Perfect party dresses for under £100!!

UPDATE: TOFU now available up to size 14!!

Don't think you get buy a designer party dress for under £100? Think again! Introducing Tofu. New to Brittique Tofu offer feminine frocks with personality - and for a very good price. All the perfectly pretty party dresses above are under £100. The only dress that's more is the one featured in The London Paper this week. The Jerry Fish dress with it's layers of silk is still a recession proof £119. Check out their very cute coats too.

Great knits and fab fringed boots

As Metro said today, those of conservative disposition, look away: this knitwear is for rockers - and boots too! If you picked up a copy of the London commute essential, you would have seen the fab jumpsuit by Cooperative Designs. We just got this in last week and are awaiting the photos. We know for a fact that one very popular blonde model of the moment has one. I can't wait to see where she wears it.

These Camilla Staerk boots are rather daring too. Not feeling the fringe? Give them an instant update by removing the fringe and wearing them plain.

Always check your gauge

Every knitter's nightmare - you spend hours, weeks, months knitting away at a garment with a vision of how the finished jumper/vest/sweater will look. You take it off the needles and - voila! - it's too big or small. This just happened to me. I even knitted a gauge swatch and everything was fine. Must be a problem with the pattern. I've decided to try to wash it a bit and see if it will shrink rather than frogging and starting again. The worst thing is that I've run out of yarn. So now have to wait for Mr postman before I can finish.

The vest is beautiful though. It's from the Debbie Bliss premiere magazine and is knitted up in Debbie Bliss Como yarn. It's a nice bulky weight so knits up fast. I just added an extra cable repeat to make it into more of a tunic than shorter vest.

In other knitting news, I took a workshop with the infamous (if you're a knitter and addicted to Ravelry) Jared aka Brooklyn Tweed. Jared is the most incredible knitter and pattern designer. And because he's a photographer by trade the photos on his blog will inspire you to pick up the needles even if you're never before had the urge.

The workshop was on Jared's Hemlock Ring blanket. My blanket, when I finally get it finished, it going to look great thrown over one of my leather chairs in the lounge room next to the fireplace. Nice and snuggly for winter. Although it will probably be next winter!

To console myself that my vest is too big it's time for a cuppa and a couple of home made choc chip cookies. These are better than most cookies because they're made with oats and coconut. The coconut makes them really moist while the oats make them, ahh, umm, healthy?

It's tea time!

Google kindly email me notifications of all blogs and websites that link to Brittique. I check them all and enjoy discovering new blogs who have discovered Brittique. Recently a blogger had linked to the new Emma Cook collection and commented on all the items she wanted.

When I read through the blog though it was not just on fashion but a starvation journal. This poor, troubled girl dairied everything she ate (or didn't) while other disturbed people congratulated her on only eating 1 tablespoon of ice cream, half an apple and litres and litres of black coffee a day followed by hours at the gym. Of course she'd have major slipups - her body was starving! - and she would punish herself by eating less and exercising more.

The blogger's thinspiration was the many images of catwalk models with their skeletal figures plodding down the runways. The fashion industry has a responsibility and I hope all the press of the size zero model doesn't quiet down and more is done to promote a healthy image.

I'm doing my bit. I'm working at my desk with a a fresh warm slice of my homemade banana cake with a weak, black Earl Grey tea. Here's to the fashionistas who eat!

Deliciously dapper gents

Dressing a man is really hard work. I discovered this first hand recently when I grew weary of my man's wardrobe which was far too heavy on work wear and Abercrombie casuals.

First up, where do you actually go? There's the High Street but I generally have issues with the cut, quality and ethical production of my stores. So that really leaves designer boutiques and department stores. Most department stores are pretty boring with the same old world wear - great if he needed more suits. Macy's was just scary! All gangsta rapper and Ed Hardy. In the end we did manage to find a few good pieces in DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss. It was slim pickings though.

Help is here from deliciously dapper gentleman's stylist Mr Gammon. Advising viewers of the Vodcast what to wear for the season's festivities, Mr Gammon selected the new Peckham Rye for Brittique paisley scarf. The perfect paisley scarf is the ideal gift. And if you buy it for your man you can wear it too!