off the rails!

Pop up in Brighton

2010-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

We have opened up shop in Brighton for 5 days. Selling the best in contemporary and vintage style. The shop is in the Bartholomews area of the city, just a couple of doors up from Space NK. We have all our usual brands plus some childrenswear and vintage pieces. Its been lovely and sunny the last couple of days, today is the usual damp grey and we have been cheering ourselves up with some tasty cupcakes!
Its been great being in the centre of town for a change instead of the middle of nowhere, we've met lots of new customers and everyone has been telling us what a good idea it is and when are we coming back. The only thing we are not going to enjoy is packing up on Sunday!

Pop-up shop

2010-05-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to be bringing our pop-up shop to Brighton. Opening for 5 days, from June 9th we will be stocking the best in contemporary and vintage style. All our usual designer labels will be there with up to 80% off, plus some others that haven't been on the website. Vintage clothing is one of our passions here, and our vintage line that launches on the website in July will be available to buy at the pop-up shop. The pop-up shop will be at 3, Bartholomews which is opposite the Town Hall. For a map click here.
Open 10-5.30pm Wed 9th-Sun 13th June 2010

Sex and the City 2

2010-05-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure that this film could live up to the heady heights of the first. Lots of rumours about it being terrible didn't put me off though. You couldn't miss the next installment of Carrie et al. As soon as I clocked Carrie's 7/8th's black trousers in the wedding scene I knew we were on to a winner. They were pure class and every woman should have pair in her (walk-in)wardrobe. Sex and the City has always been about the girls, the clothes and the shoes. The film had it all in spades. Some of the outfits were frankly, shocking, but then thats the whole point. It's not real life, this is a film of fantasy. Fantasy outfits you could never afford let alone have the occasion to wear them. The last scene with Carrie in a floor length green dress while on the couch is a perfect example. However, as she swishes that fishtail skirt around the door it brings out the envy in you. Just when could you wear a dress like that?
My favourites were Miranda's paisley jumpsuit in Abu Dhabi, Charlotte's cobalt blue dress that she wore while she got drunk with Miranda,Miranda's black studded plunge dress she wore at the wedding and Carrie's white jacket that she flys home in. Also you have to mention that black diamond-who wouldn't want that on their finger? Thought it was great that they squeezed in some karaoke and they all looked pretty good up on the stage, except Samantha and those bad spiked shoulders.
This was a feel good film about friendships and clothes-what more could a girl want?

Night out at the O2

2010-04-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we braved the experience that was Whitney Houston at the O2. It really was terrible, she hardly sang-when she did all the arrangements had changed, so you could hardly recognise any hits. I think she sang 3 of the songs that she's known for. She forgot the words, doddered around on stage and then went off for 15 minutes! Sadly her stylist had woken up to the bad press about the latex red dress which we didn't get to see. We made an audioBoo for you. That good voice is the backing singers, then there's the audience that did most of the singing and Whitney chips in at the end! Listen!

Give safari a go

2010-04-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Pick up any fashion magazine at the moment and there will be a spread on wearing the safari trend this summer. Its not a new trend , safari is wheeled out every summer-and for good reason, its chic, easy to wear and oozes glamour. Here are some of our lastchancewardrobe's key pieces that can pull of the safari trend at a fraction of the original price. The Martin Margiela long skirt looks great with a tucked in white shirt and tan belt. The tan coloured tops could be worn with a denim skirt and wedges. A tan dress like this one from Bruuns Bazaar does the look in one swoop.

Sample Sale-save the date

2010-03-12T05:27:00.001-08:00

Its been a while, but our next Sample Sale is booked for May 8th In Fletching Village Hall, Fletching, East Sussex 10am-2pm. An ideal opportunity to refresh your wardrobes in the time for the scorching summer we're hopefully going to get. More details and directions nearer the time.

