July newsletter for 2007 including details of our summer sale, film news, etc

	CHARLES AND PATRICIA LESTER. Home \| Shop on-line
	Newsletter July 2007
Summer Sale At The Workhouse Design Studios Hatherleigh Place, Abergavenny 23rd July to 10th August 2007 Monday to Saturday 10 am to 4 pm (Other times available - please ask) For more pictures and details of sample items in the sale please send an email In this issue:- What we have - something for everyone Sample sale items - including some Button Jewellery A plea from Georgina - Please come to our rescue Featured frock - and special offer Maternity wear announcement Film News - including "Morris: A Life With Bells On" and "Love and Virtue" A Note about email newsletters Online Shopping News Please tell your friends
Something for Everyone Plus size to petite Summer cruise to elegant evening wear Mother of bride to bridal Furnishing fabrics and interiors pieces Our annual Summer Sale is always a perfect opportunity for people to pick up a fantastic bargain. We do not need to tell you that we cater for all shapes and sizes - from the dainty petite figures to the gorgeously curvy. It is pretty well guaranteed that there is something for everyone. We have been having a dreadful summer so no doubt many will be planning their escape on a cruise or an exotic paradise island where they can indulge in some warmth and sunshine. There are some delicious silks waiting here to holiday with you. If you are very organised you can plan your early escape next Spring Summer. Our clothes are not fleeting fashions items, they reflect the individual and can still look completely contemporary for many years of pleasurable wearing. If you are organised there are some fabulous velvets which make great outfits for autumn parties, winter weddings - for brides as well as mothers of the bride and groom, anniversaries and celebrations. Fabrics and Interiors We have come to the conclusion that fabric breeds - we think we have made a space to accommodate a new project and we turn around and that space is no more. There will therefore be some lengths of fabric, cushions and even haberdashery available for the keen needle-workers. A Plea from Georgina Please come to our rescue! This persistent rain has been enough to dampen the enthusiasm of any fiery spirit who loves life. It has certainly not felt like a normal June or July where the sun beats down and we are complaining of drought and hose bans. At the moment no sooner do we turn our backs on the garden having just got the weeds hacked back and the grass tamed to subservience, it seems that everything has shot up by at least ten feet in a matter of minutes. You feel like the greenery is ready to play a not-so-quiet game of Grandma's footsteps preparing to pounce and sinisterly entwine its leafy tendrils around your being. A conspiracy to entrap you in a 'Sleeping Beauty' tangle without hope of a handsome prince's kiss to unlock you from the verdant embrace. Why am I thinking like this? Well it is the velvet - it's getting to me. You'd think after years of being in this business we could come to terms with the quantities of fabric generated by reams of off cuts, mismatches, interesting experiments, measurement mistakes, dilemmas and choices of which will go with what and so on. However, despite forty years of these experiences we seem to never reach the end of 'extra' stock taking up much needed space. We are swimming (not quite drowning) in fabulous fabrics and delicious colour. Each piece is as beautiful as the next and each gets transformed into luxurious garments which themselves are as unique as the original thought or idea. However, we have to be realistic - we don't have an infinite amount of space so we have to clear some of the rails ready for our latest projects and newest ideas. Normally it is only the intrepid explorers who are brave enough to face the fearsome jungle of our cupboards, corners and stores. They are the only ones who are able to dig out the special one off treasures and trophies but because we have so many jobs on at the moment and because we are so desperate for the space we have pulled out many of these trophies for you. We are begging you to help us in our hour of need - give something a beautiful new home so that we can give our latest projects some breathing space. If you know of anyone who would be interested in our sale - please don't be shy about forwarding our details to them. Alternatively we are quite happy for you to forward their details to us and we will invite them to join our mailing list specifically for sales. For details of other items in the sale please send an email to me Film News As you know we enjoy regular forays into the world of film allowing us to explore the more fantastical realms of our creativity. Currently there are two films in which we are involved - I have included a brief introduction below. There are others in the pipeline but we can't tell you anything about those just yet. If you would like to know more about any of our film work please ask me - Georgina - for more information. 