According to a new study, working out with your boyfriend could be the best motivator your workout ever had - with 40 per cent of us agreeing that our partner is our most significant other when it comes to keeping fit (new workout kits aside).
The study by workout wear company ADAY asked 350 couples if their boyfriend boosted their healthy intentions. The resounding answer was yes: we think we work out harder with our significant other. And, over three quarters of us revealed that our boyfriend or girlfriend was our best wellbeing cheerleader.
One woman confessed: “My husband inspires me to eat healthier and live an overall healthier lifestyle. He is my motivation, because ultimately, I do it for us.” Another added “It’s much harder to have a meal of cheese and pickle if someone is there! Plus, I would far rather make an effort for two.”
“He believes in my ability to push myself more than I do, and he is very encouraging throughout,” said another.
As the experts at W10 Performance training explain, "We know that people who have spouses or partners who work out regularly are much more consistent and get much better results. One, there’s accountability for gym sessions. If they do these together, there is no opportunity cost time-wise. Also, even if they don’t come together, they prioritise workouts and manage households accordingly (kids, etc)," explains founder Jean-Claude Vacassin. "But it’s outside the gym that has perhaps the biggest impact. People who have significant others who are also into getting into and staying in shape, typically make better foods choices and stray less from a ‘good diet’. Again, they keep each other accountable, and don’t sabotage the other's efforts (the latter happens A LOT)."
As personal trainer Olli Foxley explains, "While having a training partner is always motivating, training with your other half? Even better, particularly as you learn to work towards the same goal. It also gives a couple more common ground, as well as some crucial extra time spent together.”
No surprise then that it’s not just our figures that are making gains either, but our relationships too. Sixty-five per cent of couples who work out together felt more connected to one another according to the research. As W10 Performance coach Adam Jones ponders, "Perhaps those who train together stay together." Couples' classes anyone?
Upcoming fashion trends that will soon appear in stores were being showcased in New York City this weekend.
The Capsule Show for women’s fashion began Sunday at Pier 94 along the Hudson River at 52nd Street. It is not open to the public, but CBS2’s Ilana Gold got inside.
Nearly 700 designers put their work on display for buyers at the show. They scoured through the racks to stock up on their stores for the fall.
The hot trends are taking on a so-called “girly look” with pastel colors. They are also full of big, bright patterns and quirky patterns like a dress that is covered in prints of lips.
“Something that starts a conversation is helpful — just fun, whimsical, even a little bit sill,” said designer Rachel Antonoff.
Designers have also experimented with unusual silhouettes; wide, flowy pants; and boxy coats. They are also using unique materials – among the items on display were a jumpsuit made of corduroy and jackets made of plastic.
“A lot of texture — you’ll see designers using faux fur; suede,” said Greg Armas of Assembly New York. “People are going by touch and feel more than a print of a color.”
When it comes to accessories, designers are going away from bulky statement pieces and instead they’re making them dainty. You will notice delicate necklaces and rings of gold and rose gold
“You can layer them; you can mix metals with rose gold and yellow gold,” said jewelry designer Ariel Gordon.
The capsule show runs through Tuesday for professionals.
In the early 1980s, Anna Sui was a young fashion hopeful toiling, mostly unsung, on Seventh Avenue, her look largely influenced by the style and the music of the London youth quake. Flash forward a decade, and a chain of lucky circumstances introduced the Chinese-American designer to her first brush with fame.
Here, on the day of her show at Skylight at Moynihan Station, Ms. Sui, 51, reminisces about that period, and the baby-doll dress that ignited her decades-long career. She will bring back that look, a hybrid of a London dolly bird and a New York fairy princess, this spring.
Did the industry itself in those days bear any resemblance to what it is now?
It was the early ’90s, probably before the fashion week tents went up in Bryant Park. Fashion was so different then. It wasn’t like you had to look in a million places to find it. Elsa Klensch had her show on CNN, and everybody watched it. It was a much more condensed viewing experience. A young designer could get noticed.