Oscars 2010

2010-03-08T02:51:00.000-08:00

Last night the stars gathered for the 2010 Oscar award ceremony, and though we are interested in who won what-we are more interested in who wore what! To be honest there were no real frock horrors, but I'm not sure how many truly stunning dresses there were either. Sarah Jessica-Parker who is usually a style favourite for me, left me a bit cold with her Chanel couture dress. I'm not sure about the neckline or the colour.
My favourites had to be Kirsten Stewart's unusually glamourous gown from Monique Lhuillier, which was everything an Oscars dress should be and dare I say it Miley Cyrus in a simply stunning Jenny Packham gown. It was in a lovely nude colour with just the right amount of sparkle.I have to mention Sandra Bullock who won best actress,her dress was simple and hair and make-up spot on but I thought she just oozed class-it was a masterclass in grown up beauty. Massive congratulations to Katherine Bigelow for winning best director for 'The Hurt Locker'. It was made more special for the fact she was the first women to do so.

Friday Freebie

2010-03-08T02:48:00.000-08:00

Last weeks winner was Sally Barfoot. Don't forget you can enter our Friday Freebie draw, sign up to our newsletter here and you could win the chance to choose any item of clothing from lastchancewardrobe.com to be sent to you for free!

LCW goes to LFW

2010-02-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

You can't have failed to notice that the last week has been London Fashion Week. Lots of glamour, great clothes and plenty of rain have made for an eventful week. The week was opened by Sarah Brown and Harold Tilman, and included a silence for Lee Alexander McQueen one of Britains most talented designers who died the week before.
We were lucky enough to have been invited to On|Off's catwalk show on Friday which we attended and talked about on audioBoo which you can hear further down the blog. We returned to the beautiful setting of Somerset House on Tuesday to look round the trade show and hunt down some designers that our on our wish list for the site. The best part of LFW has to be our favourite sport of 'people watching' , armed with a hot chocolate from the Topshop van we settled down to look at the wierd and wonderful outfits on display.It made us feel that our own wardrobes need some tlc! For the first time lots of the catwalk shows were streamed live on the internet which was a major plus for those who couldn't get in to those shows i.e mere mortals. A/W 10 is looking to be a fantastic season, it had a 'strong and powerful' feel to it. Big shoulders, architectural shape skirts and dresses, a strong military look and loads of contrasting textures. Nothing really flowing or too prissy. Key items to keep an eye out for now are capes, over the knee boots, military blazers, fur jackets and belts. Our favourite looks came courtesy of David Koma, Burberry and Peter Pilotto which are pictured here. We love the fact that these looks are simple, clean lines with just an added ruffle or detail keeping it unfussy and very easy to wear. Once we've had our fantastic summer, we'll look forward to wearing these.

Listen here now

2010-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Listen!

Listen here to hear our buyer Rebekah talking about her latest buying trip. There will be more audioBoo's in the future. Hope you like it.

Freebie Fridays

2010-02-15T04:45:00.001-08:00

Sign up to our newsletter on our homepage and you could be our Friday Freebie winner. Every Friday for the next 4 weeks we will pick a newsletter subscriber out of the hat and if your the lucky winner you get to take your pick from anything on the site and its yours for free. Sign up now!

Little bit of information for you

2010-02-13T03:42:00.000-08:00

We have finally added a size chart to lastchancewardrobe.com. So from now on we will be adding new items with their sizes on from their country of origin. This should make it easier for those of you that know your particular size in a certain brand. The chart elps ypu convert sizes. Over the next few days we will update all existing stock on the site. If you need any help with sizing please do email us at info@lastchancewardrobe.com.

The Look

2010-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

We saw this picture on a Look magazine newsletter and thought this just sums up the look for this Spring/Summer; the denim shirt, the underwear, the double denim and of course the fact thats she's naturally gorgeous! Go forth and copy.

Whats hot for this Spring/Summer?

