Holding the fort while Nicola's away!

So Nic is officially in Las Vegas, at the FN Platform trade show! She's almost finished completing her set up, and it looks great tied in with the London backgrounds that actually match to our photoshoot we did with the shoes!!!

Shoes are all looking great, and I'm sure Nic is going to have loads of orders rolling in!!

While Nic is away it is only Amanda and I in the shop. I'm at home at the moment having a day off and will be back up to Suffolk tomorrow. (After it took me 5 hours to get home last night when it should have taken max of two hours... I definitely needed a day off!!)

Nic said to us as she left 'Look after my baby!' Now Nic has left me loads of times before in the shop while she has gone off buying in Milan or wherever out of the country. Think this time it is a huge opportunity as she's in America, which isn't exactly close to home!! (Even though she has shown me her hotel she is staying in before she left, oh my goodness, I have to go to Vegas!!) She knows we'll look after her little shop!

Well, the shop is still standing, and Amanda and I have been doing great with the sale! (Check the sale out online if you want! http://www.nicolasexton.co.uk/index.phpdispatch=categories.view&category_id=353)

Nicola Sexton jetting off to Vegas!

Nicola hits the headlines before jetting off to Las Vegas!

Nicola is flying off to Vegas tomorrow morning. I can't begin to say how busy she has been, and how busy we have been back in the shop prepping her to go. I can personally say I didn't have a clue how much would go into an independent about to wholesale in the USA! Now I do after all the work I have been doing! It's definitely going to be worth it for Nicola.

Nicola's shoes are the best selling shoes in the shop. Comfortable yet still very fashionable. Even if women think they have the most awkward feet, we can pretty much guarantee we can fit them with a comfortable pair of shoes!

Check out the most recent article written about Nicola's success and her prepping for her adventure in Las Vegas! (http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/local/latest-news/shoe-designer-in-bury-st-edmunds-hopes-to-put-her-stamp-on-america-1-5382693)

Heres a sneak preview of some of her S/S 14 shoes coming in next year!

S/S 14 

S/S 14

S/S 14

Need, need, need!

I know I spoke about Nasty Gal yesterday but I saw this dress today. And I have to have it!!

Nasty Gal Dress £51.02

Nicola Sexton Look Book Release

So Nicola's new Look Book has just come through and heres a few screen shots from it!

Achievements over the years

Few Shots from London

Advert Campaigns

Celebrities Nicola has met, and who have worn her shoes.

The rest of the Lookbook looks fantastic. A very exciting time for Nicola with her Wholesaling about to launch in the USA!

Manners & Money

It's only 9:53 am and you know what I've noticed already whilst at work. That Americans have so much more respect for people in shops...

Now, no offence to us Brits, but compared to the shopping experience in America (especially in New York) our service is pretty poop.

I went to New York this February gone, with some of the girls on my university course. I tell you what there isn't anything the Americans in the Big Apple wouldn't do for you. They were so kind and approachable. And in Tiffany & Co. well, I felt like I was in a movie! Not only were we greeted at the door, we were then asked what we were looking for, then directed to where we needed to go. Even in the elevator they have like a lift chauffeur! And when you arrived at whatever floor they would say "Floor four, silver rings, necklaces and bracelets.." or something along those lines. You were then greeted onto that floor and so on so forth. And I know that's a luxury store, but pretty much every other store, whether it was Hollister or Michael Kors you were always greeted and felt that if you needed to ask someone something they do anything to help you.

Us Girls below the Empire State Building

What's made me blog about this is, I've just had a young American couple in the shop, the gentleman greeted me with "Hello m'am", well I've never been called M'am before, but all I could do was smile. They were just so polite and said thank you and please to everything I said. And I'm not saying the Brits are rude, but manners cost nothing, and everyone should have them, no excuses.

My family brought me up in a way that meant manners were a must. I won't go without saying please or thank you. Since working in a shop, I myself have a lot more respect for sales assistants, as well as in restaurants to waiters/waitresses after myself being a waitress not so long ago too. You may think that a sales assistants puts clothes on a rail and serves at the till and its not a hard job at all. But so much goes on behind scenes. I can't say from a chain store view as I've always worked in independents stores (which means there is more work for you to do as there are less staff to do it all). What really annoys me about people is, from my experience, in working in rather expensive shops and restaurants, especially in one particular restaurant, that its the people that have money that don't actually have any manners.