What about the art and music scene of the time most vividly affected you?
There was a certain something in the air; it was the whole grunge period at its height. My friends and I were listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana — all those alternative bands. Fashion and MTV were kind of closely intertwined. Courtney Love was on the covers of all the magazines.
I think it was a combination of those girl bands of the time, Babes in Toyland and Hole, and the way the concertgoers were dressing — they were going back to their childhood birthday parties — that most moved me.
That was when I did my first baby-doll dresses: they were either an English dolly bird look or fairy-tale princess, done in iridescent sequined organza. That was the look that changed things for me.
When did you know you had a hit on your hands?
Linda Evangelista wore one of those dresses to the couture shows. And I started getting calls from all the supermodels. It was, “Can I get a dress like that?” That’s what gave me the confidence to do my first show. It was 1994, the height of the supermodel time, an iconic moment when Linda, Christy and Naomi all came out on the runway in those baby-doll dresses.
Afterward those dresses became so successful that they were almost my whole business at that point. I was selling them in most of the major department stores. Barneys bought them. Sofia Coppola wore them. That was it.
I still always do that baby-doll dress in one form or another. To this day, it’s the most important part of my business.
Preapre to take your seats and to clap gracefully as we name the best and worst dressed from the BAFTA red carpet last night. Consider it a consolation prize for those who missed out on an award...
Best OTM Choice: Bel Powley in Gucci
If you don’t know Bel Powley, then as the wearers of backwards baseball caps would say, ‘get to know!’ The Royal Night Out actress chose a Gucci rainbow dress and in the process conveyed everything we love about the yearly comeback of spring stripes. PLUS its pleated AND metallic, too, talk about nailing three trends in one! After me now… red and orange and pink and green… I can sing a rainbow, too.
Best Medieval Moment: Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton
Alicia Vikander and Louis Vuitton is a match made in heaven, especially when the dress catapults back to Camelot! Doing her best futuristic Maid Marion impression, Alicia in turn also partly embodies her Ex Machina character and it definitely helps when your Robin Hood is Michael Fassbender. It’s not fair, how can one woman have all of the Louis and all of the Fassbender at once? We are just not worthy of your prowess, Alicia.
Sorry Eddie, but you have been officially knocked off your Best Male In Mode pedestal. You had us at the contrasting satin lapel, Idris.
Best Emulation Of An Emoji: Dakota Johnson In Dior
Another smashing attempt at nailing a very OTM trend, but this time its flamenco. I am literally clapping my castanets in complete approval and doing a couple of one, two steps underneath my desk whilst writing. Lovely pared back beauty, too, with that classic go-to of a red popping lip.
The Queen Of Everything Award: Cate Blanchett In Alexander McQueen
There are just aren’t enough adjectives to describe how sensational Cate Blanchett ALWAYS looks. We shall christen this look when bird of paradise meets botanic garden, and still Cate comes up smelling of royal roses. Just like the actual Queen I am willing to pay taxes to keep Cate clothed for life. It would be money well spent, clearly.
Best Back: Julianne Moore in Armani
Despite contracting laryngitis, Julianne Moore still made it to give Leo his Best Actor award - at the end of the day who wouldn’t when you are guaranteed a cheeky kiss on the cheek from the man of the moment? Plus, she looked sensational in the process by bringing sexy back with a cascading ribbon. Chicccc. As Hear Say would say, ‘pure and simple.’.
Monday marked the first day of New York Fashion Week Men’s or New York Men’s Day, setting off fashion week in ‘The City of Dreams’. Set in the spacious Industria Superstudio, Lucio Castro debuted a collection that was pure 70s euphoria.
Revolving around a subtle, earthy neutral color palette, the collection offered hints of deep forest greens found on culottes and jackets and shimmers of fluorescents, seen tucked away underneath sweater vests and button down shirts or more confidently embossed across entire suits. Prints were conversational, like the bomber jacket or suit with an elaborate labyrinth-like print and of course stripes and plaids as far as the eye could see.