2010-02-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Spring is just around the corner, and now we must turn our attentions to our wardrobes. Well, it can't come soon enough. No more thermals, tights under jeans and boots.In September I'll be desperate to get into tights and boots and out of flimsy dresses and pumps.Thats just the merry go around of seasonal fashion. After lots of dedicated research, cups of tea and slices of cake I have written a round-up of what here at lastchancewardrobe.com we think are the best trends this Spring/Summer. First up is the 'sugar almond' colour palette. Think of pastels in their palest form, candy floss pink, spearmint green and baby blue. Look for the most delicate of fabrics, chiffons and tulles. The shapes are feminine and romantic, but often have an edge with a thigh high split or architectural shoulders. I absolutely loved this baby blue dress from Michael Kors.
Our favourite trend for this Spring/Summer has to be 'underwear as outerwear'. Seen all over the catwalks and soon to be swamping a high street near you. This will be an easy to wear look, though many will be put of by revealing too much-but this isn't how it works. Think of bodies, basques, lots of lace and girdles. Team one of these tops with a structured jacket or pencil skirt and your onto a winner. Don't be put off by thinking you have to have supermodel proportions for this, wearing these items gives you a great outline and will be flattering and super sexy without revealing too much. I'm thinking I won't be wearing my bra over my t-shirt as was seen at Marc Jacobs though! It won't surprise you that Dolce and Gabbana did this look brilliantly, its one of their signature looks.
The one trend to strike fear into the heart of every fashion conscious woman is 'Print, print and more print'. Be afraid, be very afraid- print is massive this year. Every image, pattern and graphic you can ever imagine is on a dress or top somewhere. Fuelled by an explosion in computer and print technology the prints are vivd, bright and beautiful. The key to this trend is to keep it simple , keep print to one piece i.e a dress or print top with plain trousers. Print can be very flattering especially on dresses, don't shy away give it a go.
Some trends just seem to appear every season just in a different context, and denim is one of these. Very easy to wear, ideal for just about every situation and investment dressing at its best.This season everything has a denim version. Invest now in a denim dress, skirt and a pair of boyfriend jeans and you can't go wrong. Also experiment with wearing denim with denim, and pale rinse denim for uber cool look.
Another colour palette that is big news this season is 'Nudes' think of foundation colours and coffee colours. Seen all over the Golden Globe red carpet last month to much success(I should hope so too, with the budgets, stylists and personal trainers) Its tricky deciding what shade to go for but generally the cafe latte type colours are good and if your wary of looking too 'beige on beige' go for a slighty pinkier version. These colours are brilliant for accessories, think nude colour shoes and clutches. If your still in doubt, I find a spray tan will work a treat!
Other trends spotted but probably won't be on such a big scale but could be for the more discerning trendsetter are leather t-shirts-wear with denim or white, Shorts-look great when done well only time will tell how big this trend will be deciding on the sun(and the size of thighs!) bodycon-is now here to stay goes hand in hand with the sports luxe look(which I never quite get but am investagating), seen with lots of print and military-think belting and khaki colours.

January Blues

2010-01-28T04:40:00.000-08:00

By golly gosh its cold outside (and inside). I am longing badly for sunny dry days, the only way I can put up with this winter is, I'm thinking its a trade off for an indian summer. Here's hoping! At lastchancewardrobe we are preparing to bring you a great collection of stylish pieces at affordable prices. There is a great line up of denim, the boyfriend cut is going to stay around and really is very wearable and ideal for spring so grab some while you can. These ones from Earnest Sewn are perfect. Not so perfect are the shorts we have had in, my, oh, my there are some short ones in there. No rush for them until it really hots up!

Golden Globes 2010

2010-01-20T01:10:00.000-08:00

Another day spent swooning over the dresses worn by the Hollywood elite at this years Golden Globes awards. Lots of press coverage ensued for the best and worst dressed. I'm not going to mention any badly dressed girls as frankly I didn't think there were any real disasters and it just makes me sound jealous, of what? Looking tall, gorgeous, wearing a couture gown and dripping in stones. No, not jealous at all!
Purple made a strong show from Sandra Bullock and our fav actress Rose Byrne, plus plenty of others wearing lilac. It looked fabulous and is very flattering. Expect to see more of it at the Oscars. Emily Blunt wore a beautiful Dolce and Gabbana dress and Drew Barrymore showed that Spring/Summers nude tones can look the business in her Atelier Versace number. But our favourites had to be 'her with the great genes' Kate Hudson in a stunning structured white dress from Marchesa, she looked radiant and its her confidence that makes this dress work. Also we love Julia Roberts look, she is wearing a vintage YSl number. Many critics have her down as a contender for worst dressed, we have to disagree. She is one of the most beautiful women on the planet, she looks great and the key to this is that she looks comfortable and very, very happy. Lots of fashion observers have noted that her hem is on the knee and that could be too casual for the red carpet. Come on this is 2010, times are changing and the girl can wear what she wants, she's Hollywood royalty. Also we have to draw your attention to Toni Collette not only a winner on the night for Best Actress in a television series but seriously loks great in her Elie Saab creation.

