New Blog Location

Hello all and sorry for lack of posts this month!!  Lots has been going on including my new look website.  My blog is now located over at my website too so make sure you go there from now on for all my news!!  www.bettybluesloungerie.com

NEW PRODUCT ALERT!!!! The Bettie Pyjamas

It's that time of the season to introduce you to some new products.  Today I received my costing for these babies and so I thought I would share with you the lovely photos of the Bettie Pyjama Top and the Bettie Pyjama Bottoms that match perfectly with the Peach Bettie Robe.

Wear the shirt untucked like above, or for a more authentic 1940's look tucked into the trousers, like the photos below.

These shots were taken back in May when I had my photoshoot with Tigz Rice Studios, and Miss Honey Bare Hair and Make-Up Artist.  Here is a little blurb about the new products:


"Too add to the Bettie Collection the Bettie Pyjama Top and Bettie Pyjama Bottoms have been created.  Again this set is in a typical 1940’s style to compliment the Bettie Robe.  The top is a traditional pyjama shirt with gathers at the sleeve head for that 40’s twist and gathering above the bust.  It is finished with pearlized peach buttons down the front.  The style is loose to accommodate many bust sizes.  The pyjama bottoms are a high waisted style and in a typical ‘full’ style so reminiscent of the 1940’s.  There is a flattering detail ‘V’ shaped band at the front waist, emphasising a slim waist and full hips, and elastic at the back for slipping on and off."

They will be available late August early September and the shirt will be £105 and the trousers will be £110.  As always they are 100% Made in the UK!!!  Oh and make sure you zoom into the photos to see the AMAZING necklace that I was kindly loaned by Pip Jolley Jewellery.  I HAVE to have one of these!!!  It is cast in silver then dipped in yellow gold, even the clasp is gloriously luxurious!

I actually squealed with delight when I saw the clasp!  This beauty is a steal at £195 so head on over to her website and snap one up!  Which reminds me, I am going to the launch event of Pip's new video tomorrow night so will probably blog about it in the near future. 

In the mean time I would love to hear your thoughts on the Bettie Pyjamas.

Lots of Love
Betty xxx

La La La La La America

I am back from the Americana International Show and currently basking in the summer sun.  Who knows, we may not get another spell of good weather like this in 7 years again!  So would you like to see how I spent last weekend?  Well go on then!  Here are some pics the delectable Ellen of B Millinery took of our weekend.

I first have to state that it was the hottest weekend we have had here in Blighty for A VERY LONG TIME.  And to add salt to the wound the fashion show and my stall were held in an aircraft hanger...........a metal aircraft hanger.  Needless to say it was like being on the inside of an oven AND I lost my fan.  So can I say I enjoyed my weekend?  Well no not really.  But the company more than made up for the hellish conditions.

Here are the gorgeous models making themselves look even more gorgeous, huddling in the shade to try and keep cool.  Shout out to Miss Jessica Holly (red skirt and white cherry top), I love this lady!  Great model and great person so go and check her out, she's a star in the making.

Here is Aislinn showing the models how it's done!  Aislinn is the lady behind Boo Boo Kitty Couture and organised the catwalk show for us all.

Then of course Ellen and I had a stall and rail side by side showing our wares.  So here are a few artistic shots Ellen took (I was far too hot and bothered to faff around with my camera ;))

Did the crowd love our wares?  Well of course they did!!!!  Did we do a roaring trade?  As good as could be expected, but it wasn't our target audience really.

The clientele was a strange one, I can't really figure out who their target market is at this festival.  It was like the cast of Cry Baby meets the cast of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and not in a good way.  Very very odd.  But there were a lot of pretty cars around to distract us from the strange landscape.  Again cue artsy pics Ellen took.

How awesome are the piggies and the mini car that child is in!  Well actually all the cars are pretty awesome.  So we did some gratuitous posing by a car............Except I really wasn't in the mood on account of being a bit tired and grumpy.

That's my 'hurry up and take the goddamn picture' face.  Fear it.  Ellen however did a much better posing job.

I guess I should get more practise in as we are going to Viva next year and there will be lots of posing in front of pretty cars to do.  Anyway back to the point of this post!

The fashion show.  On the first day I sat at the front of the stage and filmed my slot on the catwalk.  I have had SO much fun today editing it in Windows Live Movie Maker!  It's actually like a mini movie!  So here it is:

And yes there are some NEVER BEFORE SEEN NEW AW13 items in this video ;), can you spot them?  Well I will be releasing the official product photos of them over the next few weeks on facebook, my newsletter and right here on my blog - so make sure you keep checking and have signed up for everything!

