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Staying at Daisy'sby Jill Mansell
View All Available Formats & Editions
When hotel manager Daisy MacLean meets cocky sports hero Dev Tyzack, it's a no brainer-stay away. He is arrogant and sarcastic-but also incredibly sexy.
UK bestselling author Jill Mansell has written twenty-two funny, poignant, romantic, women's novels, and sold over 4 million books. Her smart, sassy style has irresistible appeal for women of all ages. A full/b>… See more details below
When hotel manager Daisy MacLean meets cocky sports hero Dev Tyzack, it's a no brainer-stay away. He is arrogant and sarcastic-but also incredibly sexy.
UK bestselling author Jill Mansell has written twenty-two funny, poignant, romantic, women's novels, and sold over 4 million books. Her smart, sassy style has irresistible appeal for women of all ages. A full-time writer, Ms. Mansell lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England.
Editorial Reviews
"Daisy and Dev are wonderful, charming, stubborn people and they are surrounded by a well-written cast of unique characters. 4 Stars" - RT Book Reviews
"Love and laughter prevail in this charming chick lit romp... this screwball romantic comedy piles on the humor and humanity for a clever, absorbing, and very enjoyable read. " - Publishers Weekly
"A fun, delightful read." - Pencil Pushers and Ink Splotches
" If you haven't read a Jill Mansell novel, then don't hesitate, you are guaranteed an entertaining, heart-warming story that makes you laugh, cry and leaves you feeling completely satisfied by the end." - Queen of Happy Endings
"The pages seemed to fly by. There is drama and romance, and the thing I like the most, reality.
" - Book Girl of Mur-Y-Castell
"Jill Mansell pulls a reader into the book immediately and keeps us wanting more. She delivers on every page." - The Romance Studio
"Mansell writes great characters, good romances and does not just make it fluffy." - Palmer's Picks for Reading
"If ever one wished for a character to be real, this was the instance. This book was not without it's heart-breaking moments, nor it's share of humor. Recommended!" - Author Kelly Moran's Blog
"Staying at Daisy's will have you laughing, crying and groaning out load... I can't wait to read more by Jill Mansell." - A Buckeye Girl Reads
Product Details
- 9781402243844
- Publisher:
- Sourcebooks
- Publication date:
- 03/01/2011
- Edition description:
- Reprint
- Pages:
- 512
- Sales rank:
- 691,906
- Product dimensions:
- 5.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.60(d)
Read an Excerpt
In the absence of a gavel, Hector MacLean seized a heavy glass ashtray and rattled it against the mahogany-topped bar. 'Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. Quiet at the back there, you Aussie riffraff. I feel the need to propose a toast. Over here, darling, over here.' Beckoning Daisy towards him, he slung an arm round her waist. 'And now would you all raise your glasses... to my beautiful daughter.'
'To your beautiful daughter,' chorused everyone in the room, causing Daisy to roll her eyes.
Honestly, did he have to be quite so embarrassing?
'You missed a bit out,' she told him. 'What you actually meant to say was "To my beautiful, intelligent, and staggeringly hard-working daughter, without whom this hotel would crumble and go out of business within a week."'
'All that. Absolutely. Goes without saying.' Hector gestured expansively with his tumbler of Glenmorangie. 'Everyone here already knows that. Just as they know you're also stubborn, bossy, and incredibly lacking in modesty. But I'm still proud of you.
Considering all you ever did at school was smoke and play truant, and your mother and I never thought you'd amount to anything, you've turned out pretty well. And now, for my next toast, I'd like you all to raise your glasses once more to dear old Dennis.'
'Dear old Dennis,' they all bellowed back at him, even those guests who hadn't the foggiest idea who Dennis was. That was the thing about Hector MacLean, his enthusiasm and joie de vivre was infectious.
As usual, Daisy marveled, and in no time at all, a quiet gathering for a few drinks had turned into an impromptu, rip-roaring party. It wouldn't be long now before her father called for his accordion and got the dancing underway. The fact that they were all supposed to be taking advantage of these few relatively peaceful days-the Christmas guests having departed and the New Year's Eve ones yet to arrive-was of no consequence to Hector. The fact that it was December the twenty-eighth was, as far as he was concerned, a good enough reason to celebrate. Why take it easy when you could be having fun?
Daisy, glad that her spritzer was nine-tenths soda water, eased herself onto a bar stool while her father greeted a couple of late arrivals as though they were his dearest friends.
'At last! How marvelous! Listen, we're in danger of having a bit of a knees-up-either of you two handy with a piano?'
One of the Australians materialized at Daisy's side as she was busily lining her empty stomach with cashews and roasted almonds.
Not ideal but better than nothing.
'Your dad's a character. When this place was recommended to us, we thought Jeez, some old country house hotel full of la-di-da tweedy women and pompous old colonel types, no way. But our friends promised us it wasn't like that here, and they were right. This place is great.'
'You may change your mind,' said Daisy, 'when my father gets his bagpipes out.'
'You're kidding!' The Australian's face lit up. 'He actually plays the bagpipes?'
'No. He just thinks he can. If you know what's good for you,'
Daisy whispered, 'you'll persuade him to stick with the accordion.' He laughed, even though she hadn't been joking.
'And who's this other guy we just drank to, dear old Dennis? Is he someone else who works here?'
'Ah well. Dennis is our benefactor. Without him,' Daisy explained, 'we wouldn't have this hotel.'
'You mean he owns it?'
Behind the bar, Rocky casually flipped a tumbler into the air and caught it. No one was currently drinking cocktails but he did it anyway. Grinning at Daisy, he began to whistle a catchy tune.
'You probably know Dennis,' Daisy told the Australian. Tilting her head in Rocky's direction she added, 'If you recognize that song, you definitely know him.'
Standing next to the Australian, Tara Donovan joined in the whistling. The Australian frowned. 'It's that kid's thing, yeah? Dennis the Dashing Dachshund? I'm sorry, you've lost me.' Unable to help themselves-they'd started so they'd finish-Rocky and Tara whistled and jiggled their way through to the end of the song.
'My father may not have been blessed with many brilliant ideas in his lifetime,' Daisy said fondly, 'but twenty-five years ago he had an excellent one. He came up with Dennis.'
'You're kidding! Are you serious? That's incredible!' The Australian slapped his knee in delight. 'I used to buy those books for my kids.'
Rocky was well away now, tap-dancing behind the bar and singing under his breath, 'My name is Dennis, the dashing dachshund,' because Dennis danced like Fred Astaire and Rocky liked to show off the fact that he had been to stage school.
Actually, Daisy amended, he just liked to show off. Then again, it was why she had hired him in the first place.
'Dad used to make up stories for me when I was small,' Daisy told the enthralled Australian, 'about this effeminate dachshund. But I didn't know what he looked like so Dad started drawing pictures of him. I took the pictures into school, told the stories to my friends, and the next thing we knew, all the mothers were asking where they could get hold of these Dennis books their kids kept pestering them for. So Dad sent his stories off to a publisher and they snapped them up. Then a TV company got involved and Dennis fever took off-soft toys, games, pajamas, the whole merchandising malarkey. All from one dear little idea. Dad sold the rights five years ago and bought this place,' Daisy concluded. 'So you see, we owe everything to Dennis.'
'I used to have a Dennis the Dachshund duvet cover,' Rocky put in cheerfully. 'And Dennis slippers with ears on them that waggled when you walked.'
'I had Dennis everything.' Daisy groaned and pulled a face.
'By the time I was nine it was embarrassing. All I cared about then was Madonna.'
One of the late arrivals was being persuaded to go and fetch his harmonica; he might not be able to play the piano but, Hector assured him, a mouth organ would do just as well.
'I love this place,' exclaimed the Australian. 'I must go and talk to your dad.'
'Are you all right?' Rocky leaned across the bar and lowered his voice as the man moved away. 'You look a bit... knackered.'
'Me? I'm fine!' Daisy realized he'd caught her off guard for a moment. What was the difference between putting on a brave front and telling a great big bare-faced lie? 'Of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?'
Rocky shrugged, reached for the silver tongs, and lobbed a couple of ice cubes into a tumbler.
'Thought you might be missing Steven. When's he back?'
'New Year's Eve.' Scooping up another handful of nuts, Daisy gave him a bright smile. Rocky wasn't wild about Steven, she knew that, and he might even have an inkling about the events of the previous week, but there was no way in the world she was going to blurt out the whole story. She hadn't told a soul. Not Tara, not even her own father. For now, she just had to carry on as if nothing was wrong.
'Because if you're feeling a bit lonely, I know just the thing to cheer you up.' Rocky waggled a playful eyebrow as he said it, flashing her his naughtiest Robbie Williams smirk. 'I'm young, single, and available. Not to mention totally irresistible.'
Rocky was twenty-three, with a wicked smile and a peroxide crop. His favorite band was Oasis, which meant she could never fancy him in a million years.
'It's really kind of you to offer.' Solemnly, Daisy patted his hand.