2010 Here we come

2010-01-14T08:44:00.001-08:00

Well, we are already half way through the first half of the first month of this new decade. The last two weeks are a bit of a blur. I have vague yet painful memories of lugging lots of boxes up the stairs to our new studio on Christmas Eve, then about 10 days of gluttony, followed by snow, ice and tears when I saw said boxes on my return. We are vaguely organised now(can find the phone!) and ready to set sail for an exciting 2010. We have some great stock for you for S/S 10, as the weather will stop you from wearing it for a while it won't be on the site for a couple of weeks. However we have new items to add on Monday so keep an eye out. Also we will for the first time be including some current season stock, it will have to follow our ethos of being gorgeous and yet not too expensive but pieces that really are worth every penny. Also going on the site will be some of the vintage homewares sold by Vanbeurden at our sample sales, many of you have asked to see them and we like to keep you happy. Our New Years resolutions are to update the blog more, try and spread the word about us a bit further than Sussex! and to keep bringing unusual stylish pieces to you at affordable prices. Please let us know any of your thoughts on these ideas.

Sample Sale

2009-11-16T02:32:00.000-08:00

Our next sample sale is just around the corner. An ideal opportunity for you to get your hands on some fantastic designer bargains ready for the festive season. You might want to get some fabulous gifts or just treat yourself. We have a great line up including denim from designer heavyweights Ernest Sewn, Paige, City of Others(best jeans we've ever tried) and James Jeans. Knitwear from Net-a-Porter favourite Crumpet and celebrity fave Goat and great seperates courtesy of Ella Moss, Malene Birger, Nanette Lepore, Bruuns Bazaar, Velvet, Libelula and plenty of others!
It will be taking place in the Village Hall, High Street, Fletching, East Sussex. Opening from 10am through to 2pm. Once you worn yourself out shopping why not pop into the award winning gastro pub 'The Griffin Inn' opposite. Hope to see you there.

Get your Goat!

2009-11-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

A new label for us this week is Goat. This British knitwear brand was launched ten years ago by Jane Lewis, to fill a gap in the market for stylish and classic knitwear. The quality is superb and all the pieces use their signature bold buttons. Over the past few seasons Goat has spread out into dresses and outer wear. Goat designs clothes that are luxurious andeffortlessly chic. The label has quickly gainedan enviable reputation for being bought by those‘in the know’ and has a cult celebrity following which includes Elle Macpherson, Sienna Miller,Keira Knightly, Jemima Khan, Erin O'Connor
and Gwyneth Paltrow. These pieces work with everything and we cannot rate them high enough. They are a real steal at lastchancewardrobe.com

Feeling guilty

2009-10-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

This week has been very busy so far with the launch of our Denim Day, after the excitement we had a brainstorm about getting the word out about LCW. Now I usually enjoy these occasions as I have a lot to add to mix. We came up with some great ideas the most apparent one was for us all to work harder. None of this worried me , until I realised we had eaten 2 packs of treacle tarts, 1 Cadburys caramel bar(huge one) 1 packet of crisps and several cups of tea. The big problem being that you can count the number of participants on one hand! I may well be purchasing another pair of the City of Others jeans in a bigger size. If your not a jeans genie, try a pair of these on. I only where jeans as a last resort and look awful but this pair looks really good and other customers have been equally pleased. Give them a whirl!

Plenty going on

2009-10-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

My, we have been busy ensuring you all get designer bargains. First up next Tuesday is denim day here at lastchancewardrobe.com . Lots of denim brands such as J Brand, Earnest Sewn, James jeans, City of Others, Paige and Anlo will be on the site at up to 70% off. You know we like to play fair here so we can tell you that none of the jeans are over £80 and we might even sneek in pair or two of Sevens or Citizens!!