Joining Castro’s aesthetic harmoniously was his smart use of accessories. Cool top hats, colorful oversized frames, and leisure sneakers worked together creating a polished metropolitan meets sportif vibe. Another real stand out were the oversized key chains, either linking together the belt loops of the trousers or dangling as almost haphazard trinkets from the waists of models.
Castro’s collection left us a bit wanderlust about decades past, but more so optimistic of the bright future of this innovative designer.
Geordie Shore's Holly Hagan undergoes a trashy makeover as she flashes her bra in plaid shirt for fancy dress night out in Newcastle
They have to indulge in wild nights out while filming hit MTV reality show Geordie Shore.
And Holly Hagan took trashy to a new level on Monday night as she indulged in a spot of fancy dress.
The cast hit Newcastle for an American themed night out, but appeared to be more Hillbilly than Hollywood.
The 23-year-old swapped her skimpy dresses and tiny tops for a plaid shirt, but added her trademark sex appeal by leaving it unbuttoned and flashing her bra.
She added a kooky blonde wig with cans acting as rollers and showed off her slim figure in tight leggings.
Holly wasn't the only member of the show who got into the party spirit - co-star Nathan Henry displayed his cheeky side as a rear-flashing Rambo.
It's the latest wild night out the GS squad has enjoyed this week.
The reality starlet looked sensational in a scanty bralet which failed to contain her bountiful assets while also flashing her incredibly toned abs.
Holly, who found fame in the first season of the show in 2011, looked sensational in the crimson crop top - which could easily have passed for underwear.
The scanty number flaunted the pretty star's incredibly trim waist as well as her surgically-enhanced bust, the result of a series of boob jobs - the first of which she underwent at the tender age of 18.
Ensuring she stuck to the cardinal legs-or-cleavage rule, the Thornaby-on-Tees-born beauty opted to entirely cover her toned legs in black harem pants.
She added sky-high strappy sandals to the ensemble, which coordinated perfectly with her envy-inducing Mulberry clutch bag.
The pretty star opted for her favoured Nineties-inspired jewellery, as she stacked a thin gold choker over a delicate chain while she slipped rings on to her pink nail varnish baring fingers.
Holly let her two-tone blonde and brunette locks cascade in perfectly-styles curls, which tumbled over and briefly covered her bare chest.
The stunning star's make-up was typically heavy-handed yet exquisitely applied with a taupe and bronze eye-shadow pallet outlining her almond shaped eyes.
Far from seeking the natural look, Holly opted to replace her natural hazel eye-colour with a pair of piercing blue coloured contacts.
She also applied lashings of highlighter to help emphasise her cheekbones and nude lip gloss to show off her plumped up pout.
The stunning star was spied filming in the so-called 'Toon' with her female co-stars including Charlotte Crosby, Marnie Simpson and former cast member Sophie Kasaei.
"My father was our match maker"- Amina and Mangis share love story
Mangis said 'it took the match-making skills of his father and a mutual friend to bring him and Amina together'
When Amina and Mangis were introduced to each other in 2014, little did they know that they would be spending the rest of their lives together as man and wife two years later.
Sharing their wedding story exclusively with Pulse Nigeria, the groom said "it took the match-making skills of his father and a mutual friend to bring them together". Though it started as a long distance relationship, the connection felt by the bride and groom couldn't be dampened, instead it got better with time.
Amina and Mangis will officially be married on March 26, 2016 in Jos, Plateau State.
Read the bride and groom's romantic journey below:
Bride's story:
How we met:
Rewind 2 years back during my otondo days, Mangis sent me a BBM invite which he got from a mutual friend, he also got my phone number too. I was in the ‘No New Friends‘ state of mind talk more of relationship. He called me the next day and we continued communicating afterwards.
