Love your Feet

The right pair of shoes can make or break an outfit, and it’s the same with nail varnish.

Fashion is all in the detail. Having dirty toenails when you’re wearing sexy shoes is like teaming your oldest trainers with a gorgeous party dress; you just wouldn’t do it!

As a guide, it’s best to go for a contrasting colour to the shade of your shoes to show to the world you take care of your feet.

For nude shoes go for bright pink, stand out by glamming up purple sandals with green varnish or be cheeky and mix safe black shoes with bright yellow nail enamel.

Below are nine of Evans best open toed shoes with nail colours to match.

Treat your feet today!

Fashion Insight: What Is A Visual Communications Manager?

You may have seen photos of this gorgeous lady on our blog before. Her name is Lavinia and she’s actually a key member of the Evans team. Her job title is Visual Communications Manager.

In the interview below, she gives us an insight into what her role involves and explains what you need to do if you want an exciting job like hers.

QS: What is a Visual Communications Manager?

Lavinia: I am responsible for communicating with Evans stores around the country, communicating window launches, store layouts and how to display the clothing into key trends. I also produce a magazine called Get the Look every 8 weeks to support stores in launching key looks and trends for the season.

QS: Describe a typical day

Lavinia: No two days are the same, which is one of the things I love most about my job. But every day I will normally get queries and calls from store managers around the country and be working on numerous store communications.

I’ll also be pulling in things for Get The Look, which is probably the most complicated part of the job. I have to liaise with the designers & buyers to find out what is new in, take photographs of product and write the accompying text. It is vital to make sure it is up to date with key elements like florals or lace so the store teams are well informed about the trend. The most challenging part of my role is meeting multiple deadlines so that all communications are on time to support store trend launches.

QS: How did you get your job?

Lavinia: I did a degree in International Business Management at Staffordshire University then joined the Arcadia graduate management programme.

I worked at Evans as a store manager in various branches before moving to head office. The last branch manager position I held was at Lakeside.

It was while I was at Lakeside that I took part in the Evans’s EDGE development programme, which is all about future growth and personal development. The Visual Communications Manager position came up and I believed it would be great opportunity and challenge so went for it! I’ve worked for Evans my whole career and I love it. I have always been an Evans customer so working for the brand is great for me.

QS: What is the best part of the job?

Lavinia: I get to work with so many different people across all departments at head office and the retail teams. It is the people that make my job enjoyable and their feedback and imput is vital to my role and how i support them. Also working with the product is great, as an Evans customer i get to see the product before it hits the shops!

QS: Are there any downsides to the job?

Lavinia: It can be pretty hectic, being pulled in a million different directions. You just have to be good at prioritising what’s most important.

QS: What advice would you give to anyone wanting a job like yours?

Lavinia: First of all, get some work experience in retail to understand how a store operates. A relevant qualification or company development programmes are good to progress and give you something to aim for. You can research fashion companies’ websites for details of jobs. I found my graduate job on the Arcadia website.It’s also a good idea to stop and think about where you want to be in five years time so you have an idea in your mind about what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there. Then just go for it!

Style Spotting in New York

Stuck in a style rut? Want some inspiration for summer clothes that look and feel great?

Evans buyer Tiggy Derham has been shooting some of the new collection in New York and it’s been difficult for her. . . she can’t walk down the street without being blown away by some of the gorgeous items our American sisters are wearing.

Here are some of our favourite looks:

These lovely ladies show that a simple shift dress can be so versatile. You can dress a shift dress down with gladiator sandals or vamp it up for work with some killer heels. It’s all about adding a fabulous accessory, whether that’s a gorgeous yellow handbag, cool shades or a soft scarf.

Florals are bang on trend for summer and we love how the deep v-neck draws attention to this lady’s best assets. The material of this dress is light and floaty, perfect for summer in a hot city.

If there was a fashion textbook, you could use this lady as an example of how to do layers. The high waisted skirt cinches in her waist while the pretty shrug covers up her arms and it all matches. She’s also followed the golden rule when it comes to prints: If you have a statement skirt or bottoms, then keep the top half simple to avoid scaring small children.

What gorgeous colours! However, what really makes this outfit is this lady’s clever use of accessories. The belt flatters her curves, the necklaces look fabulous and the shades are super sexy. That’s not to mention the big blue handbag. Wow!

