Saturday 28 May 2011

Twisted Firestarter

Morning,

Already been quite busy today! We've now sold out of the Max C Lace Bow vests and the Worn Free John Lennon New York City T-shirts (last one is off to Sweden this morning!). Hope everyone who got one of those is loving it!

Just a reminder that over the bank holiday we will be shut on Sunday and Monday as usual, but we're also taking Tuesday off too (we're off to Derbyshire for some R&R with the family... I anticipate lots of tea and cake and the odd glass of wine!). But first we're off out on the town tonight to celebrate a couple of birthdays, so happy birthday to Dan and Carly!

Pick Of The Day today is this D'n'J Twisted Bag in Turquoise Floral, £14.00. It's handmade by local artisan-types D'n'J and it's a one-off, so perfect if you're after something totally unique. Like Levi's famous twisted jeans, it's seams are twisted meaning it hangs really well and has a very distinctive look. Made from turquoise and floral panels, it's bright and great for summer (especially festivals!). This is only available on our online shop (or maybe if you come in the store and ask really really nicely) so grab your opportunity for this one!

Have a great weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Cloud Number Nine - Bryan Adams

Friday 27 May 2011

Little Miss Pinpoint Eyes

Morning,

It's Friday! Got your outfits sorted for the bank holiday weekend? Fret not, we're here for all your fashion needs (plus, still 10% off the marked price on all Yumi clothing in store).


Pick Of The Day today are these Death Kitty Pin Drainpipe Jeans, on sale for £15.00. We're now down to our last few pairs in the last few sizes, so get in quick. These are great value and are a really good wardrobe basic. They're black skinny jeans with a red pinstripe (we also sell a wide leg version). Get in quick to make one of the last few yours!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Naked Eye - Luscious Jackson

Thursday 26 May 2011

Hideaway

Morning,

We were unexpectedly shut yesterday due to illness, so sorry about that.

Over the bank holiday we will be open tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday as normal (9am till 5.30pm), then shut on the Sunday and Monday as normal. We will also be closed on the Tuesday as well, but open as normal from Wednesday.

Today's Pick Of The Day is this signed, framed, limited edition print, Hidden Woman in Black & White, by Daniel Cheney, £17.50. The price is a bargain, given that it comes ready framed! Daniel is a young local Wellingborough artist (with a great sideline in designing tattoos as well), who is heavily inspired by nature, video games, and comic books (which is one hell of a mix). We're very proud to be one of the first outlets for his work. This print (we also have a coloured version) features a woman emerging from a rose, and is frequently commented on. We also have more of his work in store, so if you're in the area, pop in.

Have a great day, so close to the weekend now!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Who Is Moving - Lilys

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Shine A Light

Morning,

Wow, you shoppers are up early today! To celebrate, we're extending our in-store offer on Yumi clothes. Get 10% off the marked price when you buy any Yumi item in store. Those buying online, we're still donating 10% of the price to Claire Friend's Race For Life fund.

We wave a sad goodbye to the last of our Temporary:Secretary Keep Calm & Carry On necklaces which sold this morning. We have also now sold out of the Yumi Marina Dress in Navy in Large, but we still have that size available in the Black, and all the other sizes are still in stock!

I wore one of the Yumi Yaura Leopard Tunic Dresses on Saturday night, and was convincingly informed by Anya that the leopard is actually a cheetah. Anyone else got any information on this one?

On a musical note (ha!), Retro-Beat on Saturday was brilliant. Always knew we were going to get a great performance from Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers, but Great Imitation were a revelation! 2 fantastic bands, a great crowd, and an absolutely mind-blowing gig. If you get the chance to check either of them out live, make sure you do. Or get yourself a copy of the Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers album from us!


Pick Of The Day today are these fantastic Barry M Lip Gloss Wands, £4.49 each. We've handpicked our favourite colours for you, and currently have them in stock in Toffee, Pastel Pink, Bubblegum Pink and Tropical Tango. They smell absolutely gorgeous, are vegan-friendly, and are perfect for a high-shine finish.

Have a great week!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Dream Lottery - Regular Fries

Saturday 21 May 2011

Flower Power

Morning,

Getting all excited about seeing Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers (we stock their album!) and Great Imitation tonight at Retro-Beat at The Horseshoe down the road from the shop. No idea what to wear yet though. Hmm... I'm sure inspiration will come to me!