We didn’t meet for months because I was in Lagos serving our great Nigeria and he was working in Abuja. My heart melted when he told me he will be leaving for school, Tragedy!
Mangis was a friend I always talked to and suddenly, he is leaving for school?. The guys in my life left for school and the rest is history. I imagined history was gonna repeat itself, since I send them to school and they don’t come back to me.
Well, I couldn’t change things, we planned to meet before he left. He was meant to come over to Lagos but before he could, I was in Abuja for a wedding, so I decided to use a stone to kill two birds.
We all know I was more excited about meeting him *laughs*. The first time we met, I saw the good looking, short, chubby young man coming outta his car, I actually imagined him taller though *sigh*.
Mangis is now a big deal in my life, his family is amazing and very hospitable, I bless the day his momma bore him, he is heaven sent specially for me.
The Proposal
During his sister's birthday party on April 23, 2015, he asked me to be his Bonnie and he my Clyde, we stole her day. In a nutshell I’m getting married to the most amazing person, my Habibi, my Mr. Hamsom (handsome), God fearing and playful person.
Groom's story:
How we met:
It was such a lovely day filled with daily expectations as always. I drove down to the office ready for the day's job. I work in my family's construction firm as an Architect; when I got to the office, my dad invited me into his office and kept smiling uncontrollably, I sensed foul play because it is typical of him when he does that.
He told me about a family he visited and met with a pretty woman who cooed with a lot of good talk about her husband and children. She also spoke about her last daughter who was serving in Lagos then.
Dad picked interest in the girl because of how pretty her mum looked and insisted I checked out the girl on Facebook. I didn't check, he kept pressuring me and I finally yielded. To my amazement, this was the same girl a friend gave me her bio a week before my dad's gesture.
I felt the urge to know Amina so I got her BBM pin and phone number from a mutual friend. Our first chats implored my curiosity with the right answers I was looking for. We started communicating and that was how I ended up with this damsel as my lover, best friend and soon-to-be wife who is loving, kind, honest, down to earth, God fearing and amazing in and out.
Congratulations to Amina and Mangis.
See their pre-wedding photos of the beautiful couple in the gallery above.
Singer Pixie shows off her lithe limbs in tangerine sun-dress
She will reprise the role of Holly Golightly, made famous by Audrey Hepburn, in the stage production of Breakfast at Tiffany's when it opens later this year.
And Pixie Lott looks as though she can hardly wait to make her theatre debut as she flashed an unrelenting smile while at a photocall for the upcoming production on Thursday.
The 25-year-old star was sure to turn heads as she posed outside of the Theatre Royal Haymarket, clad in an vivid tangerine sun-dress that ensured the pop princess was unmissable.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is set to open later this year and we cannot wait to see the beautiful Pixie Lott play Holly Golightly.
The singer has stepped away from what made her famous, instead taking to the stage for her new role and she seemed raring to go as she posed outside the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
But it's not just singing and acting that Pixie Lott is now known for. She is pretty renowned for her fashion sense too. She adeptly mixes up designer and high street brands, but here for the photocall she stuck to high end fashion, in the form of this gorgeous Fendi dress.
The bright orange number was distinctly summery and we loved the layered design that made it appear to be a paired top and skirt. If you're ready to get your spring/summer wardrobe in order like Pixie, click right to bag this Fendi number now at MATCHESFASHION.COM. Beware though, it doesn't come cheap, which is why we've rounded up similar and much less pricey options below.
The Mama Do crooner, who has made no secret of her theatre ambitions, looked sensationally leggy in the short design which featured laser cut detailing around the skirt.
The singer elongated her famous pins with barely-there gold stilettos, which made for a somewhat summery style overall despite the chilly weather.
Even Pixie's choice of outerwear nodded at the warmer days of spring as she modelled a white duster coat emblazoned with a bright floral motif.
Her signature blonde locks were worn in a sleek, yet voluminous, style around her stunning face which sported a glamorous make-up look comprised of a copper smoky eyeshadow look and a glossy nude lipstick.
