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

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

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

Belle Of The Ball

Morning,

Enjoying your holidays? We're looking forward to a great weekend and some awesome music at The Horseshoe down the road. It's Retro-Beat on Saturday with The Liabilities playing live, then on Sunday it's Nico'ZZ supported by The Aviation Society. 3 great bands so can't wait! If you're in the area, well worth checking them all out!

The sunshine seems to be creating lots of love for the Yumi Kenna Swallow Maxi Dress. The pink one is most popular at the moment, but there's lots of attention going to the navy version too, so if you love it, make it yours. What's more, if you're in the area, get a copy of Saturday's Northants Evening Telegraph and look out for our advert in the photography supplement. Bring that ad in with you to get 10% off all our of Yumi clothing.


Pick Of The Day is perfect for the wedding and prom season coming up. This Special Evening SENVA39 Dress in black, £55.00, is just beautiful. It has a corset-style back laced up with ribbon for the perfect fit, and adjustable straps. The top part of the dress is embroidered with sequins, and the skirt is layered and decorated with fabric roses at the front. It also comes with the matching shawl. Perfect, non?

Well, have a great day if you're on holiday, and either pop in store to see us or get ordering on our online shop and we'll sort out all your Easter fashion needs!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Let's Stick Together - KT Tunstall

Prom Night

Morning,

I should know by now that when I go to the bank on a morning, sticking up a Back In 5 Minutes sign is a tad optimistic! Going to start campaigning for my branch to have one of those priority customer counters so business account holders can get through quicker, and in my case open the shop! I have a feeling I am not their greatest priority but we'll see how it goes!

Got the last episode of Lily Allen: From Riches To Rags recorded on my Sky+ so looking forward to catching up on that. It's been really great (in a schadenfreude way, I guess!) to see that even with an infinitely larger budget, setting up a clothing shop is not the easiest thing. I thought it was just me being an idiot! I've found the whole thing quite inspiring to be honest! Really want to visit Lucy In Disguise when I can next treat myself to a trip to London (that's your cue to buy lots of stuff from Unorthodox so I can!).

I just had to break off to panic that we were having an earthquake, but it turns out it was just the roadworks people round the back of the shop driving a... erm, is it a steamroller if there's no steam? Anyway, it made the entire building shake. It's too early in the day for noisy machinery (says the girl currently listening to an Alec Empire track).

With prom season coming up, I thought this dress would be a perfect Pick Of The Day. This is the Special Evening SENOA06 Prom Dress in Black, £55.00. It comes with the shawl as well, and is one of the most admired of our prom dresses, with beautiful sequined detail on the side going up to the neckline and straps. It has an elasticated back as well, so it fits like it was made for you. An absolute bargain for the price! We have a selection of Special Evening dresses on our online shop and in store, however if you are looking for a specific size or colour that you don't see, just ask and we may be able to order it in for you.

Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Possibilities (Live At Glastonbury) - Amp Fiddler

Lady In Red

Morning,

Hope you all had a great weekend! We had the pleasure of catching The Aviation Society playing at Retro-Beat at The Horseshoe down the road. Oh. My. God. New favourite band, I think! If they're playing near you, check them out, and we'll let you know when you can give them a listen online. Complete Unorthodox thumbs up (and frankly, we're quite jaded so that's something).

Had a great day in here on Saturday. Was a bit manic at points, so I hope noone who came in felt neglected. We even had a queue for the changing room, so I apologise for any delays, and I hope everyone who bought things is loving them (big rush on Barry M Nail Paint and Barry M Instant Nail Effects so guess everyone had lovely nails on Saturday night!).

Pick Of The Day today is the most popular of our Special Evening dresses. This is the Special Evening SENOA43 Prom Dress in Red (we also have it in Light Pink). It has a classic, slightly 50s shape to it, and is beautifully simple with roses decorating the front. With adjustable straps and an elasticated back panel, it fits like it was made for you. We have a selection of styles and colours on our online shop and in store. However, if there is a colour or size you're looking for that we don't have, please ask. We will do our best to make you happy! These have been bought for proms, parties and even as bridesmaid dresses, and with prom and wedding season coming up, why not have a look at the Special Evening range.

Geared up for a good week!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Jump On Top Of Me - The Rolling Stones

Blazer Of Glory

Morning,

It's Friday! Check out our #FF tweets on our Twitter page for recommendations of interesting peeps to follow.

Lots of you seem to be gearing up for summer weddings, and our Special Evening dresses are proving very popular this week (some even being picked out for the bridesmaids!). For those not needing to go so formal, we also have some lovely pieces by Monsalina Chic and Yumi that would be great for special occasions. There are even some lovely Monsalina Chic and Max C pieces in our sale still!


