!! Here at fabulous we have started to attend many of the local wedding fayres with our fabulous forever collection, and they are proving to be very popular indeed!

In the past week alone, we have attended fayres at Warwick Racecourse and the Ramada Hotel in Solihull. What’s great about these fayres is that you can find almost everything you need for your big day from your wedding rings to your invitations and flowers – and it’s all local to you! Warwick Racecourse had the most gorgeous dresses from Eternal Bride in Warwick. The Ramada fayre had fantastic designs from Wicked Weddingz invitations and table decorations to local magicians – so they can keep the children entertained during speeches!!

What surprised me when talking to many of the couples we met was how last minute they were in deciding upon their wedding rings. One couple were getting married in three weeks and had forgotten about them! I’m glad we were there to remind them!

It was really interesting to find out that many of the couples wanted something different to the traditional wedding ring. Our collection, ‘Love at First Sight’ proved popular. The wedding band, Spark, stood out because of how delicate it is with the endless flow of diamonds. Many brides wanted something to frame their engagement ring with a design that was subtle yet luxurious. Our ring Passionate Desire also had the same reaction as it really stands out and matches perfectly with princess cut engagement rings. The men’s rings also proved popular especially Hero from our ‘Tough Love’ collection. The two continuous lines engraved on the ring are sentimental yet understated.

Wedding jewellery was something else many brides were still looking for. At fabulous, we think Swarovski is perfect as it is elegant and subtle yet very glamorous! The Perpetual collection which is set with crystals and pearls is perfect yet timeless and the heart pendant and earrings are very delicate and understated. Other designers such as Thomas Sabo, Hot Diamonds and ChloBo are proving great for bridesmaid gifts as well as bridal jewellery. I love the Cute Mini bracelets from ChloBo with the heart, star or angel charms – perfect for someone to remember your big day!

We will be attending many other wedding fayres in the coming weeks and our next one is at the Mallory Court Hotel on 11th March. Come and see our great collection of wedding bands as well as jewellery we think is perfect for your special day!

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Pandora Price Changes

March 1, 2012 at 9:33 am · Filed under All About Jewellery, Pandora, What's Happening at fabulous! ·Tagged , ,

From today, some Pandora items will retail at a lower price in all stockists, including fabulous. Here’s why…

In response to customer feedback, Pandora has decided to reduce the price of some of its pieces as they acknowledge they have increased too much over the past few years. Pandora has always aimed to create beautiful pieces of jewellery that are an affordable luxury to many fashionable ladies wanting to mark their unforgettable moments, and they feel the lower prices will benefit everyone.

Not all Pandora prices will be reduced, nor will every piece be reduced by the same amount due to the differences in designs and materials used. The items included in the price reduction have been so because they were highlighted in customer feedback. Also, if you visit a Pandora stockist abroad, you will notice prices are different to in the UK – this has always been the case due to variations in distribution structures, retailer and tax margins to name a few!

However, the quality and production of Pandora charms and jewellery will not change in any way.

Pandora were aiming to have updated their promotional material with the new prices by today and so hopefully our stores will receive new brochures very soon. If you have any queries about the price of individual items, please call one of our stores!

The latest collection of Pandora charms features 92 designs starting at lower price points than before – just in time for Mother’s Day!

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The Sweet Reveal!

February 28, 2012 at 3:03 pm · Filed under All About Jewellery, Jo Stroud, The fabulous Team, Things we Love, Thomas Sabo ·Tagged , , , , ,

Sinade, Solihull’s Store Manager, gives us the insider info about her and Jo’s trip to Inhorgenta in Germany – including the launch of Thomas Sabo’s latest collection!

After a busy few weeks of new season buying it was time for myself and Jo to hop on a flight to the beautiful, but sub-zero, city of Munich to visit Inhorgenta, the International Jewellery and Watch trade fair.  Here we would be on the look out for new jewellery and watch collections and have the delight of seeing the Thomas Sabo Spring/Summer Charm collection and be let in on the ‘Sweet Secret’ Thomas Sabo had been tempting us about…

As soon as we landed on Friday afternoon we realised that when people had warned us it had been cold, they weren’t lying, it was minus 13 on our first day!  We wrapped up warm and headed to the city centre; we plodded through the snow and wondered past frozen fountains in search of inspiration. We were most delighted to find some gorgeous independent jewellery shops – they stocked some familiar brands alongside smaller designers, and they really inspired us with their inviting Spring decorations and got us excited about how we could recreate the same feeling back at fabulous.

Saturday morning, we headed to breakfast and then on to the show.  This is the third time I’ve visited Inhorgenta and it never fails to impress me; the show is huge, offering halls full of stunning collections from up and coming designers and jewellery makers, to well established brands.

We had an afternoon appointment for the big ‘reveal’ from Thomas Sabo, but first we set off systematically around the halls, making sure we didn’t miss anything!  We saw loads of stunning collections but our favourite was Danish brand Lund. I don’t want to give too much away just yet – as it will be debuted at our annual Garden Parties in June - but if you love feminine, delicate daisies you won’t be disappointed!  Another highlight was the Pandora tree.  The tree had been adorned with messages from all the staff at Pandora with their favourite piece of jewellery and their ‘Unforgettable Moment’ it was really impressive and seemed like a lovely idea to hear people’s stories.

A big focus for us this year is to introduce some more watch brands that fit the fabulous ethos, like Bering which arrived in-store and online just before Christmas. The Bering stand was buzzing and it was clear to see that Bering is becoming a must have collection! We were also there to see Bering donate £75,000, the proceeds from their ‘Time to Care’ watch to the Polar Bears International Organisation.

Following lunch we went to see Thomas Sabo.  We signed in and explored the extra long charm bar to catch a peek of the new Spring/Summer releases.  We were thrilled with the new additions, the Princess (£49.95) and Frog Prince (£39.95) charms being my personal favourites!! With charms from £19.95 and bracelets from just £21.95 there really is no excuse for not treating a loved one or yourself – I’ve got my favourites on order already!

It was then time to enter the exclusive Thomas Sabo cinema and see the ‘Sweet Secret’ reveal.  The cinema was decorated with elaborate 1920s furniture and lighting, to build the mood – we even had black and white macaroons at our seats as an extra treat! The collection was gorgeous and a great addition to any Thomas Sabo fan’s jewellery box.  We can’t wait for our fabulous customers to see it – for now we are sworn to secrecy until they reveal it in stores later this year, but one thing we can say is – you’ll love it!

Later that night we hit the exclusive Thomas Sabo collection launch party, the theme? ‘Black and White Unite the Night!’ of course!

When Sunday came we travelled back to the surprisingly milder West Midlands – for a night’s rest before we set off for another trade show the next day!

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