This lady looks blooming lovely in her rose print dress. Not only is the print pretty, there are hidden surprises like the ribbon detailing round the bust that highlights her curves and the frill detail along the hem that will swirl around her knees as she struts across the floor. The white gladiator sandals are gorgeous too.

For all those cool chicks out there, this is an example of how to do bold and beautiful. The dominoes and spots remind us of Beth Ditto’s last collection for Evans and that’s making us get excited about the Gossip singer’s next range out in September. And did you spot this lady’s bright pink ear-rings? How cool are they?

The Power of Prints

Although my personal style is more monochromatic in colour palette, I can appreciate the power of prints. I see the colorful outfit photos from people such as Lesley from Fatshionista, Pining for the Moon from Flickr and the many other amazing people who upload pictures to the Fatshionista Flickr group and I envy their ability to put many different prints together to create a cohesive look.

There’s a stereotype that plus size women can’t and shouldn’t wear loud prints and bright colors yet these pictures are proof that it’s all a myth. You aren’t relegated to wearing all black in order to appear ’slimmer’ or to blend in. Use the power of prints to stand out and make a statement with your fashion!

From L to R:
Splash Print Maxi Dress, Peacock Feather Print Vest, Printed Tribal Maxi Dress, Satin Firework Print Dress, Fiorelli Chain Clutch, Navy Floral Maxi Skirt, Print Frill Neck Top, Brown Animal Printed Maxi Skirt, Painted Bead Short Necklace, Multi Beaded Rope Necklace, Tile Patterned Bangle, White Floral Jeans Belt

Written by Christina of Musings of a Fatshionista

Holiday Wardrobe

Whether you’re planning on a week in the sun or a short city break this summer, you’ll probably already be thinking about what to pack days in advance.

Well fear not ladies, anything you desire for your getaway can be found at the evans Holiday Shop online: With summer tops, maxi dresses, gorgeous swimwear and sandals, we’re here for all your summer needs. Visit evans.co.uk/holiday to view the latest collection.

The Season Must-have. . .

If you can’t afford the Katia open toed boots from Bionda Castana at £480, then treat yourself to our evans version at £29.50!

All evans heels have a padded sole and are wider fitting for extra comfort. Styles are available in sizes 4-10, for the full range visit evans.co.uk

Breast Cancer Breakthrough T Shirt Competition

To everyone that has tried to send through their entries for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer t-shirt design competition, do not worry. We will have all emails released from our system once the competition closes. In the meantime, the bounce back email you may have received will include an alternative email address which will immediately release your entry to us. Thanks to everyone for your incredible entries. We’re blown away by the talent and effort you’ve all put in for such an important cause. Remember you still have time to enter at competitions@evans.co.uk

Here’s a few more of our faves:

We ♥ NY

Last week our evans buyers returned from a buying trip to NY and they got some fabulous shots of shop windows and lots of lovely samples. We especially love the new Paris themed Louis Vuitton windows:

Gladiator Sandals

Since Russell Crowe made us swoon in Gladiator all those years ago, we’ve had a soft spot for all things Roman.

That’s part of the reason we are loving this season’s new gladiator sandals. Maybe if we wear something gorgeous like this we’ll be swept off our well-pedicured feet by a sexy centurion?

Gladiator sandals won’t fall off easily (unlike flip flops) and there’s no chance of painful chafing between your toes.

You can literally wear them all day and all night and they work equally well with jeans or a maxi dress.

But we are left with a dilemma: Do we buy them in metallic, black or denim first?

TOP TIP: Have you seen Scholl Party Feet Invisible Gel Toe Post Cushions? If you are wearing flip flops or sandals then these sit behind the toe post to cushion the balls of your feet while you are walking or partying. Genius!

Evans & The YFF Conference

This past weekend marked the first ever plus size blogging conference, which was organized by Gabi Gregg, the creator and blogger of Young, Fat and Fabulous. 10 bloggers were invited to New York City to meet and discuss plus size fashion with retailers, shops and their readers. I was one of the participating bloggers and had an amazing time! One of the highlights of the conference was meeting with the Evans team for breakfast and being able to get see (and try on!) the upcoming Autumn/Winter collection. The leather jacket with the oversize fur lapels was a collective favorite! We also got to see a sneak peek of the upcoming Beth Ditto for Evans collection. Unfortunately, I can’t spill any details but I will say that you will not be disappointed!

Thank you so much to Evans for participating in the conference and having a fabulous event! If you want to see more pictures from the event, you can head over to YFFConference.com to see some of the highlights!