As I mentioned it in yesterday's blog post, I thought we should have this Yumi Malin Blazer, £55.00, as Pick Of The Day. It's available in black or grey, and is perfect for this time of year when a coat feels too much but bare arms are still the road to unsightly goosebumps. Blazers are very in this season, and this one is perfect for wearing as a smart piece, or you can scruff it up a little by adding some badges. Trimmed in white, it has gorgeous white rose buttons at the front, and 3 smaller white rose buttons above the cuffs. I've got my eye on one, so I can confirm that whilst it is fitted, the sizings are generous (even to those with more than a little up top!), and it looks fantastic no matter what you try it on with (and believe me, I've been trying them on most days, I just don't know whether I want classic black or a slightly more spring-like grey).

Have a fantastic weekend! We'll be here tomorrow for all your Saturday night outfit planning!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Primary - The Dandy Warhols

Hearts Revolution

Morning,

Well done to everyone who ordered Yumi clothing yesterday and claimed their free Barry M Dazzle Dust to celebrate International Womens Day. Hope you all got lots of pancakes too (I opted for the simple sugar and squirty cream topping... no, I know, not remotely healthy but I chose light squirty cream!).

Not quite as much sun in the sky today, but we're still feeling perky and it's no excuse not to start adding to your spring/summer wardrobe (we would say that)! Also, for those who have special events coming up, don't forget to check out our range of prom dresses and posh frocks by Special Evening. They're quite a bargain!

Pick Of The Day today is this Yumi Larinda Heart Print Blouse, £35.00. It's currently the best selling Yumi piece here, which means we are already out of stock of the Large size, but still have them in Small and Medium. Black with a cute white heart print, this blouse is elasticated at the waist for shape, and has gorgeous black lace detailing on the cap sleeves and upper back. Romantic, non? A great little blouse that can be worn for all sorts (we like to make sure you get your moneys worth!). So be quick, we can't guarantee how long they'll hang around!

Have a great Wednesday (I'm psyching my lazy self up to go out to the bank and the Post Office to send off yesterday's orders).

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Toute Petite Danse - Massilia Sound System

I'm Blue

Morning,

The new Monsalina Chic dresses are on the racks as part of our new Little Black Dress display, to help you find the perfect one. Also, the new RedRock Fashion pieces will also be going on the shelves this morning. We're getting all of these photographed this afternoon so hope to have them on the online shop before Christmas.

Got a few photoshoots going on at the Unorthodox studio today with our photographer Brian Chapman. More news to come on that front, but today we've got Daniel Cheney (one of our artists) being photographed as part of our Local Heroes series, as well as our usual model Tahnee showing off the new pieces. Plus, while Tahnee's doing this I get to entertain her son Zack so quite looking forward to that too!


Pick Of The Day is this gorgeous Special Evening dress. Since Kate Middleton's engagement announcement dress, darker shades of blue have been all over the place so there's never been a better time to treat yourself to this one. The straps are adjustable and there's an elasticated panel at the back to help it fit perfectly. All the Special Evening dresses are a bargain at £55.00 given the beautiful quality and detail.

Special Evening SENOA22 Dress in Dark Blue on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Have a great weekend and remember we're open every day until Xmas!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Justify My Love - Madonna

Belle Of The Ball

Morning,

First up, we have a special offer ready to launch for you once our Facebook page gets up to 350 followers. We're pretty close now, so help us and yourselves out by making sure you visit our Facebook page, click like, and suggest it to any friends you think might be interested or share it as a link on your profile. The special offer will apply online and in store, so we'll make sure you don't miss out!

Those of you who have started their Xmas shopping seem to be loving our Smashing Glass pieces. As each one is unique, make sure you get it before it's gone!

Rebecca Sturdgess' artwork is now up in the shop and we'll try to get it photographed an onto the online shop soon. Each piece is a signed original, in a variety of formats ranging from canvases to framed pieces, in many different styles and influences (loving the Japanese themed pieces). With prices starting at £12, they're perfect presents that will never be replicated.

Pick Of The Day today is this absolutely gorgeous Special Evening dress. We're running a special offer on all of our Special Evening dresses this festive season, meaning you can pick up any of them for only £55 each! This one is gorgeous, and also available in red. With an elasticated back and adjustable straps, this fits like it was made for you, and comes with the matching shawl (shown). Beautifully made, this is a classic prom dress that is perfect for all your parties this festive season, and will look just as nice in a garden as you sip on some Pimms next summer (Pimms optional).

Special Evening SENOA43 Dress in Light Pink on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Hope you're having a good week!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Sweat (A La La La La Long) - Inner Circle

E-Bow

Morning,

Just a reminder that we will be running a special offer for our Facebook followers once we reach 350 on there, so if you haven't already, head over to our Facebook page.