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HemoShear Therapeutics Names Robert Gould to Board of Directors
President and CEO of Epizyme, Inc., Robert J. Gould, Ph.D., is appointed to the HemoShear Therapeutics Board of Directors.
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HemoShear and Children's National Health System Unveil New Paradigm for Rare Disease Drug Discovery
The ability to recreate rare liver diseases and to predict patient responses to new drug candidates will enable new rare disease treatments in less time with higher success rates.
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HemoShear Therapeutics and Amgen Develop New Translational Drug Discovery Platform in Research Collaboration.
NCI Investor Forum Features HemoShear's Predictive Human Tumor Drug Discovery Platform
HemoShear has completed the first phase of development of a novel cancer drug discovery platform that replicates human tumor biology and responds to clinically-relevant drug concentrations.

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Jeff Jacoby became an op-ed columnist for The Boston Globe in February 1994. Seeking a conservative voice to balance its famously liberal roster of commentators, the Globe hired him away from the Boston Herald, where he had been chief editorial writer since 1987.
A Cleveland native, Jacoby graduated with honors from George Washington University in 1979 and from Boston University Law School in 1983. He practiced law for a short time at the firm of Baker & Hostetler, but returned to Boston to become deputy manager of Ray Shamie's 1984 campaign for the U.S. Senate. From 1985 to 1987, Jacoby was an assistant to Dr. John Silber, who at the time was president of Boston University.
In addition to his print work, Jacoby has been a political commentator for WBUR-FM, Boston's National Public Radio affiliate. For several years he hosted "Talk of New England," a weekly television program, and has often appeared as a panelist on WCVB-TV's "Five on Five." He is an overseer of the Huntington Theatre Company, the largest resident theatre in Boston, and is on the board of The Concord Review, a quarterly journal of essays on history by secondary students worldwide.
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You get what you pay for . This is a cheap but clean and friendly motel. There is no where cheap to eat nearby mind so if you are on a budget you may want to bring your own or eat before get there. Coffee on our porch drinking coffee and eating shop bought wass grand though with our view of the Pacific
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity, TravelClick, Odigeo, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline and Low Cost Holidays so you can book your San Simeon Lodge reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
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Eva Fernandes explores rumours that learning how to drive in Dubai is nothing short of a time-consuming, infuriatingly tedious and ridiculously expensive affair.
June 23, 2011 3:55 by Eva Fernandes
It is these 'mandatory' classes the institute forces a student to take that is most infuriating. Let me explain, if you fail a driving test, you are forced to take a series of classes before the next test. And if you feel like you are being failed for no fault of your own, this added expense is a burden many feel too bitter to bear.
For instance sales executive, Dina Magdy Labib, a 28 year-old Egpyptian new in Dubai who, despite having driven in her native her country since she got out of school, took nearly half a year to get a driver license; a process which set her back just a little under Dh11,000. Labib said "I don't mind that I have to take 40 classes in the beginning, but if I fail once you shouldn't force me to take extra classes."
And though, the driving class system is definitely not without its critics there are some, like Labib, who think there really is a method to the maddness: "I really liked the way they give the driver's license, because it doesn't let anyone just start driving. In Egypt you don't need to use a signal to change lanes and the streets are very crowded. But in Dubai, with the strict driving pass-rates you feel like at least 80 percent people who are driving here are respecting the right of another car to drive."
Labib might be as charitable to see virtues in the current system, but having had to spend more than Dh3,000 every month since the start of the year for my license, I am less able to see merit in the steep pricing and multi-failure system. Instead of educating students and making them eager to abide by driving rules, the current system instills nothing but a bitter resentment at being made to waste time and money—and a genuine dislike for the art of driving.
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Money minting money: Wealth report displays Darwinism
June 23 2011
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text: This is located in a very secluded and Quiet Beverly Hills neighbor. The boutique hotel Service was very excellent, Kudos to Christine, Dana all Concierge and Front Desk Team. Thank's to them we got excellent lunch and dinner reservation. I still remember, they even managed to booked a Pre-Screening The Avenger for us. After long drive from San Francisco, we... More


text: Jan Shure 2015-10-06T22:56:09-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=jan-shure Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Jan Shure Good old fashioned elbow grease. Time to Stop Craving an Outdated Body Aesthetic tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.8065130 2015-08-31T10:20:57-04:00 2015-09-01T10:59:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ The Scandalous Lady W, about an aristocratic 18th-century peer with a fetish for watching through a keyhole while his wife had sex with various men he had "introduced" her to, it may have set you thinking about various issues, as it did me. It was a true story and truly shocking. Not because of the very explicit sex but because of the fact that, less than 250 years ago, in England, a woman was the property of her husband and he could insist on her having sex with his "friends" while he watched and she had no recourse to law. In the play, the aforementioned Lady W was played by the talented and very tiny and very svelte actress Natalie Dormer. The interesting thing for me was the contrasting body aesthetics of the 17th century and now. Had there been TV or film in the 17th century (don't laugh, just see where I am going with this), Lady W would have been played by an actress with a far more curvy and voluptuous body, in keeping with the aesthetics of the day. But current aesthetic norms dictate that she was played by the doll-like and very slender Ms Dormer. We arrived at this aesthetic norm in the 1960s, courtesy of a slew of very thin models of whom the most famous and high profile were Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. The photographers of the day played their part, preferring (even if not gay) models with prominent bones and angular, boyish bodies because they looked so much better in the clothes when snapped in monochrome. Unlike painters of earlier centuries, who preferred curves and flesh on which to to lavish their paint. The hegemony of the ultra-thin bony child-woman/boy-woman continued for the remainder of the 20th century and into this millennium in a chicken-and-egg race to be thinner and to earn more approval from the Press. The perfect example of this, is the late Diana, Princess of Wales. When she first emerged blinking, into the spotlight of public scrutiny, she was a lovely and slightly curvy size 12. By the time the Press had picked over and exposed her body's numerous "faults," she had developed a slew of eating disorders. Every "celeb" now receives the same treatment - one minute too thin; the next, particularly if shot at a bad angle, too fat. Even if they are deemed just right, these poor women frequently have to starve themselves or throw up frequently in order to avoid the vile labels in the celebrity and women's magazines and on some women's pages. And despite a valiant campaign by Dove to make curves appealing, the Plus size Woman is still considered an aberration. A lot of the most stringent criticism is meted out under the guise of health advice. Obesity, bad; very thin, good. Yet, the reality is that it is about aesthetics. Yes, being genuinely overweight is a health risk and I am certainly not advocating anyone (male or female) being overweight; but a lot of curvy women would be a lot happier with their body image if we all came out and admitted we are still craving an aesthetic which was developed in the last century to suit the requirements of black-and-white photography.]]> Travel Has Changed From Luxury Treat to Major Ordeal tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7959100 2015-08-08T06:44:26-04:00 2015-08-10T05:59:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ luxe activity. But the reality is that while some hotels and resorts may (indeed, are) truly luxurious, getting to them (and returning from them) is, frankly, a nightmare. If we live in cooler climes, air travel is what we are forced to do to get some guaranteed sunshine, or to see far-flung family and friends... Fortunately, one of the benefits of having adult children is NOT having to travel in peak season (i.e school holidays) and, basically being able to please ourselves when we travel - employers permitting, so that we can, at least travel when airports are less busy. But air travel is, nevertheless, an ordeal at any time and more so if your mobility is impaired (as mine has been since a 20-hour operation for the removal of a brain tumour)... I will never again be impatient when walking behind someone slower than me, should I have the ability to walk fast and unaided, that is. But since my surgery, I have begun to loathe air travel as never before. Security checks are my pet hate this summer when I have done a lot of flying; my former self was more understanding of the necessity of the most annoying aspects of security; the removal from a carry-on case of laptops, tablets, etc (I refer to the generic name for tech gadgets such as iPads, not bottles of pills) and the removal from self of shoes, watches and jackets, etc, understanding it was vital to avoid a repeat of 9/11 or of the Shoe Bomber. Because I can't walk very far, I have to have special assistance at both ends of any journey. The airport staff who collect and deliver me by wheelchair are, mostly, unfailingly kind and helpful, often going out of their way, literally, to get me to a car park or taxi rank. But, at security you occasionally (particularly in high season), get a lazy jobsworth, who can barely be bothered to raise their eyes to look at you and will insist despite one's obvious impairment, that you remove your jacket and in one case at vile Luton Airport, a necklace even though they are fully aware that you are about to be thoroughly frisked in your wheelchair just a few yards past them. And not just the security, but also the jet-lag, which seems