Pop to www.irregularchoice.com for more info.

Oxford Road in Manchester to be specific is set to be at the heart of stylish tailoring, when A Suit That Fits opens its doors on August 2nd 2010. A Suit That Fits was developed to give customers full control of their own designs, allowing them to create individually hand tailored suits in branch or on-line. Customers can choose from over 40 billion different combinations of styles, colours and garments, coupled with a wide range of luxury fabrics and linings. A Suit That Fits currently has four permanent branches, and a further 21 pop-up TailorStops nationwide with their team of roving tailors and style advisors.

Founder and co-director, Warren Bennett, thought it was about time Manchester had permanent access to expert style advice and the A Suit That Fits experience: “Manchester is a buzzing metropolitan city with a history and hunger for arts, culture and fashion. Everyone deserves a tailor made suit and with our new branch opening they are no longer exclusive to those with deep pockets. We are incredibly excited to be located in Manchester on a permanent basis, and really hope we can engage with the rich tapestry of the city even further.”

To celebrate the launch of the new store, A Suit That Fits will be offering the initial measurement (normally £25) with a Style Advisor completely free for the first month*!

*This promotion is only available at the new Manchester branch and is only available for the first month.
To book an appointment with A Suit That Fits’ expert Style Advisors hop over to www.aSuitThatFits.com or call 020 3006 7999.

G Star have stores in Leicester, Derby, Birmingham and Nottingham. diffusiononline.co.uk

Pop over to G Star Derby’s Facebook page for more images from the night:

Manchester Metropolitan University BA Hons Fashion Students presented their final year collections at the Capitol Theatre (Manchester) on Tuesday 22nd June 2010 where the students got a great opportunity to present their work in a live situation to the general public and industry; something they’ll all be hoping to do a lot more of in the future.

Many of the students created bold shapes and silhouettes this year. Perhaps a little GaGa inspired?  Some of the garments were suitable for the catwalk (or for a lady wishing to make a bold statement!) but many of the clothes were very wearable and made from beautiful contemporary fabrics and interesting takes on more traditional materials. Bulbous skirts made from plaited wool? Sounds unusual, but definitely makes an impact!

Earlier in the month, Manchester Metropolitan Uni student Rebecca Thomson took home the gold award from Graduate Fashion Week in London with her collection of hand-pleated details with jogging bottoms, giant bow-ties, lace bib-collars and billowing shirt-dresses.

So congrats to Rebecca and the rest of the students and have a little looksee at some of the best bits from the show:

(All images courtesy of Andy Espin)

www.andyespin.com

Visit Manchester Met Uni”s own online gallery of their photo shoot before the show:

http://www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/fashion/shoot2010/

After the success of previous exclusives, WatchShop.com is now offering this performance oriented men’s watch with a highly stylish design.

The watch, officially priced at £185 will be available until 31^st August at £92.50.

Complimenting the classic lines of the stainless steel case and bracelet, and showcasing the high performance chronograph movement, an easy to read and stylish white face with silver details now adorns this stylish but feature loaded watch.

The case is waterproof, with screw down crown and caseback to ensure the watch is always ready no matter what conditions.

The polished and brushed finish bracelet has a deployment clasp for security and style on your wrist at all times.

Coupled with Rotary’s lifetime guarantee, this is a solid and dependable performer, and a great watch for the man who wants the style, but doesn’t want to trade durability.

If you like the look of this watch, pop yourself over to  Watchshop.com before stocks run out!

Approved entrants will have their pictures posted in NEXT’S Facebook gallery. Then the one-hundred aspiring models who secure the biggest number of votes in a public poll (also on Facebook) will be invited to the fabulous live final in London on 30^th July. There will be TWO winners!  The prizes? Each will enjoy a £2,000 shopping spree at NEXT, the chance to star in a photo-shoot for NEXT, plus a special introduction to leading model agency, Select. Think you’ve got what it takes? Well, you have to be in it to win it, so get yourself over to Facebook and round up every handsome dude and pretty young lady you know . . . then point them in NEXT’S direction. Stardom awaits, you gorgeous things.

