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Ben’s Exhibition Travel Tales

Friday, November 11th, 2011
Our Senior Sales Executive Ben travels all round the world to show off our beautiful bridal and occasion-wear accessories. The last few months have been a particularly busy time for him in terms of travel, and today he sums up for us his views of recent exhibitions. Enjoy!

Hi there,

Its been a few months since my last guest blog, but my goodness they have been busy! It has been show after show, starting with MODA in August we then had BBEH and the Chicago National Bridal Market in September and finally a trip to Vienna for an event organised by the UKTI! I have even managed a few weeks out on the road in between!

I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you all about them, starting with MODA all the way back in August:

MODA saw a new stand layout centred on ladies day at the races, and the displays looked fabulous. Our design team as usual had done a brilliant job in both producing new styles, but also colour matching hats and fascinators to several outfits on the stand.

Richard Designs Boutique Collection stand at Moda

With several high profile weddings happening over the summer, disc style fascinators were very much in people’s minds, with FQ198 being the most popular headpiece by a mile.

Boutique Collection Zara Inspired Fascinator FQ198

Boutique Collection Zara Inspired Fascinator FQ198

Soon after MODA followed BBEH, at the beginning of September, where Richard Designs launched its new collection of belts and Blue Ribbon shrugs. This was once again a brilliant show for us, with the Victorian themed stand being the talk of the exhibition!

Richard Designs Victorian theme at BBEH

Both the shrugs and the belts were extremely well received, with Belt 003 and Shrug SH5-3 the bestselling styles. The belts are an excellent way of bringing to life a plain dress or lifting those old sale dresses you are trying to move. With the prices starting low, they seem like too good an opportunity to overlook.

Richard Designs Wedding Belt 003

Richard Designs Wedding Belt 003

Blue Ribbon Shrug SH5-3

Blue Ribbon Shrug SH5-3

Lastly and by no means least we won the RBA award for top accessories supplier for the fourth time in five years, this was such an honour for us and can I just take the time to thank all the RBA members that voted for us.

Richard Designs RBA Awards

I’ll be back next week with a recap on the Chicago Bridal Market and the exhibition in Vienna, but until then, have a great week!

Ben is currently on the road showing the Victorian-Inspired collection. If you would like to see him and the collection, make an no-obligation appointment by calling Jen on 01353 661600 or emailing sales@richarddesigns.co.uk

To see Ben’s other blogs, click here.

A Visit to the British Embassy, Vienna

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Last week William, Ben A and Jennifer took the new Richard Designs collection to a small exhibition held at the British Embassy in Vienna.

Vienna Exhibition 2011

Held in very grand surroundings which complemented the Victoriana collection theme very well, visitors from all over Central and Eastern Europe attended. William said, “We really enjoyed visiting Vienna and speaking with customers from all over Europe. We met retailers from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and beyond. They were very impressed with the quality of design and workmanship, and we really appreciate them all coming to visit us at the exhibition.”

Vienna Exhibition 2011

The trade show was organised by the UK Trade & Industry team in Vienna, with the aim of promoting British brands in Europe. If you are a European retailer and would like to find out more about stocking the Richard Designs accessories collections, please contact us.

Vienna Exhibition 2011

Finally, we would like to thank the UKTI for inviting us to show at this exhibition. We are proud to be designing and manufacturing in the UK, and this was a wonderful way to display our work.

Bestselling Bridal Fascinators, Jewelry, Shrugs and Petticoats at the National Bridal Market, Chicago 2011

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Did you miss the recap of the bestselling Veils and Tiaras from the National Bridal Market, Chicago? See it here.

As promised, we are back today revealing the most popular bridal fascinators, jewelry, shrugs and petticoats from our visit to the Chicago show last month. Even more orders have gone out this week to our new and existing customers and we hope that you like the new samples. Of course if you have any questions or feedback, Maria is always available on the phone (888 858 3457 toll-free) or email (maria@richarddesigns.co.uk) for a chat.

Now for the bestsellers…

Bridal Fascinators

Fascinator style F224 oozes sophistication and class. Simple yet striking the feather and filigree detail that sits on the side is finished off perfectly with a delicate birdcage veil.

F224 Ivory Fascinator

The FQ40 has been popular for several seasons, so it was no wonder people snapped it up at the Bridal Market. Delicate feathers and complementing crystals make this a classic style for brides and mother of the bride.

FQ40 Pebble Fascinator

The F225 is a really sweet style. The spotted tulle bird cage veil would work really well with a 50s style dress and the glitzy disc and bouncy flowers make this a fun piece to wear. Of course this style, as with all of the fascinators, can be made in different colours for different occasions.