to, in my husband's words, "knock the stuffing out of me" far more drastically and for far longer than it ever used to. I have done some research (the journalistic instincts never go away) and discovered that my surgery would have had an impact on melatonin levels and melatonin is what governs how our bodies deal with jet-lag. So I will just have, as Americans say, suck it up... So, as ungrateful and blasé as it sounds, I am happy to be back at home in the UK and not travelling anywhere for several months. For all of you flying off to sunnier parts, travel in shoes that slip on and off easily... Read the story of Jan Shure's brain tumour and how it has impacted her life at Sosensational ]]> How My Brain Tumour Transformed Me From a 34B to a 36FF tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7755970 2015-07-08T14:28:29-04:00 2015-07-08T16:59:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Women pay thousands for a boob job and mine came free with brain surgery. Let's be entirely honest here, it was less the brain tumour itself and more the steroid medication the docs whacked me on to the moment I was diagnosed that caused the dramatic change from barely-there boobs to a full on Katie Price frontage. Although I had never yearned for KP-size appendages, it was clearly something of an evolutionary hiccup that I didn't possess them; my late mother, when young in the 1940s was compared to Jean Harlow, aka the Blonde Bombshell, for the combination of blonde hair and generous bosom; while my adult daughters, both in their 30s now, inherited their grandmother's cup-size while the Boob Gene passed me by. In fact, until my medical misfortunes, the only time I had boobs bigger than a B-cup was aeons ago - when I was pregnant and after, using my breasts for the purpose God and nature intended, i.e. to feed babies. They (the boobs, not the babies) obligingly expanded for said purpose, but as soon as each baby was on to solids, my boobs returned to their mammary status quo - a B-cup - faster than you could say "lactation termination". I have, of course, had to entirely rethink my post-brain tumour wardrobe. From having neat little boobs that barely intruded and allowed me to wear dresses and tops of almost any shape, my Double F boobs now intrude and protrude rather noticeably and I am having to pay attention to all the style advice offered to all amply-endowed women: I wear wrap-front dresses and tops, and V-neck dresses and tops and properly under-wired swimwear...From wearing a somewhat flimsy bra as a fashion choice (I did NOT wear a bra in the late 60s and early 70s as both a fashion choice and a political statement) I now HAVE to wear a bra and the filmy lace-and-ribbon confections of former years are no longer adequate. I now have to wear a bra with more uplift and engineering than a Boeing 747. The down-side of this change in shape is that the steroid-induced weight gain is not limited to my boobs and I have gained an arse the size of Wales - also requiring some strategic rethinking on the fashion front. But the up-side is that rehabilitation is going well. I have gained back most of the motor function I lost as a result of the surgery. I have almost regained full sight and I am again working (on the aforementioned fashion website I co-founded, Sosensational.co.uk). I eat healthily and some of the weight has already gone, but come September, 18 months after my op, I plan to undertake a more rigorously limited eating regime (I refuse to use the word "diet" as all diets have a built-in failure factor). The first thing to go, inevitably, will be my new double F cup boobs. I'll be sad to lose those babies but mammary status quo will be upheld, so to speak. ..]]> With Another Fall at M&S, It's All About Timing Mr Bolland tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.4576252 2014-01-10T12:17:22-05:00 2014-03-12T05:59:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Having said that, I would be lying if I said I believed all was now totally fabulous with their fashion offering; there is still some way to go on quality (matching in-store merchandise to press samples, for example); losing that feeling of "C&A's Clockhouse in its its last, dying days" from some of the Limited Collection clothing and displays; and just rationalising their fashion floors to be less confusing to navigate. But generally, they are addressing the fashion issues and making huge strides in the right direction thanks to a team, led by Belinda Earl, that seems to have a real sense of where M&S needs to go to lure back their target demographic. Forgive a slightly indulgent personal tale, but it graphically illustrates the issue for the chain relating to timing: that they are not making anywhere enough progress is in getting the right clothing into stores at the right point in the season and therefore ceding a huge advantage to their Spanish high street rivals, Zara. Back in October, when autumn was properly starting after a sales-crushingly warm September, I had an urgent reason to top up my winter wardrobe with some gorgeous new season pieces (a photo-shoot for Woman magazine Style Special wearing my own clothes). I had a 24-hour window to find pieces that I would love and which would - had they been attributed to SoSensational.co.uk (sadly they weren't) - have been shoppable on our site, since M&S is one of the brands we are thrilled to work with. So, for obvious reasons, the shopping had to be in the real world, not the virtual one. Late one Tuesday in early October I headed off to Westfield Stratford City with a shopping list. Included on the list were several items I had lusted after (a term I have emphatically not used for some time in the context of the chain's merchandise) from M&S. One of them was a brilliant black leather pencil skirt with bold, waist-to-hem zip. I spent the best part of an hour circling and recircling the vast fashion floor in my quest for this skirt - or indeed any other leather pencil skirt - in this beautiful but bafflingly confusing fashion floor. For all its niche groups of clothing and departments-within-departments it is like trying to navigate a desert, full of similarly hard-to-distinguish features. To say that, in the end I was - literally - ready to scream with frustration would be an understatement. Two managers - male, attired in the kind of identical polyester suits that would have the chain's founders revolving in their graves - were unable to help. Standing nearby, however, was a somewhat more on-the-ball assistant, female, well-dressed and happy to try to help. She set off across the wasteland in search of a leather pencil skirt. Some 10 minutes later, she returned, looking apologetic. Clutching one, very short, flared PU skirt appropriate for an adolescent with Elle McPherson type legs, she announced that was the only "leather" skirt they had yet had in. They were not expecting their delivery of leather skirts "until mid-November", she announced somewhat sheepishly. In Planet Fashion, this is like announcing that bikinis will be arriving in late August and ski-wear in June - alright for the handful of late bookers but utterly useless for the majority of woman-kind. "Mid-November", I repeated, jaw practically hitting the dazzlingly polished floor. "But the season will be virtually over," I wailed Now is the time I need a leather skirt. I want to wear it with a blazer, or a tweed biker, because it perfect for now. It fits both the fashion needs of the wearer and the climate, now. But, no, mid-November would see the arrival of leather pencil skirts in store, she repeated embarrassed. Why, Mr Bolland? Who, in your slick Paddington Basin HQ, signs off on mid-November deliveries for an autumn fashion must-have; one which M&S not only has the capability to do, with its high production standards and good quality leather, but which is precisely the kind of garment which your key demographic wants from you: a slick, on-trend style, which they can take to their wardrobe and their heart; they can wear it for work - in late September and early October, Mr Bolland - and for weekends, with opaques and flat ankle boots. And then later, when the party season arrives, they can team it with embellished blouses, jewels and a clutch and head to a party in it. But if you are spending around £200, you don't want your leather skirt just for Christmas, you want it for the whole season. And if you can't buy it in late-September or October, you might as well wait until the sales, when you can pick it up at a snip. Or, more likely, head off to Zara, who will have it in stock when you want it. Late deliveries are not a new problem for the chain. At a press preview, back in March 2012, when viewing a perfectly pretty "wedding season" collection of suits and coat-and-dresses outfits for the June weddings which are such a fixture on the spring and summer calendar, I enquired when the merchandise would be in store. "Late June or July," was the astonishing response. A mere fashion hack, who was I to question the wisdom of selectors agreeing to such tardy delivery dates, but surely this flies in the face of every convention on purchasing patterns. Even if the invitation doesn't arrive until April or May, it is rare that the invitation is one's first indication of the actual event; we know when friends or family are getting married, and if it is in June, July or even August, we are likely to start the hunt for the perfect outfit when the new season's merchandise comes into the shops in March or April, maybe May, but surely no later than that for the traditional M&S customer, who has "being organised" stamped in her DNA. Of course, late deliveries of wedding season wear and leather skirts could just be aberrations; perhaps all other merchandise comes into store exactly on time and I have merely seized on two completely untypical examples. But I somehow think not; the muddled thinking that allows some key merchandise to arrive many weeks, perhaps months, after the customer desires to buy it is just another battle ground in which M&S is losing out to on-the-ball Zara and most of the rest of the UK high street. Get a grip, Mr Bolland, because even if your merchandise is perfect, if it isn't available when the consumer wants to consume it, you might just as well put it straight in the sales bins...]]