Our favourite contestant on Celebrity Big Brother, Nicola McLean wore our Bambi inspired Yumi Jumper on yesterday’s episode and she looked fabulous! The jumper is currently on sale, at the bargain price of  £12.99, get yours now as they’re selling out fast!
Last weekend our favourite Celebrity Big Brother contestant Nicola McLean  wore our fabulous Isa Deer Cardigan to keep her warm while doing a fantastic task called  Why are you famous?
Get Nicola’s Look today, and with the cardigan on sale now this is the perfect winter warmer outfit.
As you may have guessed Yumi headquaters  has gone Twilight mad! Today is the London premiere of Breaking Dawn, to celebrate we’re running a game called Where’s Edward? on our website.
All you have to do is be the first person to find where he’s hiding and tell us on Facebook or Twitter to get a 20% voucher code. The code will come in handy to get all the fabulous Yumi clothes that have been in our Twilight Special Get The Looks.
Today is Rosalie’s turn, we love her stylish party girl style. Get her look today!
Yumi has designed a sexy, chic sheer polka dot dress similar to those worn by A Listers Kate Winslet and Liv Taylor for the perfect Xmas dress and at £44.99 the dress is a steal!
Get yours today for the celeb designer look, sure to turn heads.
We’ve been busy, busy, busy at Yumi HQ this week shooting the studio pictures for our upcoming Autumn/Winter 2011 collection. A little to early to be thinking so far ahead you might say but we need to make sure all the images are ready to go live in a few months when the new season launches.
It’s always fun doing a shoot, so here’s a little sneaky behind-the-scenes peek! The bottom image is the fluffing and volumising of hair in case you were wondering! Keep your eyes peeled for the new collection, which will be launching later this summer.
Don’t think you have to wait until Spring/Summer 2011 to be wearing the trends we saw emerging on the New York catwalks – we have some brilliant pieces to show you how you can be fashion forward and wear next seasons trends now!
Philosophy showcased an energetic tribal-inspired collection featuring what is shaping up to be the colour of S/S 11 – orange. Our Yumi Vonna Pixel Dress picks up these details perfectly. Wear it now with opaque tights for winter and it’s a buy that will carry on through to next spring!
British brand Mulberry showed a pretty doll-inspired collection in pale pastel shades, we think our Yumi Jewel dress is a dead ringer for this cute Spring/Summer 2011 look.
Thakoon focused on soft shimmering fabrics for his collection, just like our Adelle Dress from the recently launched Uttam Boutique range. It’s delicate, feminine qualities make it perfect for a Christmas party or Spring BBQ.
Monochrome is a classic trend that pops up every season, so purchasing a black and white dress will be a perfect transitional piece. Diane von Furstenburg showed an alternative to plain stripes on her catwalk, and we too have a version, the heart print Yumi Lara Love Dress.Â
As soon as we heard about this we did a little squeak and a jig. Honestly. We weren’t alive when Biba first came round (well, some of us, but not me….) but the legend has held true and the style has never faded or outdated.
“From a mail order company in the early sixties, to a global fashion phenomenon of the early seventies, Barbara Hulanicki’s Biba was a store like no other. Fashion has mourned its loss since Biba closed its doors in 1975. Until now… It’s 2010 and Biba is back. Exclusively at House of Fraser, the newly relaunched Biba has taken the ethos of original Biba and reworked it for the fashion savvy of today, like the brand’s face – Brit model-of-the-moment Daisy Lowe.”
Biba was one of the first examples of celebrity selling power – a pink gingham dress very similar to that worn by Brigitte Bardot was available and girls went crazy for it. From wikipedia: ‘The shops’ main appeal was that an average girl in London could, for less than 10% of her weekly earnings, share the look of popular icons of the time such as Cathy McGowan, the ‘Queen of The Mods’ and presenter of Ready, Steady, Go, a popular TV music show. What was seen on TV on Friday night could now be bought on Saturday and worn that night. It made you feel special. As the Biba style (tight cut skinny sleeves, earthy colours) and logo became more and more recognisable, the more and more people wanted to be seen in it.’
This all feels extremely familiar now, and in fact, celebrities drive the fashion industry to a huge extent these days, but back then, to be able to wear something that looked similar to that of a celebrity was amazing.
The Biba Logo, designed by Antony Little, became an icon, the gold and black art deco styling extremely popular with young girls at the time.. To create a look for Biba in the first store, Little painted the Biba sign above the shop and blacked out all the windows. The blacked out windows didn’t allow the store’s interior to receive any sunlight, which was vital for the Biba’s art nouveau atmosphere.
Biba was the first to set a standard for brand marketing and the first high street store to create a look for itself. The logo was seen on everything: from clothes to food, to wallpaper, creating an immediately recognizable identity from any piece sold at the store. But Biba never wanted to be considered an average high street store; and as a result the interior layout was always innovative and was set to enhance the clothes rather than just to hold them. The clothes were always displayed in an unusual manner, including hanging from coat stands. Sound familiar?? Any of you who have visited our stores know we believe in this ethos too and Yumi always create innovative and exciting shop interiors, much like Biba back in the day!
Unfortunately financial issues and the huge undertaking that Biba had become meant it was forced to cease trading in 1975.
But now, House of Fraser has reinvigorated the brand and it launches this month! Go to My Biba to check it out.
Yumi of course has concessions in House of Fraser up and down the country, so while you’re checking out Biba, get yourself over there and shop the new AW collection! We have stands in all major House of Frasers, including:
Lincoln
Sutton Coldfield
Leamington Spa
Northampton
Shrewsbury
Aylesbury
Solihull
Middlesbrough
Carlisle
Exeter
Bournemouth
Huddersfield
Altrincham
As well as our very own retail stores around the country in Notting Hill, Guildford, Bath, York, Richmond, Tunbridge Wells, St Ives and Bristol! Clearance stores for those last season bargains are at Hatfield, Gunwharf Quays and the Clarks Outlet Village in Somerset.
Do you love the Biba style as much as we do? What’s your favourite vintage look? Â xx
We hope you’re as excited about the new season at Uttam Boutique as we are; so here’s a round-up of the key trends you can’t afford to miss out on! All these beautiful dresses encompass mini trends such as studding, crochet textures, elegant layering, vintage glamour and all things animal and botanical inspired! A great example of how you can achieve the layered look with just one dress, is:
This lovely gathered hem rouched dress with lace sleeves.
Click here to see all the new season Yumi & Uttam trends, and then shop now!
A key trend for Uttam Boutique this season is Film Noir; another look back into vintage past and taking inspiration from silhouettes and prints from the Film Noir era. Quirky touches play against a sombre palette to stunning effects; washed out, embellished and deconstructed and worked into velvet lace and draped jerseys for a contemporary gothic tale. Our pick of this sumptuous trend has go to be the Janie velvet and lace dress:
It encapsulates the Film Noir trend perfectly, and is a great dress to take you from day to night in the cold months!
Have you got a bit of the gothic at heart? Are you itching to get your hands on these beautiful Film Noir-inspired dress? Leave us a comment!
Intricate embellished detailing continues with corsages as a major theme for Aw10. Combined with ruffle detailing, it is effortless layering at it’s best. Uttam Boutique brings you a capsule collection of dresses, cardigans and scarves all adorned with corsages and chain detailing. The perfect way to bring life to an understated dress, as well as drawing attention to the waist, our pick of this mini trend is:
The Riane Corsage tunic. The flower and chain detail add interest while the soft chiffon material drapes elegantly.
Have you got your eye on anything yet? Our AW stock is starting to appear today so look out for it while it’s still fresh!
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