On another musical note, after our obsession with Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing earlier in the week, I'm becoming very into the music from the latest Heineken advert, which is The Golden Age by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.



Anyway, I suppose we should probably talk about fashion a bit... so make sure you check out our Yumi range this weekend. If you buy in store, there's 10% off all Yumi clothing, or order online and 10% will be donated to Claire Friend's Race For Life fund. Either way, all good!

Pick Of The Day today is one such Yumi piece. This is the Yumi Ormanda Floral Lace Skirt, £35.00 (but 10% off this weekend if you buy in store!), available in cream (well, it looks white to us, but the label says cream) or black. It's a gorgeous ra-ra style skirt with a floral lace overskirt, front zip detail (I hate the phrase, but it's very "on trend"), and it is perfect for so many of this season's looks (floral, lace, vintage...). Can be worn to show off your legs, or with leggings or over skinny jeans if you don't fancy that. Also looks fantastic with a pair of Dr Martens!

Have a great weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Psychotic Break - Jerry Cantrell

Friday 20 May 2011

Short End Of The Wedge

Morning,

Just a reminder that 10% of all online sales of our Yumi clothing in May will be donated to Claire Friend's Race For Life sponsorship. Check out her story and/or donate here.

Best of luck to our model and artist Becca, who is going into hospital on Sunday. We'll be thinking of you!

Almost the weekend, any exciting plans?

Pick Of The Day today is one for the boys (or tomboys). These Spiral Direct Vintage Shorts, £20.00, are fantastic quality. They're black with a distressed vintage look (we also do a non-distressed plain version), and they're on sale! These are great for the warm weather!

Have a great Friday!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Stone In My Shoe - Alisha's Attic

Thursday 19 May 2011

Hi Ho Silver

Morning,

Having a bit of a relapse into teenfic at the moment (in between reading Jung's Psychological Reflections which I'm struggling with!). I'm currently about halfway through Tamora Pierce's First Test. Yes, I know I should grow up!


Pick Of The Day today is perfect for any proms or weddings this Summer. This Special Evening SENOA40 Dress in Silver, £55.00, is one of their most distinctive designs. From the beautiful embroidery on the top part, to the jagged hemline and net underskirt, it's gorgeous yet simple dress for a special occasion. Plus, it comes with the matching shawl, as shown. The elasticated panel on the back means the sizings are quite generous, especially good for the curvier customer, so it should fit you perfectly!

Have a good day!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Alertez Managua - Indochine

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Crop Circles

Morning,

We've reached the mid-week point. How is everyone doing?

Spend yesterday watching and re-watching the video for Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing. Love it! If you're reading this on the blog, the video is below. If you're reading it on Facebook, scroll down and click 'View original post'. What do you think?


Pick Of The Day today is a perfect one for Summer, especially for festivals. It's this RedRock Fashion Asymmetric Multi-Coloured Beaded Cropped Tee, £19.00. With rolled sleeves, and available in yellow or red, this is a really fun statement piece that looks fantastic combined with denim shorts and some bright Ray-Ban Wayfarers, or layer it over a vest if you don't fancy showing off your tummy! So go on, get it on, lie in the garden with your iPod and make like you're at Coachella.

Is it me, or is this week taking ages?

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: What's Another Year - Shane McGowan & The Popes

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Running Up That Hill

Morning,

Had a great weekend. On Saturday night we went to Yum Yum at The Picturedrome in Northampton. For those not familiar with The Picturedrome, it's a fantastic venue that was originally opened in 1912 as Northampton's first purpose-built cinema. It's been really well preserved and it's a fantastic art deco building. Yum Yum itself is always a great night, and brilliant for fashion spotting. Lots of retro and mod inspired looks (I'm personally always fascinated by some of the womens' hairstyles and how they stay like that!). It's always great for some inspiration.

Talking of inspiration, I thought we'd show off a bit of our artistic side for Pick Of The Day today. This is The House On The Hill by Pippa Alice, £20.00. It's a signed original piece of artwork, hand drawn on handmade recycled cotton rag paper. Due to it's small size, it makes a great little gift. All Pippa Alice pieces have now been reduced to £20.00, which is a great deal for this distinctive little gems. This one is perfect for the architect or town planner in your life. :)

Hope your week is starting well!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Cup Of Coffee - Garbage

Saturday 14 May 2011

3 Become 1

Morning,

Given that Blogger who host our blog have been having issues, this is a bit of a bumper post.