'Morris: A Life With Bells On' Written by Charles Thomas Oldham, directed by Lucy Akhurst the cast include numerous acclaimed performers such as Derek Jacobi, Greg Wise and Sophie Thompson. The star of our show is Hilary Wood who is playing the part of a Wiltshire Pub landlady called Magenta. She is pictured below with Clive Mantle who plays a character called "Muff". It promises to be a wonderfully 'British' film celebrating the realms of traditional Morris dancing in the depths of our folk culture. Love and Virtue From summer cider drinking and tinkling of Morris bells we are rapidly transported to another world in another century and another set. Well, a proposed set anyway. Still in 'pre-production' Patricia is able to indulge her fascination for Mediaeval history allowing her to research the romantic images found in the era's literature. Set at the time of Charlemagne the film is based on Roland's Song. If you know of anyone who works in film and you think would be interested in what we do - you can forward their details to us and we can invite them to join our mailing list.			Sample Sale Items For details of other fabulous reductions please send an email to Georgina who will forward more information of some of the other items directly to you - or if you ask her nicely she will hunt through the rails for pieces specific to your needs. Please do remember that if you think that one of our amazing bargains could be what you are looking for - get in touch as soon as possible. When the reductions are this good - things go quickly - in fact very quickly! Overblouse Normal price £810 NOW £150 Overblouse in Iris Blue Normal price £810 NOW £240 Cotton top and skirt Normal price £264 NOW £40 Complete silk outift including top, skirt and jacket Normal price £1579 NOW £395 Silk Dress Normal price £1215 NOW £175 Georgina's Button Jewellery Button belt / necklace Normal price £95 NOW £45 Curly button necklace Normal price £60 NOW £30
Featured Frock - and special offer The Pleated Jacket is a timeless classic which will no doubt continue to reign supreme of all the designs we have created for many years to come. Using the our signature hand pleated silks these jackets are works of art in their own right. Our pleated silk has such a wonderfully fluid quality which hangs particularly well in these jackets. The soft lustrous sheen of the fabric brings the amazing colours to life especially the varied tones of the ombred colours which are reminiscent of multiple hues in feathers, rainbows, and tropical forests. Whether beaded simply across the shoulders and down the front panels or heavily encrusted with tiny gems raining down the delicate folds of fabrics, the tiny glass droplets add glamour to an already elegant garment. Being such a versatile garment means that they are invariably worn at a variety of events and outings. They are the epitome of modern elegance worn over a simple camisole top and evening trousers. Alternatively they can transform a simple black evening dress into the quintessentially sophisticated 'twilight' outfit paraded at the 'tiaras and black ties' event. The only problem that you might have in possessing a garment such as this, is that you might have to fight off all and sundry to stop them from stealing or borrowing it from you. The design can be worn by almost any one regardless of size or shape. What makes it all the more tempting for others to steal is that it is one of those garments that have the wonderful affect on our psyche. It is a bit like an actor putting on his costume to aid his transformation into the character he or she is about to perform. The pleated jacket can engender a sense of inner grandeur and elegance which makes you stand taller, walk gracefully and ENJOY being feminine and stylish. We all know from experience and watching programmes like 'How to Look Good Naked' beauty is about what you wear and how you feel about yourself and there is nothing like putting on an amazing outfit to transform your mood. In celebration of this wonderful piece we are offering our customers the opportunity to either add to their collection or a chance to introduce this garment at a special discount. Order your jacket before 10th August 2007 and get 25 % off the normal price.
			Email Newsletters We are all being asked to think green and as such the more that we can transfer to email and websites the more that we will save on time and resources allowing us to concentrate on doing what we do best - design and makes beautiful clothes. Many of our customers come from other customers telling all and sundry of our talents and virtues. Again this allows us to concentrate more of our energies designing and creating because our customers are selling us more effectively than perhaps we do. Please send and email to us requesting to be transferred to our email newsletter list. don't forget that if you have any friends, colleagues or relatives who would be glad to receive our online newsletter, please forward their details to us at the same time. They will be invited to join our list - for details of our Privacy Policy please follow the link below or read the paragraph about referring friends.