The Vans ‘Girls Off the Rail Tour’ have called upon an expert stylist to be on hand in each city to spread her invaluable fashionista knowledge to anyone looking for some clever styling tips. As well as being the first to check out the fantastic new collection, you will receive all the VIP treatment that a shopoholic desires. Make-up demos, fake tattoo artists, delicious cupcakes and drinks, Vans goodie bags and loads more! What more could a girl ask for?

For the London leg of the tour Vans’ trusty stylist will be heading out and stalking the streets around central London to find only the coolest, quirky and most stylish girls, who look like they have a flair for fashion. The lucky few will be selected to style an outfit in store with a chance to win an exclusive Vans Shopping Spree! I think this calls for some serious wardrobe raiding ladies…

Check out the tour dates to find out when the Vans ‘Girls Off The Rail Tour’ is coming to a town near you… don’t miss it!
Vans, Carnaby St London Friday 25th June
Foot Asylum, Liverpool Thursday 1st July
Vans, Manchester Friday 2nd July
Vans, Leeds Saturday 3rd July
Vans, Coventry Thursday 8th July
Vans, Kingston Friday 9th July
Northshore, Newquay Monday 2nd August

JUST IN! Check out some of the pics from Liverpool’s leg of the tour at Foot Asylum.

As Carly Zucker, Alex Curran and co got ready to cheer on their partners in South Africa at the World Cup, Sophie Langston, Charlie Masters, Charlotte King and Kirsty Luckett were named by Westfield Derby as Derbyshire’s most fashionable ‘real life’ WAGs.

Each girl won a £150 Westfield gift card to kit themselves out with a new summer outfit from the stores at Westfield Derby.

Charlotte King, whose boyfriend David Brown plays for Eastwood Town, said: “It was fantastic to get the chance to go and spend money like a real life WAG! I chose a real summer outfit including a new lace tunic with studded design on the shoulders, a fashionable bandeau and some hot summer shorts, all from Topshop.

“I guess I fall under the category of a WAG – I like my clothes but I have always watched David in his matches and I can’t wait for the World Cup. Now I just hope the England team can do us proud and bring the trophy home.”

Sophie’s husband Dave is manager of Uttoxeter-based  Rocester FC, Charlie’s boyfriend Dave Gray plays for Dronfield Town and Kirsty’s boyfriend Karl is the star striker at Mickleover Sports.

Janine Bone, centre manager of Westfield Derby, said: “Cheryl Cole may not be a WAG anymore but I think these photos prove we have some worthy replacements right here in Derbyshire. It was fascinating to see the support these girls give to our local superstars and it’s great to see there’s no let up in the fashion stakes whatever level their men are playing at. We were delighted to be able to reward them with the chance to spend like a real WAG.

“We’re all really excited for the World Cup at Westfield Derby and we have a packed summer of events to help shoppers cheer along the team, from face painting to free screenings of the England matches in Showcase Cinema de Lux. It’s going to a fantastic summer!”

Sophie Langston

Husband Dave Langston is the Rocester FC manager. She chose:

• ¾ sleeve linen jacket, River Island – £34.99
• Cream top, River Island – £9.99
• Straight fit white jeans, River Island – £39.99
• Whipstitch handle detail bag, River Island – £39.99
• Black Boots – models own

Charlie Masters

Boyfriend David Gray plays striker for Dronfield Town FC. She chose:

• White dress, Doll Boutique – £40
• Patent Platform Court shoe, Barratts – £25 (sale)
• Bracelet, Diamond & Pearls – £7.99
• Earrings, Diamond & Pearls – £5.99

Charlotte King

Boyfriend David Brown plays striker for Eastwood Town FC. She chose:

• Stud shoulder lace tunic, Topshop – £40
• Bandeau, Topshop – £6
• Bloomer Shorts, Topshop – £32
• Boots – model’s own

Kirsty Luckett

Boyfriend Karl Ashton plays striker for Mickleover Sports FC. She chose:

• Maxi dress, Warehouse – £65
• Nude ring-front sandals, Dorothy Perkins – £40
• Teardrop dream catch earrings, Topshop – £7.50

Pretty blush bracelet set, Topshop – £16

NEWGEN, established in 1993 is one of the world’s most recognised talent scouting schemes and its alumni include legends like Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Boudicca, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders alongside brand new talent.