> Jennifer Lawrence Is Right: Reserve the F-word for Fatties or Risk Women's Health tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4471372 2013-12-19T05:03:41-05:00 2014-02-17T05:59:01-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Because when Lawrence, the slender, fit, healthy star of - pause for irony flash - "Hunger Games" says it should be illegal to call someone fat, she doesn't really mean (or I don't think she does) that it should be illegal to call someone 20-stone overweight fat. What she means, I believe, is that by labelling women such as her, a toned size 10 or 12 "fat", we are distorting in a dangerous and potentially fatal way, the reality of a desirable body weight for other girls and women; commentators who describe these women as "fat" are sending the message that anything above a size 6 is "fat", when in fact sizes 10, 12 and 14 are - or certainly should be - normal. Personally, I think that Lawrence should be cheered very loudly for resisting the temptation to turn into a "lollipop", the Hollywood phenomenon where women shrink so much that their heads look huge. The problem is that, because of the magazine images we see all the time, we are all gradually becoming habituated to the idea of hyper-thin women. And while many of us are savvy enough to know that the models/actresses frequently look this way only because they have been digitally enhanced, there are insecure 14 years olds - and clearly 24-year-olds and 34-year-olds - who don't understand that, even if they lived on nothing but slices of cucumber from now till 2016, they could never achieve such a body. The bodies we see in magazines are, for much of the time, unattainable because digital enhancement has made them look not just thinner but also taller. All the bumps, blemishes, uneven skin tone and - God forbid - cellulite, have been digitally excised; jawlines has been etched more sharply; cheekbones made more angular and skin tone enhanced to look more perfect. So when the model or actress steps on to the Red Carpet, despite Spanx and the best make-up artists in town, they are real women, not size 4 avatars. To achieve the level of slimness that digital enhancement has endowed them with is totally impossible. . Suddenly, the cameras see the reality, and the reality is a real body that - without sometimes near-fatal consequences - cannot be starved or pummelled or "trained" by even the most high-profile celeb PT to look the way digital enhancement makes it look. So we - and a hyper vigilant media on hair-trigger alert to notice an ounce of spare flesh - point and say "ooh, she looks fat". I suspect that what Lawrence wants (and it would benefit the rest of womankind, too), would be a less critical and more realistic media that reserved the f-word for women who are clinically obese. Instead, they should be pointing to Lawrence and other actresses who have avoided turning into lollipops, and praising them as role models who exemplify healthy, fit bodies. In the UK, around 165,000 people - mostly girls and women -have eating disorders, with anorexia and bulimia the most common. Ten percent - or 16,500 - die as a result. By positively reinforcing Lawrence's real body - and that of others like her - we may reduce the number of eating disorders and deaths. If it means making media think twice about using "fat" where it is wholly inappropriate, she will have achieved something better even than an Oscar nomination. Jan Shure is co-founder of SoSensational.co.uk, the style and shopping site for grown-up women, where they try to avoid digitally enhanced images]]> Dressing for the Office Christmas Party, Take a Reality Check tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4452175 2013-12-16T07:04:41-05:00 2014-02-15T05:59:01-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ No, thought not. Because, let's be totally honest here, despite all the magazine articles (and we have to confess here, websites, too including SoSensational.co.uk) which, from early November onwards, suggest that we should all be climbing into plunge-neck bandage dresses, sequin-embellished shifts or wisps of floaty chiffon, very few women actually wear a full-blown party frock for the office "do". Perhaps it's an age thing, but the reality is that an LBD is about the glammest most women (shall we be more specific: most women over 35) feel comfortable wearing for the Office Christmas Party. This is especially true if you work for a company with a recession-hit party budget, when a full-on frills-and-sequins party frock will feel hugely excessive to eat sausage rolls and drink warm Pinot Grigio while making polite small talk with Alan from Accounts or Hayley from HR. And let's be even more honest, those that do go the full nine yards of tulle for the office "do" frequently spend the entire evening cowering in a corner and wishing they had dressed down. Unless, of course, they have had several too many Mojitos, in which case, they are really not fussed if their fuchsia chiffon one-shoulder dress with sequin hem is a touch OTT and the subject of lewd comments by Sam from Sales. Even women who work for big law firms or hedge funds that hold their Christmas parties at Sketch or The Savoy are more likely to reach for an LBD (albeit a very pricey, designer LBD, and possibly even a LND - Little Navy Dress - this season) on the grounds of not wanting to stand out for all the wrong reasons. Out in the real world, most women are much more likely to do a quick transformation in the ladies loo rather than shlep in a full-size suitcase filled with frock, accessories, hair-dryer, GHDs, Velcro rollers and the entire contents of their make-up drawer, as would be necessary to achieve the makeovers required on Planet Magazine. A sensible upgrade will probably involve retaining the black pencil skirt you have been wearing all day, but swapping the crisp white shirt or the simple top for one of the season's key looks - a blouse or top with a bit of embellishment. You then add your best party friends - a pair of towering heels - plus a clutch bag, some bold jewellery and a slick of lip-gloss, and you are ready to join the party. Out in the real world, even those who opt for a dress are more likely to choose something low-key and unadorned rather than the sheer chiffon, sequins or lace suggested in the fantasy Christmas world of magazines. The chosen dress is probably something that can be worn all day beneath a tailored jacket, then, when 5.30 strikes, transformed instantly via the removal of jacket and the addition of heels, clutch and jewellery. Of course, if you are going to a really formal dinner on Christmas Day then a cocktail dress is totally appropriate. Put on the glitz and garnish appropriately with Louboutins, clutch and jewels. The same goes for New Year's Eve, when dressing up is totally expected - perhaps even demanded. When it is less appropriate, is for Christmas lunch which is, essentially, a jolly family meal when "smart casual" (which is a hideous term but we all know what it means) is far more appropriate than cocktail, especially if you need to get down on the floor and help little Jack build his Star Wars Lego...]]> Older Women and Fashion: A Little Less Tokenism, Please tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4211074 2013-11-04T19:00:00-05:00 2014-01-23T10:52:24-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Suddenly the fashion world seems to have woken up to the idea that, past 45, 50, or 60, or whatever its personal threshold is for "older", fashion is still relevant to you, and as a result newspapers and shops are clamouring for your attention and your cash. On the High Street, M&S is probably the biggest brand to be conspicuously courting the older woman with its high-profile advertising campaign using Annie Leibovitz images that include the 50-year-old Tracey Emin and Dame Helen Mirren (who, incidentally, looks like a mildly eccentric Joan Littlewood figure in most of them). In The Times' Saturday magazine, fashion editor Laura Craik has won the battle to drop "What I'm Wearing", which required her to endure what was clearly the agonising process of being photographed wearing a key trend. In its place has arrived "Am I too old for..." In this new feature, she takes a trend and in her characteristically entertaining and highly informative style tells the typical Times reader (likely to be well north of 46, if you extrapolate from a 2009 survey by Business Insider magazine) whether a specific seasonal trend (i.e. ankle boots, leopard-print, etc) can be made to work for the older woman. It is the clearest acknowledgement yet by The Times that the older woman is a key target demographic, and is no longer out in the cold, in fashion terms. Over at the Daily Mail, of course, the older woman has been the subject of some ardent wooing by editor Paul Dacre for several years now. The astute Mr Dacre knows his market, and he knows it is disproportionately female. Indeed, the old Fleet Street joke about newspaper readership (The Times is read by the people who run the country; The Telegraph is read by the people who used to run the country, etc) had The Daily Mail read by "the wives of people who run the country". And not only disproportionately female, but older, too, since every industry statistic shows that readership by the young has fallen off a cliff. So it is the older woman who clings to newsprint, and loves her daily dose of fashion, beauty, relationship features and celebrity gossip courtesy of Femail. The Sunday Times dipped its toe into the older woman demographic at the end of October with a feature in its Style magazine which extolled the on-trend fashion choices made by home secretary Theresa May and other high-profile older women. The Guardian and The Telegraph have run similar features in the past year; Vogue has its annual 'Ageless Style' issue every June. The only problem we have with this at SoSensational.co.uk is that is tokenism. Many of these publications treat older women as if they were an exotic species. As if, when women hit 45 they need to be viewed as an isolated minority, a separate group requiring special treatment, when in fact we are just the same women who still want to look fabulous in beautiful and on-trend clothing. As evidence, I again cite Anna Wintour, editor of US Vogue and one of the most powerful women in fashion. She was 64 last week and there is no evidence that she feels the need to dress in a special way "for her age". She remains utterly, impeccably and superlatively stylish and on-trend because she chooses the shapes, colours and styles that work for her, albeit she has the pick of Prada, Lanvin, Dolce & Gabbana, Celine, et al, while the rest of us have to make do with Zara, Hobbs, Reiss, M&S, et al. But the reality is a stylish woman is a stylish woman, at 25 or 65. The trick is learning how to make fashion work for you, and using The Times, The Daily Mail or, of course, SoSensational.co.uk to help you find the gorgeous clothes you want. For now, the UK economy and demography means that the older woman has more buying power and more influence than the young demographic, at which 'fashion' is traditionally targeted. It's a situation that - without a sudden outbreak of plague which strikes down only the over-60s - is going to pertain for at least a generation, so the reality is that newspapers and brands are going to have to carry on making nice to the older woman, which means less tokenism and more regular features like "Am I too old for..." and probably more shopping sites like SoSensational.co.uk. Just remember, please, that we thought of it first...]]