Pixie was joined at the photocall by co-stars Charlie De Melo and Matt Barber, of Downton Abbey fame, as well as director Nikolai Foster.
The Essex native will be taking the lead in a limited 12-week season of Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End in 2016, after doing a UK and Ireland tour of the production from March 2016.
The play is based on Truman Capote’s original 1958 novella.
Breakfast At Tiffany's has been adapted for the stage by Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain), and contains memorable songs from the era as well as original music by Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors).
Pixie enthused: 'I am so excited to play Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in my first West End play.
'I absolutely love Holly’s style, and free spirit; she has always been an icon to me and I can't wait to bring my own personality to the role.
'Alongside music, I've always wanted to be in a play, and getting the opportunity to be in one of my all time favourites and play this fabulous character is a dream come true.'
Set against the backdrop of 1943 New York, the story follows writer Fred's attempts to woo Holly, a charming, vivacious and utterly elusive good-time girl with a string of rich suitors.
Fans can catch Pixie on stage from 30 June to 17 September 2016.
Lace gloves are off as luxury bridal boutiques blackball home traders
Some top-end wedding retailers are battling the rise in companies selling dresses from home by boycotting their suppliers. Two owners square up
A gaping rift has appeared in the wedding industry. Traders that sell wedding dresses from their homes have come under fire from traditional bridal boutiques, who accuse them of undercutting them and providing a poor service. Some have gone even further. Ellie Sanderson, owner of Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique in Buckinghamshire, says luxury bridal shops such as hers are boycotting suppliers that deal with home traders. “The UK independent retail bodies, together with retailers, have joined forces to blackball any label that sells to these ‘home traders’,” she says. However home traders argue that they are running professional businesses that provide great customer service.
Here two bridal businesses argue their opposing views:
Jana Svalbe, owner of Mode Bridal
Mode Bridal is a small luxury bridal studio in Hove, East Sussex. Based in part of the family home, it sells designer bridal gowns handmade to each bride’s measurements, with prices ranging from £1,000-£3,950.
We focus on delivering excellent service, offering relaxed private appointments where each bride receives great styling advice.
The bridal industry, however, seems to be neither interested in the quality of our offering nor in the opinion of our customers, preferring instead to brand all home traders as bad for the industry.
Influential industry voices are going out of their way to stop entrepreneurs selling wedding dresses from home. They are calling for designers to stop dealing with businesses trading from home, for respectable industry award bodies to exclude us, for the media to deny us any coverage and for trade shows and large wedding fairs to refuse us entry.
What really is behind all of this? A false perception is being peddled that all businesses trading from home have an overwhelming and unfair competitive advantage as they are “paying little or no rent and rates” and are therefore able to undercut any shop-based retailer on price, all while delivering “inferior service” to the customer.
As someone who has set up my own business from home, I hope to dispel these myths.
The bridal industry faces many challenges, from increasing rents and rates that make it difficult to run a viable “traditional” bridal business, to an influx of cheap products from China and elsewhere making it difficult for quality European suppliers to compete for cash-strapped consumers.
There is a growing volume of counterfeit products deluging the market, barely resembling the gowns brides thought they were purchasing online.
Caught in this bridal industry panic are talented entrepreneurs who have great plans to produce beautiful products but aren’t willing to risk signing up to long, punitive rental and other contracts before being certain they will succeed in those first make-or-break 18 months.
This supposed advantage of home traders is tempered by very clear disadvantages. Without a beautiful shop window located in an area of high footfall, attracting potential customers requires much more effort, determination and a significantly higher percentage of marketing expenses.
Most home traders do not generate greater sales volumes than high street retailers, or the supposedly “superior profits”. And, in my experience, most home traders do pay business rates - it is a government requirement.
Home traders are choosing a model that balances the risks and expenses of launching and running a small business with the greater flexibility that suits their own particular circumstances (having small children, for example).