F225 Ivory Fascinator with birdcage veil

Like the F224, the F227 is small and easy to wear. The striking silver detail on the base works well with many current gowns and the feather flower is also on-trend.

F227 Bridal Fascinator

Jewelry

The P583 necklace, earring and bracelet set is part of the Victorian Inspired collection, and combines many of the key influences of the era. Laces, cameos, sequins, filigrees and buttons have been layered by our designers and then finished off with a twist of pearl and crystal strands.

Victorian Inspired Bridal Necklace P583

The P538 jewelry set was released in March this year, and caters for the bride who wants to make a statement with her jewelry. Elaborate twists of various sized pearls and crystals make up this set.

P538 Silver Ivory Jewelry Set

P584 is similar to the P583 but is simpler and makes a feature of the Swarovski pearls at the neckline. The necklace ties together with a soft silver ribbon for an extra touch of texture and glamour.

Victorian Inspired Necklace P584

The cuff bracelet P575B is a simple way to make a statement at your wedding. The magnetic clasp means it is easy to dress your brides in the shop as it simply snaps shut – no fiddling required!

Bridal Cuff Bracelet P575B

Blue Ribbon Petticoats & Shrugs

The Bridal Market was the first time we showed our range of Blue Ribbon Petticoats & Shrugs to our US customers and we are pleased to say that you all loved them! Their femininity, high quality finish and sensitive design means they were a real hit!

The fishtail petticoat BR11 not only has three layers of net but also incorporates one hoop to make it easy to walk on your wedding day.

Fishtail Petticoat BR 11

The simplest style, the a-line BR1 has two hoops and a frill, and will work with many dresses.

A-line Petticoat BR1

BR8 is a stunning style perfect for gowns that are shaped at the hips and flare at the hem. It also has a hoop to keep the net away from your legs.

Flared Petticoat BR8

The most popular shrug at the Bridal Market was the SH1-9 which is a short sleeved style with fine tulle, flowers and diamante. This shrug can be made in a wide selection of colours to match any gown.

Tulle Shrug SH1-9

Tulle Shrug SH1-9 Detail

All Blue Ribbon petticoats and shrugs come with a small blue bow sewn into the design for your ‘something blue’!

See more Shrugs in our new shrug gallery.

Of course the new belt range was just as popular in the US as it was at our UK show. See the bestsellers here and the full range in our wedding belt gallery.

If you are a bridal wear retailer in the US and would like more information about our accessories, call Maria on 888 858 3457 or email maria@richarddesigns.co.uk

All of the above styles are also available in the UK, Europe and Scandanavia. For more information, brochures or an appointment with our company representatives contact Jennifer on 01353 661600 or email info@richarddesigns.co.uk.

If you are a bride and would like to wear Richard Designs at your wedding, please see our How to Buy page.

RBA Top Accessories Supplier 2011

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

First of all, we would like to say a big Thank You to everyone who came to see us at the British Bridal Exhibition this month. We had a fantastic time showing off our new Victorian Inspired collection, and loved seeing you all – existing and new customers alike. The new collection was a big hit, proving very popular with everyone! Especially popular was our new collection of wedding belts, which sold like hot cakes!! Come back over the next two weeks to see the bestselling new designs, pictures of new belts and updated galleries with the new products!

Richard Designs Victorian theme at BBEH

On Monday night, we attended the RBA Awards Dinner Dance, along with other suppliers and bridal retailers. The Retail Bridalwear Association is a fantastic organisation to be a part of, for both retailers and suppliers. With years of success in the bridal industry, the RBA have taken several important steps to protect both retailers and brides. For more information, see www.rbaltd.org.uk

RBA Logo

The RBA Awards, therefore, mean a lot to the UK wedding industry. With the winners being nominated and voted for by retailers within the RBA, these awards are truly important to us as it is what our customers think of us that counts. That is why we are so pleased to have been voted as

Top Accessories Supplier 2011

Thank you to all of our customers who voted for us and who have supported us over the years. We hope that we can continue to offer you a high level of service, innovative designs and quality products for a long time to come.

Richard Designs RBA Awards

Don’t forget we will be at the National Bridal Market in Chicago this weekend (24 – 27 September). This is a great opportunity for US retailers to see our new collections. We’re looking forward to seeing you at Market Suites on 7, Merchandise Mart, Booth 3098. For more information, see here.

New Telephone Opening Hours

Monday, July 4th, 2011

As of Monday 4th July, we have new opening hours for our customer service phonelines. These are:

Open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday,
Closed Lunchtime 12:45 – 13:15 Monday to Friday

If you cannot get hold of us on the phone, please just send an email to info@richarddesigns.co.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

To learn more about our customer service team, click here.

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