Our Special Evening cocktail, prom and evening dresses are now on the online shop. Check out the Special Evening section.

Pick Of The Day today is this gorgeous cream Max C London dress. The shape gives it a bit of a retro 60's/mod look, whilst the floral lace out later is very vintage. It's in our sale, and these are the last few so when they're gone they're gone! It's a beautiful dress for the party season, maybe with some leggings and a shrug, and great for showing off your tan in the summer. Fully lined, it's elasticated under the bust, and has the distinctive Max C bubble hemline.

Max C Bow Lace Dress on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

They're predicting rain so quite glad the shop is quite far up the hill!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Wish You Were Here - Rednex

Pack Up

Morning,

Should have our Special Evening dresses on the online shop by the end of today so keep you eyes open for those!


To make a change from getting involved in everyone else's clothes, this article was in yesterday's Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph where I showed them through my wardrobe. Please don't judge the shop on my fashion mistakes! :)

Pick Of The Day today is this Maddie Satchel bag. Satchels are very in at the moment, and great way of keeping your essentials close to you. These Maddie ones are handmade, so each is different, and we only have a few left in stock so get in quick! They add a little bit of hippy chic to any outfit. Plus, they're only a tenner!

Maddie Satchel Bag on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Stay warm!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Believe (Groove Chronicles Mix) - Goldie

You Always Find Me In The Kitsch'n At Parties

Morning,

Special Evening photos all picked out so will have them on the online shop for you early next week, ready for any posh do's you are due to attend this festive season. Big thanks to our fantastic photographer Brian and our model Louise.

We've also got new flyers being designed over the weekend, so keep an eye out for those.

Did you see the pink ruffled Topshop skirt in this week's Heat magazine? Gorgeous non? But if you don't fancy the £40 price tag on that one, this Iska Raka Skirt Dress is a bargain! It's in our sale at £25.00 (reduced from £35!). It has a pretty black lace top part, ties at the back, and the oh so pretty pink ruffled skirt. All ready for the party season! I'm sure you can find something to do with the money you save! Iska are made by the same people who bring you celeb-adored label Yumi so you know you've got a bargain!

Iska Raka Skirt Dress on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

All ready for the weekend? Go on, add some glitter!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

Felt So Good

Morning,

Wow, it's grim outside today, so if you're in town and want a bit of respite from the wind and rain, pop in!

Choosing the photos from our shoot of the Special Evening dresses tonight so should have them on the website very soon, in time for the party season! There are some gorgeous ones to be had!

Our Pick Of The Day today are these felt and wood bracelets, handmade by Irene Mosedale. Available in a variety of colours, each is unique and very cute, with felt beads that always remind me of Muppets (no Muppets were harmed in the making of this jewellery). We also have necklaces available in the same beads. Perfect for Xmas presents, or brightening up a simple outfit.

Irene Mosedale Felt & Wood Bracelets on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Stay warm!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit (Motiv 8 Extended Vocal Mix) - Gina G

Especially For You

Morning,

Can't believe how quickly we sold out of the Barry M Instant Nail Effects, but then, it is very very cool! We'll try to get some more in for you at the first opportunity. In the meantime, why not check out their other Nail Paints?

Pick Of The Day is this gorgeous Special Evening dress to get you ready for the party season. These dresses look like they cost a fortune, and considering how well made and beautiful they are, you'd be forgiven for thinking so! We have a range of styles in the shop, which will be on the online shop soon, but in the meantime, we have this one for you. It comes with the matching shawl as well. We only have this in stock in a couple of sizes, however if you get in touch, we can order in the size you want. The elasticated panel at the back means it fits as if it was made especially for you. Pure glamour for a steal of a price!

Special Evening SENOA06 Dress on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Have a good week!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: 9PM (Till I Come) - ATB

Here Be Dragonflies

Morning,

We did a photoshoot last night for the new Death Kitty pieces and it went really well! Big thank you to our model Tahnee and our resident photographer Brian.

Should have our new Special Evening dresses out on display later today. There are some gorgeous ones for any special occasion. Will try to get them photographed and up on the website ASAP.

News for those in the Wellingborough area. We have been part of the Wellingborough Cashback Card scheme since it launched and we have now lowered our minimum spend and removed the restrictions on which items qualify. This means you now only have to spend £20 on anything in the shop to receive a sticker on your card. You can use the card at a selection of shops, restaurants and services in the town, and once it's full, you can claim £5 off at any of those places. Full terms and a list of the businesses participating can be found at showthecard.co.uk.