Also its been a while since we held a sample sale so we have organised one for Nov 21st in Fletching village hall. Come along for a chance to get your mitts on some great pieces by Bruuns Bazaar, Malene Birger, Crumpet and new recruits Goat and Star Mela. The village hall is in the High Street opposite the award winning gastro pub 'The Griffin Inn' postcode TN22 3SS. Please email us for directions if you need them. We open the doors at 10am.

London Fashion Week

2009-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

LCW went to London Fashion Week on Tuesday. It had a new venue of Somerset house , this and the fact it was celebrating it's 25th anniversary mean't that the atmosphere was at an all time high. We spent a lot of time just observing the comings and goings of the main courtyard(not strictly work but we were waiting for a meeting)and decided that there are various tribes that these fashionistas fell into. The avant garde fashionistas; we couldn't get close up enough to their badges to see their provenance! But these peeps wear the outlandish and crazy outfits. Examples include dresses from pipe-cleaners and suits with tutu's over the top, and thats just the men. None of these outfits will hit a catwalk anytime soon.

Most of the serious buyers that where there to do business wore shift dresses, jackets with big shoulders and black tights. Models were flashing their end of summer tans in biker boots and denim cut-offs. They looked seriously stunning!

Then there's a lot of young girls, interns, assistants and boutique owners daughters that wear at least 3 trends at once e.g over the knee stockings, platform sandals and shoulder pads plus bright make-up and a Chanel bag. You got to give it to them they can carry it off. Pretty much everyone has a Miu Miu or Chanel bag and incredible heels, though this created some difficultly walking across the cobbles. Not us, we were pre-warned by all the moaning on Twitter and wore flats! Which is just great when you get off the tube with a model and walk next to a her feeling like a short, round person!

Have made a note to self ; Must have big shiny black designer bag for next year!

Not all glamour

2009-09-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

There is a lot going on in the world of fashion lately. New York Fashion Week, Fashion's Night out, the launch of Fashionair. You would be forgiven for thinking its a world of glamour and excitement, and for some lucky ones I'm sure it is. However here at LCW its been a bit different, a lot of last week was spent looking at designer goodies to bring to you. Unfortunately it was in a warehouse not very glamourous! and I don't think the boss is up to sending us to NYC just yet. Looking ahead we are off to London Fashion Week next week to chat up a couple of brands we have our eye on, that we want to bring your way!

Do expensive cheaply

2009-09-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Was at a LCW meeting in sunny London yesterday and afterwards went for wander round Oxford Str. I love the British high street but blimey, there's not much out there. You could take the fascias off the front and you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. They have all embraced the eighties trend and maybe its a bit too much. There wasn't much that appealed to a thirty something wannabe fashionista. Zara was better but I find their sizing a bit mean. I also found myself becoming quite tight when high street prices are £80 and the quality pretty poor. Thats when I decided once and for all I am not buying cheap poor quality clothes, its decent stuff all the way and that may mean more shopping at outlets and sample sales. All in the name of research!

P.s To prove my point snapped up this Farhi number when I got in the studio today. Hurry up only one left now.

Recessionista, Baby!

2009-09-02T01:07:00.000-07:00

Big night out is only 3 sleeps away, and I have given in. I thought I was content and maybe smug at wearing a dress I already own. I may have mentioned something like 'I love all my pieces and want to wear them again and again'. Well, the gloves are off! Best Friend N02 has taken delivery of this little number from designer e-tailer My Wardrobe. Best Friend N03 is having a micro breakdown and bought approx 7 seven dresses , any one a possibility. Now I'm getting that urge to dress myself in something new, glitzy, tight and expensive. The last bit is clearly a no go and I'm on a mission to find a stunner on a budget, and so far no luck. It's never going to happen when you have a picture in your head. Its midnight blue(or black) strapless, tulip skirt, short and comes in at under £70. If you see it let me know! And don't tell me that because I work in a fashion company there's lots to choose from. I was considering the Erokritos silver skirt, but it won't do up and the Joseph number is a bit too pretty. The search must go on .....