Its already time for the very start of our tasty Christmas collections here at Totnes. We’ve got satin, we’ve got lace, we’ve got velvet, we’ve got rich red and chocolate brown. We’ve got new cashmere, we’ve got fresh French Connection perfume, we’ve got funky belts, we’ve got… I think maybe you need to come and check it out for yourself!
Pictures from top left; Short sleeve brown jacket, £84, black and white puffball skirt, £47, black long sleeve top, £33,pink and blue stripe scarf, £19, all Noa Noa. Top right; Black leather clutch bag, £120, Lie Down I Think I Love You. Bottom right; short sleeve black satin dress, £70, Noa Noa. Bottom left, plum velvet scarf with silk detail, £47.50, Out Of Xile.

If you’ve read our blog on what to wear this winter you’ll know purple is everywhere! We put George in a funky variation of this theme and she just had to buy the outfit. Top left;Boxih t-shirt,£30 by Diesel layered over Great Plains tunic,£30 with French Connection leggings,£12.Bottom left; finish off the look with Converse’s boot in “plum”, new for this season.George also loved the outfit on the right that Mel chose for her,a snuggly layered look using top right;metallic pewter tall boot,Ugg,£180 with bottom right;Ted Baker sweater £75 over polo £35,with black skinny jeans £70,both French Connection.We love the Firetrap hat,£20, but George isn’t so sure!

COME AND GET IT GIRLS………we have the sexy high waist trousers back in store due to popular demand in Prince of Wales check (Kaori loves these, pop in to see her looking sexy and glam in them) and in black with beautiful corset detail at the small of the back (both Firetrap) we ordered these in just for you so come and get them whilst they are still in stock. Pair these with either the suit jacket in Prince of Wales check or a great waistcoat in black from either Firetrap or Ted Baker. 

The layered, masculine look is hot this season and it’s easy to put together. Top left picture shows wide leg trousers,£45,worn with a white shirt,£35,grey fitted cardi,£40 with fitted jacket to match,£65 all from Great Plains and finished with a chunky necklace from instore, £23.Team this outfit with bang on trend Vagabond lace ups or for a sexier look with a gorgeous Ted Baker heel, bottom left,£75.For a more feminine version of this layered,smart look try a prettier bell sleeve shirt,bottom right, £40 by Full Circle, under a cute tank,£30, Great Plains.Worn over a high waist skirt,£40,Great Plains and belted it will look fashionable and flattering. Either outfit will tie in with this Diesel bag,£40, top right. For more info on the key looks for this season check out “What To Wear This Winter” below.

Pictures clockwise from top left; Scarlett wears white shirt, £35, Great Plains. Trousers, £135, Marilyn Moore. Tank top, £107.50, Marilyn Moore. Top right; Long cardigan, £97, Sandwich. Bottom right; Cord trousers, £45, Great Plains. V-neck cream jumper, £35, Great Plains. Chunky oatmeal cardigan, £50, Great Plains. Grey hat, £18, Jackpot. Bag, £31, Sandwich. Bottom left; Black boot, £55, Melissa.