All that is left to be said is a HUUUUUGGEEEEEEEE thank you to Ellie at Darlings Vintage, who put Ellen, myself and Miss Jessica Holly up for the weekend.  I can't speak for the others, but the best part of the weekend for me was being welcomed into your home and sharing 'lady fuel' (white wine), watermelon daiquiris and yummy food with your friends and your lovely Mummy.  I'm going to hazard a guess but I don't think Liam is going to appreciate this next photo, but we made him into a pin up girl!!!

Not sure he knew I took a picture but ho hum.  Oh and of course huge thanks to the lovely models that agreed to model my designs.  If you are interested in who modeled for me look at the credits in the video or keep checking my facebook page as I add photos and will link to their modeling page.

Lots of Love
Betty xxx

NEW PRODUCT ALERT - Peach Bettie Robe

Hello my lovely readers.  I have some exciting news for you all.  My fabulous London factory contacted me to tell me they had managed to fit a few of my Autumn/Winter 13 items a little earlier than they had pencilled me in for.  So this means I can release the new Peach Bettie Robe early :).  So without further ado here are the piccys of the Peach Bettie from the photoshoot I had with Tigz Rice Studios and model Fleur de Guerre in May.

it is exactly the same as the original leopard print Bettie Robe, except it is made in a glorious peach crepe back satin.  It is quite a heavy weight satin, so perfect for that in between weather, when it is not too hot but not quite winter yet.  She is going to retail at £235 and I have popped her up on my website for pre - order.  So go and snap one up!  Oh and did I mention that it will be in an increased size range?  It will be available from size XS through to XL to please even more of you ladies out there.

This robe is the ultimate in Hollywood Glamour.  I imagine Rita Hayworth would have had one of these in her wardrobe.  In fact I did spot a similar robe on Lauren Becall in a film I was watching the other month.  Can't for the life of me remember which one but here is a photo.

So you too can look like a Hollywood starlet with the new Peach Bettie Robe!  Head on over to my website to pre-order your robe now!

I hope you like this brand new product and I would love to hear your thoughts on it :).

Lots of Love
Betty xxx

Mate Date

Ree Ree and her booze ;) (well ok one was mine)

Last night I was invited along by a good friend to Westfield shopping centre in London, for 'Make a Date at Westfield London'.  The concept is that Westfield shopping centre isn't just a place to go shopping for high street and designer goods, it can be a great place to meet with friends, have a bite to eat, cocktails and maybe visit the cinema.  I was offered a free dinner so thought why the heck not!  Food is definitely the way to my heart and I'm a sucker for a freebee.

I'm not usually a Westfield's kinda girl.  (For my foreign readers, Westfield is a huuuuuuuge American style shopping centre in London).  Being a small business owner my choice of purchasing is dictated by where I am the most; The internet and the supermarket.  I have heard only good things from my friends about Westfield's though as it is a convenient place where all the shops in the world are under one roof.  So if I were 'high street clothing' inclined (Holister, H&M, Debenhams ect), then it would probably be my first port of call.  Because I don't usually shop on the high street for my clothing, preferring vintage clothing and vintage repro, I wouldn't have necessarily thought about going to Westfield for a day out.  So it was nice to be pleasantly surprised by the centre.

There are loooaaads of restaurants dotted about, some in the centre but mostly in a separate outside section.  This definitely makes it more attractive to me as you don't have to go into the shopping centre to be able to enjoy an evening out.  The variety of restaurants was excellent ranging from the normal chain restaurants like Nandos and Pizza Express, to more up market chains such as Jamie Oliver's restaurant and Carluccio's.  My friend Ree Ree and I were invited to go to 'The Real Greek'.

We were treated to a glass of prosecco and a slap up meal each.  The meal was part of their summer menu which was two courses for £10 - not bad for a London restaurant.  Ree Ree and I decided to treat ourselves and get a pudding too, and to our delight they also included the puddings on them!  Here is what I had (as you can see I couldn't wait to dig into the pudding!  Such a bad blogger at taking pictures!)

I love hummus and all that sort of 'finger food' so the selection was right up my street........in fact any kind of food would have been my thing!  (I am basically an obese person trapped in a skinny persons body, and contrary to popular belief I do like to eat and lots!). 

After our complimentary meal, Ree and I wandered around the shopping centre just for a nosey.  It was like being in America!  Personally I don't think I would necessarily make a day of it and go shopping there as there are no independent boutiques, which I pretend to prefer.  But if high street shopping is your bag then I can see why it is so successful.  There is a special section of the centre that is specifically designer stores, such as Jimmy Choo, Gucci those sorts of places so if designer brands are more your thing then they cater for that too.  Overall, if I was based in London, it would be a great place to meet friends for a meal and a catch up.  The choice is great with a budget for everyone with the added bonus of being able to pick up an outfit if I so wished.  I oddly felt like spending money when I was in the centre (even though I have no money!) so they are definitely doing the whole shopping experience very well!  Thank you Westfield's for treating Ree Ree and in default treating me!