> Oh Carol, This Is a Case of Hello Pot, Kettle Calling tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4150370 2013-10-23T12:41:15-04:00 2013-12-23T05:12:02-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Launching a "national body census" for Isme, the website owned by mail order giant Marshall Ward, of which she is brand ambassador, she goes on to say that 73% of those (that's 73% of the 46% - do keep up) wear clothes that are a whole dress size too large or too small. And, my goodness, haven't the Daily Mail readers spotted Vorderman's penchant for a tight-fitting garment. The woman renowned for her skin-tight clothing, not to say a-whole-dress-size-too-small clothing, has been well and truly outed as a hypocrite. Here are just a few of the comments (and none in favour to balance them, either): "She's a fine one to give advice on sizing?...always looks like she's squashed into a sausage skin." "Seriously? Carol Vorderman must be having a laugh. Her backside is always squeezed into something 2 sizes too small because she wears Spanx. Not someone I want fashion advice from." "Is that not the pot calling the kettle black? Carol often wears outfits that are way too tight which is obvious as they are creased badly." "And if ever anyone wore the wrong clothes sizes it was and still is Carol Vorderman." What Vorderman - or Isme - are requesting with this census, however, is potentially quite beneficial to both the industry and UK women. They are asking for women to measure themselves and then submit their vital statistics to the firm to help it establish "the current shape of the nation". And if that was to come to pass, it would be no bad thing. If brands - at least, UK brands - actually produced clothing that consistently adhered to a national standard, then a woman buying a dress in a size 12, would know that it would always measure the same at the bust, waist and hips. And that would be a vast improvement on the current situation when most of us who are "standard" 12 may actually need to buy a 10 in some brands and a 14 in others. There is even one popular high street brand which cuts so generously, I can comfortably fit into their size 8. That practice is called vanity sizing, and is probably very welcome if you are in denial about your actual curves, but I doubt there are many women who are actually deluded into believing they are two full dress sizes smaller - especially when they can't fit into the smaller size in any other brand. The whole "wearing the right dress size" issue would be a lot easier if all online brands offered more in the way of measurements, as SoSensational.co.uk has been campaigning for through its Lengthwise Campaign. Isme, to its credit, does put dress lengths on its website, but considering they are making such an issue of women wearing the wrong size clothing, they don't provide information about fit, as some other sites do. At My-Wardrobe, for instance, in the information accompanying a garment, they will write that "The model is a UK 8 and is wearing a size 10", letting you know that particular garment is cut small, so you need to order a bigger size; Windsmoor lets you know they cut generously, so you need to order a size down. But Isme, despite this focus on the correct size, is shtum on the subject. So, not just Carol V who's a bit of a hypocrite, then... ]]> The Feminine Paradox: Shrink and You May Be Considered Attractive tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4070241 2013-10-09T10:37:06-04:00 2014-01-23T18:58:21-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Why am I thinking about turning myself into a crazed, hungerstruck zombie for two days each week when all my clothes fit me perfectly; when I haven't gained weight in 10 years and am - for all normal purposes - a perfectly slim, healthy size 10/12? The key is in that phrase "for all normal purposes"... because, come February, I am giving a platform talk at PURE London, one of the fashion industry's most prestigious exhibitions (and, with London Fashion Week now almost totally catwalk-focused, the biggest event of its kind in the UK). I will be talking about how the fashion industry can better serve the grown up woman, for her benefit and also for that of the industry - or, at least, those bits of the industry ready to recognise how vital the older demographic is to their business. As a co-founder of SoSensational.co.uk, the shopping and style site for grown up women, where we edit all the fabulous clothes so that grown up, stylish women don't have to plough through pages of inappropriately short skater skirts and inappropriately tight and strappy Lycra bandage dresses, it is a subject close to my heart. And while I need to put in some serious study to ensure I don't send those who rock up to listen into a Valium-style slumber, I am comfortable with speaking to an audience. What worries me, I am embarrassed to admit, is not the words that come out of my mouth, but how I will be regarded by those from the industry who sit down to listen. Will they concentrate on the spell-binding (come on, allow me my fantasy) presentation, or will they be thinking: "Hmm, she'd look better a few pounds lighter." Tragically, it is that concern that leads me to being just a mouse-click from purchasing the UK best-seller, The Fast Diet, the bible of the intermitten fasters, by Dr Michael Moseley and Mimi Spencer. And the sad truth is that, despite being 62, despite a decently successful journalistic career (including a prestigious award), despite a thriving website business, despite a husband who adores my every curve, my insecurities surface when it comes to "thin". And here the words of writer author Lionel Shriver, speaking last week during a debate at The Times Cheltenham Literary Festival have a real resonance. The best-selling author of We Need To Talk About Kevin told the audience that "the device-ridden world where we see images of ourselves more often" had led to an obsession with "how many pounds we have put on". And girls - and I am the proof it's not just girls, but also mature women who should know better - were being "suckered into the competition of being thinner. "They are picking up social cues that to be tinier is to beat the system. It's defended as an achievement. Ambitious girls are falling prey to that and it's heartbreaking: it's a grotesque mis-channelling of ambition." She went on to admit to "a kind of photo-shoot anxiety", which is not very different from my PURE platform talk-anxiety. "We now look in the mirror and make a harsh judgment about what kind of people we are depending on whether we have put on a couple of pounds," added Shriver. Speaking in the same debate, Emma Woolf, the presenter of Supersize v Superskinny and a recovered anorexic, observed that "as women get into the public eye, they get smaller. "You look at Samantha Cameron, Kate Middleton, Sophie Dahl..." she said. Woolf believes we encourage women to be smaller "so they take up a smaller space in the world when they become more powerful." I think it's less existential and more aesthetic: women make themselves smaller (aka thinner) because they see their image on the TV news or, if they are civilians, on Facebook or Instagram, and decide "normal" isn't good enough; "normal" doesn't look angular and fashionably underfed; only "thin" measures up... It makes me wonder when we decided that protruding bones and hollow cheeks were something to admire and emulate rather than to be horrified at. What perfect storm of multi-national fashion corporations, women-hating photographers, embittered caption writers, gay designers and twisted stylists made women and girls feel that to be a size 12 was to be a "heffer" and to be an emaciated size 4 was "attractive". It's an attitude that we urgently need to change if we aren't going to breed another generation of girls with eating disorders and stratospheric levels of self-loathing. So, I am stepping away from the Amazon page displaying The Fast Diet because I am no longer considering reducing myself in order to be more acceptable to those members of the fashion industry who may wish to hear me speak... This is normal; get over it...]]> Grr, Glam-ma! Could a Title Be More Patronising to Grown Up Women? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3919025 2013-09-15T19:00:00-04:00 2013-11-15T05:12:01-05:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ SoSensational.co.uk co-founder, Cyndy Lessing, are 'glam-mas'. That was the name given to grandmothers who, according to those surveyed by Kaleidoscope, rank highly in the fashion stakes despite being old enough to have children who have their own children. According to their survey, Carole Middleton, 58, is the glam-ma in chief, with 40% of respondents rating her highly for her style. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, by contrast, won just 2% of the vote. Other glam-mas rated highly for their fashion sense include Goldie Hawn, Mary Berry, Sharon Osbourne and Jane Fonda. And, as a grandma - or glam-ma - aged 62, I might be flattered if I didn't feel so patronised. Why patronised? Well, simply by carrying out the survey and giving stylish over-50s with grandchildren that rather twee title and a style ranking, the subliminal message is: "We think you should be over, fashion-wise, but, hey, you're not". According to the survey, "grandmothers are now choosing to step away from their traditional stereotype". Well, who created the stereotype in the first place? Could it have been illustrators of Grimm fairy tales and children's literature where a woman with a wiry grey bun, specs slipping down her nose, a shapeless body and a pastel cardi was easy shorthand for 'grandmother', whereas a more realistic looking older woman might not be instantly recognisable? If grandmothers looked less gym-fit and sassy 40, 50 or 100 years ago, it was because fashion demanded less of them and everyone else. Look at pictures of the Queen Mother taken in the 1960s; she was a grandmother and a very stylish woman. While her style didn't resemble that of Goldie Hawn or Sharon Osbourne today, with their body-con dresses, immaculate maquillage and Louboutins, nor did anyone else's in the 1960s They key style of the day, mini-skirts and platform shoes, were reserved for the under-25s. And for everyone over that age - regardless of whether they were mothers or grandmothers - fashion was alarmingly homogenous. In fact fashion, for a vast majority of the population, was a misnomer. They wore clothes - some lovely, some not so lovely; they didn't "do" fashion, because practically no-one of their generation did. 'Fashion', as opposed to clothes that followed trends in a fairly undemanding way, was primarily reserved for the under 30s. Grandmothers haven't changed. The world has changed. And it now has expectations of women over 50. They are expected to keep up, fashion wise. But the good thing is, they want to keep up - or most of them do (92% according to that survey) because looking good is part of the agenda for living. We who are over 50 know about healthy eating and the 5:2 diet; we go to the gym or the yoga and pilates classes to keep our bodies in shape; we see glamorous role models splashed all over the pages of OK! Hello and Heat, and - via websites like SoSensational.co.uk - we know we can find the fabulous clothes which will allow us to look as on-trend and stylish as we want to be. And while we are on the subject of grandmother stereotypes and how ludicrously outdated they are, let's pause for a moment and consider fashion ubermensch, Carine Roitfeld, the 58-year-old former editor of French Vogue who stars in her own documentary, Mademoiselle C, which is released in cinemas on 20 September. Although not included in the survey, Ms Roitfeld is also a grandmother, and with her panda eyes and bondage outfits straight off the catwalk, it would be hard to find a woman who contrasts more strongly with the grandmother stereotype. Unless of course we all get a grip and realise there is really no such thing, in 2013, as a 'stereotypical' grandmother, and recognise that a woman's ability to bear children (and the ability of their daughters or daughters-in-law to, in turn, bear children) is completely irrelevant to how she looks, dresses or behaves at any age. As for being a 'glam-ma', I won't be buying the souvenir mug just yet...]]