It’s official; this year’s silly season is underway.  Last week I spotted my first roll of Christmas wrapping paper walking around the shop, (not independently admittedly!) Alerted to the possibility of ensuing craziness, I went on a fact gathering mission, and to my horror found that several shops are already clearing the way for their glittery, shiny bits and bobs (and I’m not talking about the inevitable department store who’ve been playing Christmas jingles since August…) I’ve overheard gaggles of girls discussing what to wear to the Christmas bash and I have already had several enquiries as to Christmas gift ideas. And yes- it really is only October. 
 If you are one of the super-organised, planned-down-to-the-baubles type people then I am in deep awe of you. I want to be you! But if you’re like me, then this report of pre-planning and preparation will plunge you into gloom. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas shopping. Last year I relished every minute of it. All thirty of them! I like to leave everything until the last minute. I really enjoy shopping in a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants manner.
Actually, who am I kidding? The memory of last year’s debacle is already giving me the jitters. The stress and indecision of shopping in a rush wasn’t great for the heart-rate or the bank balance. Maybe us fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pantsters should take a leaf out of the bauble-planned-shopper’s book. I mean, they really do have it sussed. By starting early, you fit far more shopping trips in and you get the first pick of the possible pressies as they come out. Even if you only pick up a few things early, then it’s a start and will reduce stress later on in the process. In the unlikely event of not finding anything at all, then it has been a great excuse to go shopping, and any excuse is a good excuse!
 So, calling all pre-planners, planning-wannabes and anybody just looking for an excuse to come out shopping, we have put out the beginnings of our Christmas collection. There are some great little Sandwich bags, a fab animal print scarf and glove set from French Connection and a stunning Out of Xile velvet scarf with silk detail in a claret red and minky pink. We’ve also got a new range of belts in store, from a wide, shaped cream waist belt in leather, to a narrower animal-print beauty that can be worn either at the waist or through the trousers. Any of the above would make a worthy start to your present list
 If you really can’t face the thought of shopping for other people yet, then why not join the gaggle of girls and start preparing your party outfits. We have a fantastic satin (silk and cotton mix) little black dress from Noa Noa, a range of velvet and velvet trimmed pieces from Out of Xile and enough stunning possibilities in store to keep you happy for hours.
 I have just remembered the main plus point of silly season- if you start shopping early, you have plenty of time to hammer-home any  hints to your own significant others. And if you simply can’t trust them to get it right, start the regular chant of “Gift-Voucher-Gift-Voucher…” It always works for me.

Laura Bambrey
 

The UGG boot craze is still running its course in the UK and if like me you are lover of the famous boots you will be aware of the massive shortage of them in shops currently! So you can understand my utter astonishment and shock when  several  customers have recently asked why our UGG®Australia boots are so expensive when you can buy them on the internet for as little as £80!!! I decided it might be a good idea to investigate (if for no other reason than, if it was true I wanted in on the deal) because I just couldn’t see how it could possibly be true. However, there they were on my search engine web page, site after site advertising UGG boots for half price or £100 with free postage and packaging. On further investigation onto the pages the boots appeared to be very real indeed, printed with UGG Australia and available for instant despatch in any colour style or size!
 So why then, I thought, browsing the official UGG®Australia website, did they only have the ladies  patchwork size 8 left in the classic tall boot if it was their boot that the other sites were selling? Surely they would have priority on the selling rights? When official agents such as ourselves are crying out for more stock ,why would the company not send out more and only distribute them to websites? It just didn’t add up, so I did a little more research and found out that UGG®Australia only owns the registered trademark in the United States and the European Union, and that the words UGG UG UGH and UGGH are just a generic term used for a boot made from sheepskin and lined with wool. Because UGG®Australia don’t own the rights to the name worldwide and more importantly in Australia, it means that other companies can make knock off boots and get away with selling them under the name UGG Australia! However it is UGG®Australia that made the boots popular with stars such as Sienna Miller, Kate Hudson and Pamela Anderson all wearing them because of there famed comfort and their great fashion statement. A lot of these other sites may well be selling something that looks like the real thing but often is not. This was proven to me this week when a lady came into the store with what at first appeared to be a pair of UGG®Australia boots she had bought online. She had purchased them ,believing they were genuine, from a site with positive feedback .However on closer inspection it was almost instantly obvious to us both that they were in fact fakes. There were several things wrong with the boots but the most important was that they were not lined with the wool and viscose foam lining that the UGG®Australia boots are lined with, and it is this and the fact that they are made from sheepskin which give them their thermostatic benefits, thus making the feet warm and cosy in winter months but cool in summer months. Other features on the fake boots that were not true to the UGG®Australia boots that we sell in the store were as follows:

• The UGG name print on the bottom of the boot did not have the ® registered trademark symbol next to the word UGG
• The heel was not enforced as it should be
• The boot lining was soft and silky where it should be thick and fibrous and
• The stitching on the boot was different

UGG®Australia boots are recommended for retail at £170.00 for a tall boot so please beware of sites offering them at lower prices. As with most things if it sounds too good to be true it probably is! I’m not saying that there are not any sites out there offering the real thing for a bargain price, however this is very rare and the horror stories keep coming. To anyone who is worried that they may have bought copies please feel free to come into the store and we’ll compare them with the Real McCoy. These boots are a real investment when made with UGG®Australia materials and their comfy factor second to none; however £80 to £100 is too much to pay for copies without the benefits.

Georgina Mee