Pick Of The Day is this JP Jewellery Dragonfly Necklace. It's handmade, and it's the only one, so you'd have something completely one-off and unique. JP Jewellery is exclusive to Unorthodox. This one features a diamante pink and white dragonfly, with additional chain strands decorated with leaves and black hearts. A very pretty little statement piece, and once it's gone it's gone, so if it catches your eye click the link below for more information and to order online, or pop in the shop.

JP Jewellery Dragonfly Necklace on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Have a great weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: 5 Heures Du Mat - Alliance Ethnik feat Vinia Mojica

UnorthoBox

Morning,

The joke in the title of today's blog is courtesy of Tony Carter. Cheers!

We got in some lovely new Special Evening dresses yesterday to get you ready for the party season. They're not on display yet, but hope to have them out and ready for your approval by the weekend. As many of you wanted something a bit brighter, we've gone for blues, lilacs, reds, purples... there should be something that takes your fancy. Also new in yesterday, D'n'J have made us another of their kickass hand-painted wooden boxes. This new one features an Invader Zim design (ok, I had to check Wikipedia for that cultural reference but still...). We also have a new reversable bag by them with a Halloween design, but then, for some of us, every day is Halloween so it's perfect for all year round.

In online shop news, the other D'n'J wooden boxes we have in are now on there in the D'n'J section and feature Space Invaders and Pacman among other designs, so perfect for the retro gamer in your life.

Obviously, I'm going to pick one of the D'n'J boxes as Pick Of The Day. This Pacman one is my favourite. Bright colours, kitsch design, and the perfect place to stash your cheat codes. It has been painted and waxed by hand, with a little metal clasp at the front. All measurements for it are on the item's page on our online shop so click the link below for more info.

D'n'J Pacman Hand-Painted Wooden Box on www.unorthodoxshop.com.

Half-way through the week. Hope it's going well for you all!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Aftertime - King Adora

New

Afternoon

Bit late with the blogging today but getting lots of new things onto the site. As I mentioned yesterday, we have new artwork in. There is a brilliant print on canvas by photographer Clive Wagner of Sywell Aerodrome. There are also a couple of signed, framed prints of Daniel Cheney's Hidden Women from his Mother Nature collection. We also have a couple of originals by Richard Stones, which are reclaimed paintings he has worked his collage magic on. We also have more prints of other pieces of his work available soon.



These T-shirts are by local DIY label DJB. Exclusive to Unorthodox, their graffiti-style designs are printed on t-shirts by a known high street brand, giving them a whole new look. The pink one is the DJB Jam T-shirt, and can be found on our online shop here, whilst the other one is the DJB ROA Button Front T-shirt and can be ordered here.


This is one of our Special Evening dresses, perfect for all those upcoming seasonal parties. We have a selection of different styles in the store, but this is the first one to hit the online shop. Called SENOA06, it has an elasticated back for comfort and flexibility on sizing, is fully lined, and beautifully embroidered with sequins for a little sparkle. It comes with the black wrap shown. This can be viewed and ordered on our online shop here.



These gorgeous mini dresses are by Monsalina Chic. Available in the black with white detailing, or the white with black detailing, you can take your pick for your own bit of monochrome. They come with detachable clear straps that can either be attached to the dress, or added to a bra of your choice. These a really distinctive and beautifully made. They are shown here with the Temporary:Secretary Acrylic Bow necklace. Click here to check out the white with black, or here for the black with white.



This purple Layered Dress is also by Monsalina Chic. I've put up the pictures of it being modelled by both Louise and Tahnee so you can see how versatile it is on different shapes. It's fitted tailoring shows the fantastic quality, and it has a hidden zip at the back. Beautifully vintage in style. Check out this dress here.

Phew!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Sunlamp Show (Disco Bloodbath Remix) - The Aliens

Posh Frocks

Morning,

We're trying something new. We've got some beautiful dresses in from Special Evening, who specialise in prom dresses and the like, for a month's trial to see what you all think. They're beautifully made and we have a little selection of styles, colours and sizes for you to try. What's even better is that it's helping me stick to my promise to try to expand our range of sizes, and these are available in 6 to 18. How you wear them is up to you! Choose something black for a formal occasion or just to indulge your inner goth, or have a look at the vintage 50s styles in baby blue and red, perfect for a wedding or event. Plus, it's never too early to consider your Christmas diary, so maybe a silver or burgundy one would take your fancy! Most of the styles even come with sheer shawls in a matching colour. Do let us know what you think of them.


Pick of the Day is one of these dresses. This one is called SEKOA 45 (erm, yeah) and this is it in black. Beautiful detail, and a ruched skirt held up with black roses. Glam without being over the top, this is a stunner. It's priced at £55, as are all the other styles. All you have to do is find an occasion to wear it!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Bound 4 Da Reload (Casualty) - Oxide & Neutrino