> Thanks, Ian, for Your Seal of Approval for Older Women and Long Hair tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3731173 2013-08-11T19:00:00-04:00 2013-10-11T05:12:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ "At one time, women in their mid-40s and 50s would rush to cut their hair off. It was like 'I'm a wife, a mother, a certain age and I'm cutting it all off'," he said. "But actually, as long as their hair is healthy and in good condition, many women look much better with soft, long hair," he declared. He cited the examples of Jane Seymour and Lorraine Chase as remaining sexy and alluring (I paraphrase) because they had kept their long hair. Thank you, Ian, for putting the seal of approval on longer hair for older women. At SoSensational.co.uk, we recently created a series of videos to help grown up women choose the right hair-style, and we didn't even consider the idea that long hair was unsuitable for older women. So why do so many women believe that when they hit a certain age, they need to have their hairdresser take the scissors to their longer locks? Mr Carmichael implies that older women believe short hair makes them look younger. But I think it is the opposite. I believe older women think short hair is more 'appropriate' and grown-up, and that they need to leave long hair behind, as it is only for younger women. I believe they are concerned that long hair on an older woman is muttonish, and maybe a bit TOWIE. Luxuriant long-hair, of course, has always sent out subliminal (and not so subliminal) messages about fertility, sexuality and youth. It is why certain religions require women to cover up their hair. But the reality is that, in the 21st Century, if a long hair style suits you and your hair is in good condition, there is no reason to reject long hair, any more than there is to reject make-up or fashionable clothing. Great hair is just one more weapon in the arsenal of staying fabulous into your 50s, 60s and beyond. All that said, there are rules for wearing long hair as an older woman. Excessively long hair - down to the waist, say - is generally weird, frankly, and definitely not flattering to an older woman, who could easily look like a bag lady or a character from a Coen Brothers movie. And poker-straight long hair is also a risky look for an older woman, because a curtain of dead-straight hair somehow exacerbates the downward trajectory of an ageing face. As Ian Carmichael put it: "Women are finally moving away from straight, sleek hair and embracing movement and texture, and it is much better." That doesn't mean, of course, that short hair can't be fabulous, too. If you have the cheekbones, the jawline and the body-shape for an elfin or sharp geometric cut, go for it. But don't wear your hair short only because you think you do not have an option....]]> Something Up Their Sleeve That Might Just Save M&S tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3572791 2013-07-10T09:22:41-04:00 2013-09-09T05:12:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ In common with the rest of the fashion press, SoSensational.co.uk has taken issue with the horrid little cap sleeves and nasty sheer sleeves which have been a feature for some considerable time and which the chain's new Style Director, Belinda Earl this week promised to banish. Addressing shareholders at the company's AGM, she said the chain had listened to customers and would revive "real sleeves". "You told us you wanted dresses with sleeves, so for autumn 90 per cent will have sleeves," she announced to loud cheers. "I can personally promise that I mean real sleeves - full, three-quarters and half," she added, noting that the much derided cap sleeves had been reclassified as sleeveless. If I hadn't seen the drop-dead gorgeous dresses in their A/W collection - many with the kind of sleeves most grown-up women crave - I might be less excited by her announcement. But Ms Earl, 51, brings back to M&S that intangible something - call it class, call it good taste, call it style - which has been so sorely lacking in the past decade. During that time we have consistently seen some of the worst clothing I can remember from any chain associated with the fashion industry. Cap sleeves were just part of the problem. Fabrics were vile, often recalling nuclear waste; colours were nasty, brutish and unflattering, and weren't even used across ranges, so a red dress from Autograph rarely matched a red jacket from Autograph, let alone one from Limited or the frumpy"Twiggy" collection. And then there was the inability to distinguish between trends and gimmicks, with the latter greedily embraced and the former ignored or misinterpreted; and the prints that were reminiscent of cheap sofas and so garish they nearly blinded you. But based on the new A/W collection, they have recaptured their ability to find winning styles. They have borrowed from the right designers and been inspired by the right catwalk trends; there are statement coats and also wonderfully understated coats (sometimes you want to be noticed, sometimes you just want to look quietly elegant) in beautiful shades and good fabrics; the dresses are on-trend but not gimmicky, made in appealing, winter-flattering colours and in strong shapes that will not transform us into puddings (as many of recent years' offerings did - even ex-model Twiggy); the knitwear is in the subtle, basic shades we all need and want in our wardrobe (and that rarely means the turquoise or icky pink of last winter). Ms Earl seems to have the magic touch, and chief executive Marc Bolland - under fire from shareholders for a poor quarter's trading - was the man who found her. He also, let us not forget, inherited from former CE Sir Stuart Rose the team which was responsible for most of the fashion disasters and it took M Bolland time (possibly more time than it should) to weed them out. But he brought in Ms Earl and he should be given the chance to reap the benefit of her fashion savvy. I, for one, cannot wait to go back into an M&S store and experience that almost forgotten feeling of not knowing what to buy first...]]> Enough of the Fashion Ageism! 25 or 50, Fashion Is Never About Age tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3546312 2013-07-07T19:00:00-04:00 2013-09-06T05:12:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Coverage was guaranteed, therefore, for one such survey from isme.com, a subsidiary of catalogue giant Marshall Ward, by a quote from 'brand ambassador', Carol Vorderman. This survey 'found' that eight out of 10 people believed women should start "dressing down" after they hit 50 which, apparently leads to "almost half of all over-50s being terrified of wearing fashionable clothes" and "turning to dowdy, shapeless garments" for fear of what others will say. And, as the co-founder of SoSensational.co.uk the shopping and style site for grown-up women, I have two things to say to those findings: 1) I offer you Oscar Wilde's comment "Lies, damned lies and statistics" and 2) where, in the name of Anna Wintour and Tom Ford, aka the Gods of Planet Fashion, did they do their research, the Eastbourne prom in February? If nothing else, sheer exposure to celebrities over the age of 50 disporting themselves, for better or worse, in fashionable clothes across magazines, newspapers and the internet should have banished forever the notion of fashion being for the under-50s alone. When my SoSensational co-founder, Cyndy, and I were guests recently on the afternoon show of Radio London's fabulous Jo Good, the subject we discussed was what was "appropriate" for older women in fashion terms. As well as our view that older women can wear virtually all trends if they style themselves properly, that was also the overwhelming view of the 50-something and 60-something listeners who called in, every one of whom was engaged by fashion. They told us they wore skinny jeans, little lace tops and biker jackets; they shopped in Topshop and H&M, they wore their hair in fashionable cuts and they still loved fashion. Of course it can be a minefield finding clothes that are fashionable yet don't shriek "mutton". That's why we created SoSensational, to help grown-up women find clothes that were fabulous and fashionable but would not look as if they belonged on an 18-year-old. And if you need hard evidence that looking fabulous has nothing whatever to do with age and everything to do with taste, styling tricks and knowing what suits you, you have only to look at Jerry Hall papped recently in a short, tight black satin skirt and fishnet tights. Even at age 30 she would have looked slapperish in that get-up. Anna Wintour, on the other hand, 63, and still at the helm of American Vogue, never looks less than totally fabulous. Of course she has the pick of the collections, but it is what she selects and what she rejects, that guarantee 100% success. The reality is, it's never about age. It's always about being style-savvy, knowing what works on your body shape, and recognising tacky when we see it. And getting that wrong is certainly not reserved for the 50-somethings, as a flick through Heat, OK! or Grazia any week will demonstrate. So let's dispense with this fashion ageism and recognise that 100% of women over 50 have the potential to look fabulous 100% of the time just as 100% of women under 50 have the potential to look like a fashion disaster 100% of the time...]]