			Online shopping and online news When we first launched our online shop - we used the latest software and were well ahead of our time creating an opportunity for people from all corners of the world to be able to access our work regardless of whether they had a stockist down the road or not. Now this software cannot do what we need it to. As we have become accustomed to buying online, so we expect greater and better things. We are in the process of upgrading our online shopping experience. Please bear with us while we make these changes but in the meantime if you cannot attend any of our events but still are looking for something then please do not hesitate to get in touch. As I have said - ask me (Georgina) nicely and I will hunt through the rails on your behalf to see if there is anything that might be of interest to you. Think of me as a personal shopper - saving your feet from tramping around all those shops to find what you are looking for. Many of our customers buy things regularly online either through corresponding with us via email or by buying direct through our online shop. However, some of us still feel a little reticent about doing this especially when we are bombarded from every direction with warnings, do's and don't's, as well as numerous convincing sales letters getting us to buy all sorts of things that we don't want or need. I know how I felt when I first started to buy online - I was convinced that if I allowed the mouse to hover on a page that had a 'Buy Now' button on it anywhere, I was basically inviting all the robbers, fraudsters and con artists to jump into my house and pillage every penny to my name. It has taken me quite some time to get confident about buying online but I know that I have not been the only one to feel this. For this reason I have been compiling some information about our online shopping experience so that others can understand how the system works, how to protect your identity and personal details and how to get the most out of using our online facilities. This information will be published on the website but in the meantime if you think that this would be helpful to you - then please get in touch directly and we can forward the information to you as soon as it is ready.
Elegant Maternity Pregnant ladies do not need to 'make do' for special occasions - flexible, elegant colourful garments that will still be wearable after your new arrival are an added dimension to the collection. When you feel the size of a house and the idea of being graceful and sylph like is as far removed from your imagination as being able to walk to the moon, then finding outfits that at least take you part way there is a bit of a gift from heaven. As our clothes are about body shape - there are plenty from which pregnant ladies can choose - regardless of how far into their pregnancy they are. I am sure that most of us have known someone who has moaned about their plight in trying to find gorgeous maternity wear - now you can point them in our direction for us to come to their rescue. Mel Vondrau 8 1/2 months pregnant and looking gorgeous wearing a Summer silk two piece.
Please forward our details to your friends. Did you know that Renee Zwelleger was paid half a million dollars (ooh or was it half a million pounds - can't quite remember) to wear a dress to the Oscars last year? That is the value that some design companies put on the 'advertising' gained from a star modelling the latest gowns at this prestigious ceremony. Did you know that all the people who have worn Charles and Patricia Lester outfits at this red carpet event actually bought them because the individually created works of art were exactly what they most admired and wanted to wear on their special occasion? As a very small family run business there is no way that we would contemplate paying someone vast sums of hard earned cash (let alone huge vaults full like Renee) for them to be seen at the right party or event. All our customers have taken a great deal of trouble to hunt out something special and unique. Friends have told friends of their special finds and without this enthusiasm I am not sure that we would be as successful as we are. Shopping for clothes is about problem solving. Women need to find something that is going to help to make them look and feel gorgeous every day. We all have bits of our bodies we want to hide and we all have parts that we are happy to flaunt. We all have our favourite styles and we all have different skin tones meaning that we look better in some colours than others. There is no company like ours which can create garments individually to cater for all these different needs. No doubt you have friends who would appreciate the unique approach of the Lester shopping experience. There are two ways to introduce them to us -either you can send your friends an email suggesting that they look at our website - (please copy us at the same time so that we can see who has been invited) - or alternatively you can send your friends' details directly to us (making sure that we know where they have come from) and we will get in touch with them. We have a very strict policy regarding people's contact details - we do not pass them on to anyone else for any reason whatsoever. We invite people to join our mailing lists - we don't bully or bombard them with lots of unwanted information. We like people to treat us with respect, kindness and careful consideration - and as such we like to treat others in the same way. As we do not spend fortunes on advertising we really appreciate customers and friends introducing new customers to us. This means that we are able to do what we do best - design and make beautful clothes and luxurious textiles. Retail Showroom Charles and Patricia Lester Design Studios The Workhouse, Union Road, Abergavenny, Mon. 01873 853559 Harrods, Plus Collections, Knightsbridge, London. 0207 734 1234 Please Note: We are in the process of updating the software for our online shop to provide our customers with a much more interesting, interactive and comprehensive shopping experience. Please bear with us while we make these changes. In the meantime if the items that you require are not listed in the actual shop, then please do not hesitate to get in touch by telephone, email or visiting our showrooms in South Wales. Visitors are more than welcome to come to the studios and browse through the huge collection that is available. If you would like to be kept informed about the launch of the new shop please click here to send a blank email to us - you will be added to the email notification list.
Wholesale enquiries welcome, again please `Contact`. Charles Lester, his mother and her work; Marjory Lester and her books of water color paintings are ideal as a different gift.
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