The argument that “all home traders offer poor service” and “all high street retailers are professionals” is disingenuous, misleading and highly simplistic.
It is time for the industry to remove its head from the sand and accept the reality of the 21st century. Home trading is a legitimate and viable business model and can offer an equal, if not better, service to high street retailers. The view that it should be prevented is preposterous.
If the industry really wants to improve both the trading environment and delivery to our customers, we should focus our energy on promoting enforceable quality standards, lobbying the government to take tougher measures against counterfeiters and providing small businesses with better support to stay competitive, not wasting time and effort on pointless insular fighting that offers zero value for the consumer.
Stephanie Hank, secretary of the Retail Bridalwear Association and managing director of Bride to Be boutique
The recent hype around weddings, with non-stop television programmes such as Say Yes To the Dress, has seen an increase in bridal home traders. Naive householders think it is an easy and tax-free way to earn an income.
High street stores invest huge amounts of money in premises, business rates, insurance, stock, staff wages, staff training, and marketing …. the list goes on. High street bridal stores are serious businesses run by commercially aware, professional people. These stores support the local community by employing local staff and paying rates to local councils.
Most people who run bridal businesses from home are startup businesses with little or no experience in what can be a very challenging industry. They therefore have very little advice and guidance to pass onto a bride. In addition, it is likely they are not paying business rates and are possibly not insured.
Shops have to have public liability insurance to protect their customers. Most home traders, however, are trading from bedrooms. What if a customer tripped on their stairs while carrying their wedding gown? Shops also have insurance for their stock and their brides dresses. A home trader may not have either of these in place and if their house burnt down or flooded the brides could all lose their gowns.
If a bride has a dispute with a home trader, the law might not protect them in the same way that it would had she purchased a gown from a proper high street store. If the home trader is selling as a private seller and not a business, there are key parts of the Consumer Rights Act that won’t apply.
Home traders are unable to offer the bride a large selection of desirable designer gowns as the top manufacturers and designers won’t supply them. A bride can feel that she is under immense pressure to purchase her gown when she has been made welcome into someone’s home but would not feel the same obligation to buy from a high street store.
Buying a wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and coming into a beautiful shop is all part of that. It is probably the most expensive piece of clothing most brides will ever buy and should be left in the hands of professionals.
The premium RBA stores offer a reassuring guarantee to all of the brides who purchase their gown from the store, whereby they underwrite the 50% deposit that a bride pays for her dress at the time of ordering. This is something that, unfortunately, no home trader will ever be able to offer.
Lace gloves are off as luxury bridal boutiques blackball home traders
Some top-end wedding retailers are battling the rise in companies selling dresses from home by boycotting their suppliers. Two owners square up
A gaping rift has appeared in the wedding industry. Traders that sell wedding dresses from their homes have come under fire from traditional bridal boutiques, who accuse them of undercutting them and providing a poor service. Some have gone even further. Ellie Sanderson, owner of Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique in Buckinghamshire, says luxury bridal shops such as hers are boycotting suppliers that deal with home traders. “The UK independent retail bodies, together with retailers, have joined forces to blackball any label that sells to these ‘home traders’,” she says. However home traders argue that they are running professional businesses that provide great customer service.
Here two bridal businesses argue their opposing views:
Jana Svalbe, owner of Mode Bridal
Mode Bridal is a small luxury bridal studio in Hove, East Sussex. Based in part of the family home, it sells designer bridal gowns handmade to each bride’s measurements, with prices ranging from £1,000-£3,950.
We focus on delivering excellent service, offering relaxed private appointments where each bride receives great styling advice.
The bridal industry, however, seems to be neither interested in the quality of our offering nor in the opinion of our customers, preferring instead to brand all home traders as bad for the industry.
Influential industry voices are going out of their way to stop entrepreneurs selling wedding dresses from home. They are calling for designers to stop dealing with businesses trading from home, for respectable industry award bodies to exclude us, for the media to deny us any coverage and for trade shows and large wedding fairs to refuse us entry.