> Sorry Sandra, Dungarees Should Be Left to Toddlers and Decorators tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3436589 2013-06-13T13:52:42-04:00 2013-08-13T05:12:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ In the last week alone they have run features in their Femail pages on wearing a bikini at 60, photographed on former model Jilly Johnson, and on Thursday they photographed the elegant and soignée Sandra Howard (aka former model Sandra Paul) in dungarees. Yup, you read that correctly, dungarees. And this is where the Mail and SoSensational part company, because while our website, specifically aimed at grown-up women, almost never proscribes clothing as too young; nor says "don't" or "never" about a trend, being of the firm belief that some women can carry off almost anything, regardless of their age, when it comes to dungarees we are prepared to make an exception. Despite cropping up on the catwalks, dungarees are an abomination in fashion terms, and permissable only for toddlers and decorators. If you are neither of those, what's your excuse? Why, whether your style is rock-chick, hippy-chic or glamazon, would you want to wear the uniform of a Soviet era farm-worker or a Midlands car mechanic, circa 1958? And don't say they are "comfortable". They are a pain to get out of when you need the loo, and about as flattering, even to a size 10, 5'8" body, as a sisal sack. Despite the piece being written in the first-person Sandra Howard looked about as comfortable in all five pairs as a fish on a bicycle. The styles ran the gamut from horrid to, well, florid, in denim, window-pane check, floral and plain black, and with her elegant bob and immaculate maquillage they utterly failed to match her "look", or her clothing personality, if you want to use image-consultant-speak. Interestingly, the Mail made their ambivalence to dungarees clear by running the piece under the legend "fashion's naffest look is back in vogue, but...even grannies can carry it off." Actually, grannies can't. It's not about body-shape - Sandra Howard still has an enviably slim, toned body - it is simply that there a few things which, when they crop up as a trend, the grown-up woman just has to say no to. Dungarees, clearly is one, for all the reasons above, and because why do you want to be a fashion victim at 70. If age gives you anything, it is the confidence to reject certain trends. Not as unworkable at 70, but as irredeemably horrible and unwanted at any age. They confer no benefit, unless it is to allow you to crawl in and out of a wendy house without getting dirty knees, or have lots of pockets for spanners. If 20somethings want to look like fashion victims, we should leave them to it not emulate them. And our other no-no's for grown-up women? Anything that combines frills, bows and pastels; not bows alone, not frills alone, not even pastels alone, but a combination of any two or, God forbid, all three; anything mini and tiered; anything so tight it shows rolls of fat; anything a three-year-old might wear (onesie, animal-ear hat)... beyond that, we say go for it; work the trends, adapt and style yourself so that fashion works for you. But when it comes to dungarees, step away from the rail now...]]> Forty Feels Good, Famous or Not tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3435060 2013-06-13T10:10:13-04:00 2013-08-13T05:12:01-04:00 Jan Shure http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shure/ Times columnist Sarah Vine, "forty only feels good if you're famous". And by implication, endowed with endless natural beauty, too. She cites Cameron Diaz (40), Sandra Bullock (48), Julia Roberts (45), and other uber-glam, 40-plus Hollywood stars as proof of her theory , that "Hollywood does not reflect the real world" and, in essence, that an invisibility cloak surrounds older women who are civilians rather than movie icons. Her exposition on the divide between Hollywood glamour and Real Life follows a report in Tuesday's Times on the rise of the "fortysomething Hollywood starlet", and how Diaz, Bullock, Roberts, et al, are now commanding the biggest fees and garnering bigger audience share than their 20something counterparts. Much as I admire Sarah Vine as a writer and as a superlative source of beauty know-how, my response to her theory is, "oh, purleeese. Sarah", it's simply not true, and I know it's not true because it's the reason why I, a fashion journalist, and my business partner, Cyndy Lessing, a former image consultant, launched SoSensational.co.uk because we both passionately believe that grown-up women can remain sensational and visible not only into their 40s, but also into their 50s, 60s and beyond. Of course it takes effort and self-discipline; cash helps, too, if it means you can lay your hands on good clothes, but we demonstrate over and over on our website that it is how you style yourself that determines how fabulous you look, far more than what you spend or what nature endowed you with in terms of body shape or looks. Cyndy and I are in our 60s. As part of our effort not to become invisible, we both devote some time to making sure we look good; we both go to a hair salon for a weekly blow-dry, we both have our hair coloured because we both look better, respectively, as a redhead and a blonde. We both give some thought to our clothes and wear what we know suits our body shape and colouring. We both know how to say "no" to a doughnut or a slab of chocolate. But if you think that in order not to be invisible we are obsessive about our appearance, that we spend every waking hour desperately working out at the gym or at clinics being Botoxed or lifted in a bid to hold back the hands of time, you are profoundly mistaken. Apart from running SoSensational.co.uk - which is full-time and full-on - we are both wives, mothers and grandmothers with wide circles of friends and ludicrously busy lives, so an LA-scale, 24/7 focus on how we look is simply out of the question. Looking good at any age takes effort, Sarah. It just takes a bit more effort after 46. But, personally, given the choice between a doughnut and visibility, I'll take visibility any time.]]>


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The European Parliament announced Thursday its "strong concern" for a prominent Laos activist missing since December, calling on the government to speed up its investigation into the disappearance.
In a resolution adopted by the parliament, European deputies called on Laos authorities to "undertake prompt, transparent and thorough investigations" into the fate of Sombath Somphone.
The resolution called for the "immediate and safe return" of Sombath to his family.
The 62-year-old founder of the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC) -- a non-governmental organisation campaigning for sustainable development -- went missing on December 15 while driving home in the capital Vientiane.
Images from CCTV cameras, obtained by Sombath's family and published online, show him being taken away from a police post by two unidentified individuals. He has not been seen since.
The communist regime has vowed it had nothing to do with his disappearance but the case has nevertheless sent chills through civil society.
"The Lao government must take all necessary steps to end the practice of arbitrary arrests and secret detention," the parliament said, denouncing attempts to limit individual, press and religious freedoms.
In recent weeks both former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on the Southeast Asian nation to ensure Sombath's safety.


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J.P. Morgan Underwriter Interview Questions
Interview Experience
Interview Experience
Getting an Interview
Getting an Interview
Interview Difficulty
Interviews for Top Jobs at J.P. Morgan
- Personal Banker (151)
- Bank Teller (118)
- Licensed Personal Banker (116)
- Teller (89)
- Operations Analyst (88)
- Analyst (81)
- Intern (79)
- Technology Analyst (77)
- Summer Analyst (70)
- Business Analyst (68)
- Summer Technology Analyst (64)
- Investment Banking Analyst (54)
- Applications Developer (49)
- Financial Analyst (40)
- Risk Analyst (36)
- Associate (35)
- Customer Service Representative (34)
- Vice President (30)
- Relationship Banker (23)
- Part Time Teller (23)
- Branch Manager (19)
- Business Systems Analyst (18)
- Corporate Analyst Development Program (18)
- Personal Banker II (17)
- Financial Advisor (17)
- Project Manager (17)
- Software Developer (17)
- Investment Banking Associate (16)
- Private Bank Analyst (16)
- Associate - Quantitative Research (15)
13 Candidate Interview Reviews Back to all InterviewsSort: Popular Date Difficulty
Underwriter Interview
I applied through college or university. The process took 2+ weeks. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Jacksonville, FL).
two phone call interviews, which were with recruiters. The final interview was an in-office interview with upper management. Very easy process, they basically had their mind up when they brought me in.
Interview Questions
- Went through resume asking about each experience. Nothing crazy Answer Question
Other Interview Reviews for J.P. Morgan
Underwriting InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied in-person. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Dallas, TX) in February 2015.
After a phone call to the hiring manager, I interviewed face to face with two managers after submitting my resume on line as requested. I was escorted into a conference room , they were very punctual, friendly, and put me at ease. I knew several people coming and going, security was tight, but it made me feel protected.
Interview Questions
- has my experience been consistent 1 Answer
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2+ weeks. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan.
1 phone interview w/recruiter followed by 1 phone interview w/hiring manager (since this was a remote position).
Interview Questions
- Most of the questions follow the format of "Tell me about a time when....". They focus on conflict resolution & also ask the basic questions of why you think you would excel at the job or what your greatest weakness is. Answer Question
This company does not negotiate on salary at least for this position. Either you accept what they offer or you look elsewhere for a job.
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Phoenix, AZ) in December 2012.
Phone interview, 1 in person interview
Interview Questions
- How do you calculate Partnership Income? 1 Answer
I initially said no and when they increased the offer I accepted.
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceDifficult Interview
I applied through college or university. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Jacksonville, FL) in October 2012.
Very comfortable interview with two managers who were very friendly. Questions were pretty normal interview questions (situational), not a bad interview at all.
Interview Questions
- Asked me to describe a scenario where my manager wanted to do things one way, i suggested another way and was able to convince them. Answer Question
Zero negotiation, tried to negotiate salary but recruiter immediately said they were not negotiating as there were 50 people in the program and they had to keep salaries the same.
Helpful (1)
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceAverage Interview
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Garden City, NY) in January 2012.
1 interview. Interviewer simply wanted to get a feel for who I was and my prior experience. There main concern was that i had enough background knowledge to keep up with there high demands.
Interview Questions
- the hiring manager interviewing you will read off a set of standard chase questions (If you have experience they are simple) he/she does ask for elaboration and will add questions based off your answer. Answer Question
no negotiation. they send a letter indicating the position and salary. you accept. I did ask if the salary was negotiable and it was not.