First off, we've arranged to donate 10% of all online sales of Yumi clothing in May to Claire Friend's Race For Life sponsorship. Race For Life is a fundraising event for Cancer Research UK and you can find out more about Claire and sponsor her on her Race For Life page. So, if you want gorgeous clothes and great karma, get shopping for Yumi on our online shop.

You can catch up on the Pick Of The Days that you may have missed on our Facebook page or Twitter. On Thursday we had the Maddie Corsage Hairslide, £5.00, and on Friday we had the Max C Jersey Rosette Bubble Dress, on sale for £20.00.

Today's Pick Of The Day is this Monsalina Chic Black Jersey Dress, £35.00. The long sleeves are perfect for this time of year, when the evenings are still a bit chilly. Everyone comments on how soft the material is, and seem to love the big pockets! It's a really comfortable dress, that is also very stylish with Sixties-style black plastic disc detailing, and it ties at the back with black ribbon. Also, most people have found that due to the loose fit, they prefer to pick a size down from their usual dress size, so you might want to consider that if ordering online. We only have a few sizes left now, and so many people have come back in raving about this one, so don't miss out!

Have a great weekend! We're venturing into Northampton tonight for Yum Yum at The Picturedrome!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: What New York Couples Fight About - Morcheeba feat Kurt Wagner

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Cross My Heart

Morning,

Good news: The online shop seems to be back to normal! Apologies for any inconvenience.

We're going to be opening a little later tomorrow (Thursday) but should be all up and running by 10am.

Had a visit from the lovely people who make our Special Evening and Monsalina Chic dresses yesterday. Some of their upcoming designs are absolutely fantastic! We have a few new pieces from them to add to our collection of Special Evening prom dresses and a few new bits of Monsalina Chic, which we hope to have out on the racks by the end of today. Come have a look and see what you think! We'll try to get them online as soon as possible, as well.


Pick Of The Day today is a great accessory to match with your Summer wardrobe, or for adding to a prom dress. This JP Jewellery Cross & Flowers Charm Bracelet, £20.00, is handmade and as with all JP Jewellery pieces, it's a one-off, meaning you're guaranteed something unique and special. This one is decorated with flower, cross and leaf charms, as well as lots of other pretty sparkly bits.

Have a good day!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Testify - M People

Tuesday 10 May 2011

I Got The Blues

Morning,

Hope you all had a good weekend! We were dancing about to post-mods The Francis Jetty at Retro-Beat and very good it was too. Hope you kept your copy of yesterday's Evening Telegraph as well for 10% off Yumi in store with our advert.

We did have a bit of a hiccup with the online shop overnight. We have received orders through, so don't think there was any problem there and it's all back up and running now. But still, if you placed an order and you'd like us to double check, just get in touch using the contact information on our online shop.

We've been browsing through the new Dr Martens catalogue for AW11. There's some fantastic new lines in there, including a few vegan styles. Very excited! Personally, I'm loving their new Mary Janes with interchangeable bows.

Pick Of The Day today are these cute handmade Irene Mosedale Pink & Blue Wooden Bracelets, £8.00. Each one is different, and they're made from a selection of wooden, metallic and plastic beads. Perfect for decorating your wrists now it's warm enough to have your arms out!

Happy Tuesday! Off to pack up last night's internet orders!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: A Little Soul - Pulp

Saturday 7 May 2011

Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves

Morning,

Quite like it when it rains, gives me an excuse to use my Audrey Hepburn umbrella. They're currently out of stock, but I will let you know when we get them back in. As it's Retro-Beat tonight at The Horseshoe down the road, with The Francis Jetty playing live, I'm tempted to treat myself to a new dress. I'm thinking of going for the Yumi Meila Lace Tea Dress, but I'm not sure which colour to choose. If you have any ideas, let us know on our Twitter account. I think I'm going to have to try them all on to see. It's a hard life! :)

Make sure you grab a copy of the Northants Evening Telegraph if you're in the area on Monday. Check out their fantastic fashion, beauty and shopping section, Spree, and look out for our fantastic new advert, showing our artist and model Rebecca in the Yumi Xaviera Parrot Sun Dress in beige. Cut out the advert and bring it in to receive 10% off all Yumi clothes!