Do you think that Westfield would be your sort of place?..............just don't go on a Saturday, I have a feeling it will be extremely busy!

Lots of Love
Betty xxx

B Millinery

Back in March I agreed to do a spot of modelling for my good friend Ellen, at B Millinery.  Well I can now show you some of the pictures of her fabulous creations.

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos

This is the Lauren Hat, perfect for the summer, and it has a matching bag made from the same material.  It is available at B Millinery's Etsy Shop and is £70.  I couldn't see the matching bag in her shop but I am sure that if you contact Ellen she will be able to quote you for it.

Then the next lot of photos aren't up on her shop yet, but I thought I would show them to you anyway.

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos

This grey one is so cute, and matches perfectly with my pink dress!

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos

Again another hat that matches perfectly with my dress, the above straw hat with pink details.  I think it's a sign ;).  A lovely summery hat, perfect for the races.

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos

A behind the scenes shot of me preening to make sure the hat is perfect for the photos.

Photography by Fashion Loves Photos.

Group shot of moi and the other lovely models, Ellen on the left (Hat Creator Extraordinaire) and Lady May Den Voyage.

I do suggest looking at B Millinery for all your hatty needs.  As I have mentioned on this blog before, Ellen hand blocks each hat (ie they are not pre formed shapes).  Each hat is carefully crafted from a flat piece of material, shaped and finished painstakingly.  I do believe that Ellen creates bespoke hats should you want to re create the perfect vintage hat from a film or photograph.  So why not get in touch to order something special for Ascot and beyond.

Lots of Love 

Betty

P.S. I think there are some more pictures to come of different hats, so I will post those when I get them :)

Show Off!!!

This is purely a post to show off, so I apologise in advance.  Last Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of being invited to a reception to celebrate small businesses.....................AT NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET!!!!!!  Who would have thought that little old me would be invited inside number 10!  Some prominent business people don't get that honour!

It was of course as a result of taking part in the Conservative Party run competition The Start Up Hub last October (which I won whooop).  All the finalists were invited and it was lovely to catch up with everybody to see how they had progressed in the last few months.  (One guy had just been bought a brand new Audi as a present from his investors, well jel!!!)

We had to leave our phones in the reception room, so there are no photos of the evening.  Needless to say it was very opulent through that front door.  High ceilings, ornate picture frames and paintings of past great leaders.  We were ushered through the building around and downstairs, and out into the garden.  On the way I passed a huge globe that reminded me of those globes that have drinks inside - I'm not sure this one had drinks in, but I like to think it would as it was so big it could certainly hold a good selection of cocktail spirits!  Anyway the garden courtyard out the back was a lot smaller than I had anticipated, the telly makes it look a lot bigger.  But it had a nice private feel to it with the high walls, hard to believe we were in central London.

As we arrived the guests were offered red or white wine or a soft drink.  Dave!!!  Where's the champers!!!!  I suppose it was appropriate as people may complain if the spread layed on was too ostentatious in these times of austerity.  But having waiting staff certainly made me feel special.  I was glad to see someone I knew when I walked onto the grass as there were lots of very important people milling around.  I was slightly alarmed to be talking to a big wig from Loyd's bank in the queue outside, especially when his friend from RBS turned up.  Fish out of water slightly sprang to mind.  So seeing some of the other Start Up Hub people was nice and reassuring.

I got talking to a few people I knew and also talked to James Caan of Dragon's Den, ooooo eeeerrr.  I also spotted Karren Brady, (I thrust one of my product postcards into her hand) but she was too busy to talk.  There were speeches from the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, and of course a motivational speech from the PM himself.  I like to think he was talking about my business when he said that Britain's economic future will be fuelled by us SME's.............but seeing as Loyd's and RBS was there I somehow think my little company will have any great impact haha.  Well one day maybe I will be able to employ someone!  I also spotted George Osborne milling around in the crowd.

Unfortunately I didn't get to meet David Cameron, darn!  I was so sure I could convince him to buy something for Sam Cam!  But none the less I had a lovely few hours and made lots of new acquaintances.  And I had a brilliant chat with the MP who invented The Start Up Hub competition, Damian Collins.  What a lovely chap!  And he works closely with UKFT so knew a little about the fashion/lingerie industry.  I shall leave you all with the one photo that I did manage to take.

My parents are so proud they are considering using this as our Christmas card this year, just to show off of course!  And so that concludes one of the most exciting and surreal days of my life.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about it!

Lots of Love
Betty xxx