I remember serving one table in Newcastle, rushed off my feet, did as much as I could for them, yet no pleases or thank yous. They bought a hell of a lot of food and drinks, and this restaurant isn't cheap. Yet you have a young couple come in, order tap water, and a starter for their mains, and they say please at the start and end of a sentence, and say thank you multiple times; yet I've barely had to run around getting them food or make them complicated cocktails.

I think people need to think of others much more in those kind of environments. A waitress isn't JUST a waitress (as I was once told by a young Cambridge student at a private function I waitressed for! Its safe to say, my boss who was the Head Chef, came out and gave him a good talking to!) You have no idea what else they may do with their time. I wasn't just a waitress, but had two jobs and attended a full time university course.

Hard Rock Cafe, First Night in NYC

Diamonds are a girls best friend... as are shoes!

You wouldn't dream about walking out of your house without a pair of shoes on...

Shoes can make an outfit, they can be just for comfort, they could just be worn because you need to wear them outside the house.

No word of a lie, I own over 100 pairs of shoes!! You can say I'm a little obsessed.

However, I do have a reason, which to me, makes it more acceptable to own so many pairs! However, in the recent heat wave this past month, I've discovered I don't own many sandals/nice flip flops... they'll be next on the shopping list! But anyway, my reason is...
Well shoes for me are my job as well as passion, as well as a daily necessity.

For around a year and a half now I have worked in an independent shoe boutique, in my hometown Bury St Edmunds. It is called 'Nicola Sexton'. I have absolutely loved working here, not is it a woman's heaven, but Nicola and Amanda are so easy and great to work with.

Picture of the outside of Nicola Sexton Boutique, Bury St Edmunds

The shop isn't a shop for people who want something quick, easy, and pocket friendly. This isn't because the shoes are expensive but, the shop is like a treasure trove! You can't go in without seeing something that you instantly fall in love with, not only shoes, but beautiful jewellery, accessories and bags and much more.

Nicola Sexton's boutique is named after its owner. Nicola decided to open up her own business 3 years ago when she was continuously being complimented on her Luciano Padovans shoes, (which are to die for!) She knew with all these compliments that she had to do something about it.

Three years down the line the shop has being doing brilliantly. Nicola started selling her own brand of shoes which were made in Italy. She designs them all herself. They do so well in fact that Nicola now wholesales her own brand of shoes (which are the stores best sellers) all over the country. She is now also just about to launch in America next month too! This is a great achievement for such a young business still. Nonetheless, Nicola has launched into it all with confidence and ambition. One of her 'great ideas' was to ask me if I'd model for her brand. As in be in her promotion banners, and be in her lookbooks, her website, her posters, her billboards... This wasn't what I expected after returning back from Uni to work for her!

Nicola is now well known around Suffolk for her shoes. People hear her name and instantly think of her shoes, it is her new formed identity in East Anglia!

I've modelled for Nic before, in a bin bag, down a catwalk. You may laugh, but there was logic behind the bin bag outfits.

Apex Charity Fashion Show 2012

So, Nic wanted the main focus to be the shoes and the accessories. So we made different styles of dresses out of bin bags. Its just something different too at the end of the day.

Anyway, the shoot Nic wanted to do for her campaigns were in London. Handy for me as I live in London, but commute across to Bury to work in the shop for Nic.

However, the day Nic chose us to do the shoot, was the hottest day of the year, it read at 35C in London. Everyone is wearing shorts and little tops, and I'm modelling in full length jeans and long sleeved tops. Nonetheless, it was a hot hot day!!

The shots were of Nicola's own brand of shoes, which range from a flat pumps, to a kitten heel, to a court shoe, to a sneaker. Here are some shots from the day....

With many more images from the day too.

These campaigns will be launched next Spring/Summer 2014 and used for Nicola to wholesale in America this coming August.

Nicola knows what women want in shoes comfort as well as style. Here she has provided what every woman needs to complete her outfit. From an everyday casual shoe, to and evening classy court shoe.

They say shoes say a lot about a person. Just like the clothes you wear. It all says something about you.

Why not check out Nicola Sexton's site: http://www.nicolasexton.co.uk/index.php