Pick Of The Day today is this Ethically Traded 'Better To Have Loved And Lost' Retro Metal Sign, £7.00. It features the wise words 'It's better to have loved and lost than to live with the psycho for the rest of your life'. Admit it, if you don't need this sign, you certainly know someone who does! It features a retro fifties housewife image, and comes with the wire attached ready to hang. A great gift for yourself, or a recently single friend (maybe use your discretion on that one!).

Have a great weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Karma Police - Radiohead

Friday 6 May 2011

All White

Morning,

We've just seen the fantastic new advert that we'll be running in the Spree section of the Northants Evening Telegraph on Monday. If you're in the area, make sure you grab a copy of it to claim 10% off all Yumi clothing.

Can't believe it's Friday already! Looking forward to watching The Francis Jetty playing live at Retro-Beat tomorrow night! Anyone else going to any good gigs this weekend? Do give us your recommendations (or reviews, we like reviews!).

Plans for today? Well, we've just changed the window display (it now features the Yumi Marina dress in navy, and the Yumi Yaura Leopard Tunic Dress in mauve). Hopefully got some customers coming back to have a look at our range of Special Evening prom dresses, then might even sneak in a bit of reading to finish off Kate Atkinson's Case Histories. And of course, if you're popping in or ordering online, I'll be making sure we do our best to help! Always the priority, that one!


Anyway, on to our Pick Of The Day which is these Dr Martens 1460 8-Eye Boots in White Patent. They look great with little Summer dresses and a tan, or they're perfect for a bit of customisation if you're feeling brave (if not, we recommend replacing the laces with ribbon in any colour you choose, for a bit of contrasting girliness!). We have a small selection of Dr Martens on our online shop, but you can browse the full catalogue in store, or just e-mail or telephone to ask if you're after something in particular. We usually only have a pair or two in stock, and get each pair in to order, so as soon as you let us know what you want, we contact Dr Martens (conveniently located just down the road!) and will let you know straight away if there's going to be any delay. We really do love our Dr Martens here!

Have a great Friday! Almost the weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Just Fine - Mary J Blige

Thursday 5 May 2011

Where The Wild Roses Grow

Morning,

This week is flying by! Our Stargazer Semi-Permanent Hair Coloursare very popular this week, with Magenta and Rouge being the fastest selling! Also, the Yumi Kenna Swallow Maxi Dress is still selling really well in both pink and navy, so make sure you get yours! As with all of our clothes, we only stock things in limited numbers to keep them desirable and you looking unique, so once they're gone, they're gone.

Today's Pick Of The Day is this handmade D'n'J Make Up Roll in Red Rose, £15.00 and includes a free Barry M Kohl Pencil. This is perfect if you're travelling about this Summer, especially if you're heading to the festivals. It keeps all your make-up pencils, liners and brushes together and protected from the elements! Because after 3 days in mud, a girl needs to look her best!

Have a great day (and get out and vote, if you can, we're big on getting involved here!).

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: 40 Miles - Hot Zex

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Oh Kayla

Morning,

Just got the new copies of Image magazine in today so they will be given away free with all clothing purchases on a first come first serve basis, so come grab yours now! Look out for our prom dress advert in there, too!

We're now down to the last one of our super-flattering Iska Layers Dress, which is on sale for only £20.00. Definitely a bargain!

Pick Of The Day today are these Death Kitty Kayla Pants, £17.00 in the sale. They're wide-leg jeans in black with a really cool red pinstripe. We also have a drainpipe jeans version in stock too. Death Kitty make perfectly punky pieces that are great quality and value, so give a pair of these a try!

Hope your week is going well!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: The Void - Ganglians

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Paint It Black

Morning,

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays! Now let's get back to some fantastic fashion!

Just a quick blog post today, as it's the beginning of the month and time to sort out our admin!


Pick Of The Day today is a great little bargain to get you ready for Summer. These are our Barry M Nail Paints, £2.99, available in a selection of colours we have handpicked for you. Perfect for getting your finger and toe nails ready for the warm weather! Whether you prefer pinks, reds, corals, basic black or pastels, we should have something to tickle your fancy. All of our Barry M products are sold at the recommended retail price, so we're not more expensive than most of the big stores (but better karma when you support an independent and buy from us!).

Have a great day!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: (We Want) The Same Thing - Belinda Carlisle