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied online. The process took a week. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Houston, TX) in November 2011.
Quick with a very direct approach. No follow up questions asked - just directive of contact from the recruiter if hired.
Interview Questions
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager and how you handled it Answer Question
Go in knowing what you want. Be realustic for the field you are applying
Underwriting InterviewAccepted OfferNeutral ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied in-person. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Melbourne, FL) in June 2011.
The interview was quick and easy, they did a phone interview first, basic questions. How do you fit with this company then strengths and weaknesses. The interview process was good
Underwriter InterviewAccepted OfferPositive ExperienceEasy Interview
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Phoenix, AZ) in June 2010.
It was a group interview with three managers. It was one of the easiest and most comfortable interviews I have ever been on. I was offered the job right after the interview. I would only suggest that you be yourself. It seems like they went based on my experience and personality. I was not asked any Star Questions like "Tell me one of your weaknesses" or "Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with a supervisor". So I was relieved by that.
Interview Questions
- Tell me what you did at your last job? 1 Answer
Underwriter InterviewNo OfferNeutral ExperienceAverage Interview
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at J.P. Morgan (Milwaukee, WI) in June 2010.
The actual interview last a period of 20 minutes, briefly when over my work history. Asked why did I think should be selected over other candidates. Went over my work knowledge of the financial institutions and experience working with outside contractors, investors,etc,. Lastly informed someone would get back to me if I was an candidate.
Interview Questions
- Why do you feel you are the best person for this position? Answer Question
Is this helpful? The community relies on everyone sharing – Add Anonymous Interview Review


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Savannah Event Decor LLC
At Savannah Event Decor LLC professional floral designs are limited only by your imagination. To get the best selection of Bouquets in Eden contact us today to find out more.
A Floral Affair
A Floral Affair is a well-known Silk Flowers provider which caters to high end clients in Eden and its surrounding areas. For find out more contact us today.


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Melon-Avocado Salsa
Pair this fresh and spicy salsa with grilled chicken or shrimp for a superb summer combination.
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 cups
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
- 3 c. diced watermelon
- 1 avocado
- ¼ c. finely chopped pickled jalapeño
- ¼ c. diced red onion
- ½ tsp. salt
- In bowl, gently mix watermelon, avocado, pickled jalapeño, red onion, and salt. Serve with tortilla chips.
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The Craft proZERO Extreme Concept Long Sleeve Base Layer merges two of the most battle hardened fabrics: Zero and Cool plus body mapping for Craft's most advanced base layer to date. Featuring COOL Superlight moving wing panels across the pack and cuffs the best moisture management and temperature regulation available. The ZERO fabric stays in contact with your body, pulling excess moisture away from your skin, while simultaneously keeping you warm. The COOL outer fabric allows air to circulate around your body and further promote moisture expulsion. ZERO extreme also features an antimicrobial treatment to prevent fabric odor from setting in. It is guaranteed to be the best fitting, best performing and most comfortable base layer yet.
Have a question and don't see it here? During business hours talk directly with TriVillage Multi-Sports experts using the Live Chat and have your question answered immediately.


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Sales Planner San Francisco New York Chicago APPLY Jr. Sales Planner, Sr. Sales Planner Job Description: RadiumOne is looking for a Sales Planner who likes to find creative solutions to tough problems. A wordsmith. A story-teller. A proposal architect. Someone who wants an8/17/2015 San Francisco, CA Save This Job
As a Software Engineer II, you will be working within an energetic Professional Services (PS) Custom team supporting technical agency, carrier and vendor requests under a PS Shared Services Center of Excellence department. The PS Custom team collectively enables the development8/16/2015 Bothell, WA Save This Job
As a Software Engineer I, you will be working within an energetic Professional Services (PS) Custom team supporting technical agency, carrier and vendor requests under a PS Shared Services Center of Excellence department. The PS Custom team collectively enables the development of8/16/2015 Bothell, WA Save This Job
PERFORMANCE PROFILE: The Director of Research and Development Network Engineering will primarily be involved in conducting strategic network assessments based upon emerging network trends, technologies, and/or future service offerings and develops plans to address needs. The8/11/2015 Los Angeles, CA Save This Job
Airtime is a highly skilled team looking to transform the way we communicate digitally. Our vision is to live in a world where we can be together with anyone from any device at any time. This means bridging the multitude of technical and psychological barriers to video chatting.9/25/2015 New York, NY Save This Job
Date scorecard updated: Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 This role reports to: Ojas Amin, Director of Engineering Mission of Company: mobileStorm?s goal is to create the most intelligent communication platform on the planet. We provide a cloud-based mobile communication platform that9/17/2015 Los Angeles, CA Save This Job
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Description Blurb's Data Team is responsible for innovating, developing, and evangelizing effective solutions to the information needs of our whole organization. Your clients will range from customer success agents to the c-suite and all will expect clear, consistent, and9/2/2015 San Francisco, CA Save This Job
SUMMARY: Senior Software Test Engineer is responsible for overseeing internal and external software verification activities at EarLens Corporation. The job also includes responsibility to ensure the design and development work is completed in compliance with the EarLens Quality9/1/2015 Senior Software Test Engineer, CA Save This Job
Campbell, CA APPLY NOW ? Super star engineer to architect, design, and implement highly scalable systems software that will power the next generation of cloud based security services DESIRED SKILLS Developing, implementing, and delivering complex software. Ability to design,8/31/2015 Campbell, CA Save This Job
Redwood City, CA Company Description Are you an ambitious, competitive go-getter with a positive attitude? If so, we want to talk to you! Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Satmetrix develops software used by businesses of all sizes to measure and manage the Customer Experience8/25/2015 Redwood City, CA Save This Job
CTO Office - (Multiple states) - Full Time Company Overview Cloudmark is the most trusted leader in security ? protecting traffic, data and infrastructure. We safeguard service providers, enterprises and consumers worldwide with immediate, predictive protection from8/23/2015 San Francisco, CA Save This Job
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Creepy Halloween BOO Sign DIY
Want to add a touch of "spooky" to your Halloween decor this year?
How about checking out this snakes and spiders creepy Halloween "BOO" sign DIY Laura from Laura's Little Party created for us.
Want to add a touch of "spooky" to your Halloween decor this year?
How about checking out this snakes and spiders creepy Halloween "BOO" sign DIY Laura from Laura's Little Party created for us.
Duct tape is the new craze right now. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and can be used for almost anything.
So check out our duct tape cupcake toppers DIY where we show you how to make three different topper decorations: cupcake flags, mini cake bunting, and mini fridge toppers. Aren't they cute... and sooo easy.
This dishwasher safe Sharpie mug DIY was created by our crafts contributor, Shauna at Ella and Annie Magazine!
My kids and I decided to make mugs to add to their teacher survival kit gift baskets for back to school. What a great gift they turned out to be.
My daughter started school last week, and while it all went well, she was definitely a little blah this weekend. I think she was exhausted from the excitement. I've learned over the years that when there is a high, there is usually a low to follow.
So I was happy when Snack Pack® asked me to come up with a fun way to celebrate back to school. When Lainey saw me on Sunday, starting to set up this back to school DIY pudding bar, and she knew it was just for her, she pepped up and dove in to help.
Now that duct tape comes in cool patterns and colors, it's become a crafters' dream material.
You can create so many unexpected things with it like these colorful duct tape flower pencils.
I am so in love with these lace crowns! If you are looking for a beautiful detail to take your princess party to a whole new level, I recommend you try your hand at this princess lace crown DIY.
Your little guests can wear them at the party, then take them home at the end as a party favor.
Summer is definitely winding down, but if you still have a few lazy summer days left, why not try checking out this beautiful pony bead suncatcher chandelier DIY. Not only would it look great outdoors, or in a room by a window, but it's would be a fun outdoor summer party craft.
Pony beads are so versatile. You can use them to make jewelry, embellish craft projects, and you can even melt them.
It's official! Minions are everywhere!
So with all the new Minions parties being added to our site, I wanted to post an easy party activity you can do at your own Minions party. The tee shirts also make great party favors.
Today we have a fun food craft to share.
I'm always looking for personalized details that don't take a lot of work or cost a lot of money, and that's why I'm so excited about this sprinkle 1st birthday cupcake topper DIY from Kristen and Missy from Sweetly Chic Events & Designs!
Now that we're getting into late summer, your kids have probably watched a fair amount of Netflix. My daughter's actually getting bored of it... what?! :)
So I wanted to bring you this Hawaiian paper lei kid craft to keep your kids engrossed long enough for you to do the laundry and maybe even catch your own favorite Netflix show. What makes this my favorite craft is that it's entertaining for older kids (especially if they're doing the paper punching), simple for the youngsters, there's no big mess to clean up at the end, the supplies are inexpensive, and everyone gets something pretty to wear when done. Told you it was a good one!