What really is behind all of this? A false perception is being peddled that all businesses trading from home have an overwhelming and unfair competitive advantage as they are “paying little or no rent and rates” and are therefore able to undercut any shop-based retailer on price, all while delivering “inferior service” to the customer.
As someone who has set up my own business from home, I hope to dispel these myths.
The bridal industry faces many challenges, from increasing rents and rates that make it difficult to run a viable “traditional” bridal business, to an influx of cheap products from China and elsewhere making it difficult for quality European suppliers to compete for cash-strapped consumers.
There is a growing volume of counterfeit products deluging the market, barely resembling the gowns brides thought they were purchasing online.
Caught in this bridal industry panic are talented entrepreneurs who have great plans to produce beautiful products but aren’t willing to risk signing up to long, punitive rental and other contracts before being certain they will succeed in those first make-or-break 18 months.
This supposed advantage of home traders is tempered by very clear disadvantages. Without a beautiful shop window located in an area of high footfall, attracting potential customers requires much more effort, determination and a significantly higher percentage of marketing expenses.
Most home traders do not generate greater sales volumes than high street retailers, or the supposedly “superior profits”. And, in my experience, most home traders do pay business rates - it is a government requirement.
Home traders are choosing a model that balances the risks and expenses of launching and running a small business with the greater flexibility that suits their own particular circumstances (having small children, for example).
The argument that “all home traders offer poor service” and “all high street retailers are professionals” is disingenuous, misleading and highly simplistic.
It is time for the industry to remove its head from the sand and accept the reality of the 21st century. Home trading is a legitimate and viable business model and can offer an equal, if not better, service to high street retailers. The view that it should be prevented is preposterous.
If the industry really wants to improve both the trading environment and delivery to our customers, we should focus our energy on promoting enforceable quality standards, lobbying the government to take tougher measures against counterfeiters and providing small businesses with better support to stay competitive, not wasting time and effort on pointless insular fighting that offers zero value for the consumer.
Stephanie Hank, secretary of the Retail Bridalwear Association and managing director of Bride to Be boutique
The recent hype around weddings, with non-stop television programmes such as Say Yes To the Dress, has seen an increase in bridal home traders. Naive householders think it is an easy and tax-free way to earn an income.
High street stores invest huge amounts of money in premises, business rates, insurance, stock, staff wages, staff training, and marketing …. the list goes on. High street bridal stores are serious businesses run by commercially aware, professional people. These stores support the local community by employing local staff and paying rates to local councils.
Most people who run bridal businesses from home are startup businesses with little or no experience in what can be a very challenging industry. They therefore have very little advice and guidance to pass onto a bride. In addition, it is likely they are not paying business rates and are possibly not insured.
Shops have to have public liability insurance to protect their customers. Most home traders, however, are trading from bedrooms. What if a customer tripped on their stairs while carrying their wedding gown? Shops also have insurance for their stock and their brides dresses. A home trader may not have either of these in place and if their house burnt down or flooded the brides could all lose their gowns.
If a bride has a dispute with a home trader, the law might not protect them in the same way that it would had she purchased a gown from a proper high street store. If the home trader is selling as a private seller and not a business, there are key parts of the Consumer Rights Act that won’t apply.
Home traders are unable to offer the bride a large selection of desirable designer gowns as the top manufacturers and designers won’t supply them. A bride can feel that she is under immense pressure to purchase her gown when she has been made welcome into someone’s home but would not feel the same obligation to buy from a high street store.
Buying a wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and coming into a beautiful shop is all part of that. It is probably the most expensive piece of clothing most brides will ever buy and should be left in the hands of professionals.
The premium RBA stores offer a reassuring guarantee to all of the brides who purchase their gown from the store, whereby they underwrite the 50% deposit that a bride pays for her dress at the time of ordering. This is something that, unfortunately, no home trader will ever be able to offer.
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