The recipients of NEWGEN, sponsored by Topshop are:
Catwalk sponsorship: David Koma, Holly Fulton, Mary Katrantzou, Michael Van Der Ham and Peter Pilotto.
Presentation sponsorship: Craig Lawrence and Louise Gray.
Installation sponsorship: Christopher Raeburn, Dominic Jones, Fannie Schiavoni and Yang Du.
Exhibition sponsorship: Atalanta Weller, Chau Har Lee, Christopher Raeburn, Craig Lawrence, David Koma, Dominic Jones, Fannie Schiavoni, Felicity Brown, Heikki Salonen, Holly Fulton, Jordan Askill, J. JS Lee, JW Anderson, Louise Gray, Mark Fast, Mary Katrantzou, Michael Lewis, Michael Van Der Ham, Peter Pilotto, Sykes and Yang Du

Many of the designers awarded this sponsorship have already had a lot of media exposure and gained plenty of notoriety within fashion circles. Craig Lawrence has even had some of his elaborate knitwear sported by 69 favourite Lady Gaga! Keep your eyes out for more from this lot; all of them bound to be fashion superstars in the future.

“River Island Graduate Fashion Week in London was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I have never been so nervous, excited, proud, terrified, amazed and exhausted in one day – and you know what? I would do it all again tomorrow!

The event, at Earls Court, is an opportunity for universities to show off the nation’s newest and shiniest fashion talent. Many leading names in the industry attend to closely inspect the final collections of hundreds of students from across the country, searching for the new Stella McCartney or Marc Jacobs.

I, along with 15 of my course-mates from fashion design and nine from fashion knitwear design and knitted textiles, was selected to exhibit my collection on the catwalk. With students from 21 other universities also selected for catwalk shows, and more than 50 institutions exhibiting work overall, the competition was high.

The day kicked off less than glamorously at 9am, unloading box after box of clothes, accessories and shoes. It was then on to the task of selecting clothes, dressing models, organising hair and make-up and completing stage run-throughs before the 2.30pm show.

Jessica Lovell got proceedings underway with her stunning collection of oversized silhouettes and distorted floral prints, creating a magical ambience for the rest of the hour-long show.

My collection was 11th in the running order and the wait felt like a lifetime. Eventually I caught a glimpse of my floral print appearing at the edge of the runway and my stomach flipped.

Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel ‘The secret garden’, my collection was based around patterns from nature – specifically flower petals and insect wings.

I selected simple silhouettes to ensure the prints remained the primary focus of the collection and used simple, flowing fabrics and neutral colours, with a few metallics thrown in for good measure. I also studied traditional menswear from the 18^th and 19^th centuries and softened the shapes to create a cohesive and consistent overall look.

As the models glided up and down the catwalk I could not believe it was my work on stage and I was bursting with pride. And then, within sixty seconds, it was finished. After working solidly for six months on these outfits it was surreal to think it was all over.

A series of alternating fashion and knitwear created a beautiful selection of textures, shapes and forms across all collections. Our talented international student, Shinsuke Mitsuoka from Japan, did a fabulous job of closing the show with his surreal dark, geometric and innovative collection, which left friends, family and the press in awe.

The day ended with an appropriate amount of champagne, nibbles and excited reflection on what was a truly magical experience.

We were thrilled to have had the chance to share our work, both on the catwalk and at the Nottingham Trent University exhibition stand, and to give the industry a glimpse of the amazing fashion talent to come.”

For more on Nottingham Trent University visit www.ntu.ac.uk
For more on Graduate Fashion Week visit www.gfw.org.uk

Images courtesy of Andy Espin Photography: www.andyespin.com