Posts from November 2010

We all love a fantasy movie during the festive season so for some total family escapism and a little extra adventure head up to the ODEON Cinema from 9 December and settle down for our family pick of the season - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader.

Return to the magic and wonder of C.S. Lewis’ beloved world via the fantastic Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader. In this new installment of the blockbuster “The Chronicles of Narnia” motion picture franchise, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace, their royal friend King Caspian and a warrior mouse named Reepicheep, find themselves swallowed into a painting and onto the Dawn Treader.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Their mission – upon which rests the fate of Narnia itself – takes the courageous voyagers to mysterious islands and a river that turns to gold, to fateful confrontations with magical creatures and sinister enemies and to a reunion with their friend and protector, the “Great Lion” Aslan.

Click here to find out times and book tickets.

Here at Trend Watch we couldn’t help but notice the number of LRDs in the Centre this Christmas. So many of our favourite shops have got a version of the little red dress but we’ve whittled it down to the top 5.

We’re not sure what we love most about this dress; the sophisticated shade of red, or the gorgeously girlie corsage on the shoulder. Or maybe it’s the very affordable price tag.

Red flower corsage dress £55 from Oasis

Forever Unique is the latest brand to join the stellar fashion line up at Selfridges. And with so many party styles to choose from, we’re already hooked.

Forever Unique red frill £110 from Selfridges

This red frock with its flirtatious frilled hemline needs nothing more than one piece of jewellery to finish the look, which will make getting ready very easy indeed.

Pleat chiffon dress £45, sandals £35 and star cuff £15 from Next

Shift dresses have been spotted on celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Olivia Palermo. This elegant shape is certainly the chic way to do Christmas party dressing.

Red pleat dress £85 from Warehouse

So this isn’t strictly speaking a dress, but this playsuit was too stylish to leave out of our shortlist. We hope you agree it’s one foxy festive number.

One shoulder playsuit £26.99, diamante drop earrings £5.99, feather bangle £7.99 all from New Look.

With the party season now in full swing we’ve delved into our LBB (little black book) to find out where we can find the ultimate LBD (little black dress). There’s an abundance of gorgeous tailored pieces throughout the Centre that will help to create the perfect silhouette and here’s five of our best.

French Connection’s embellished detailing reinvents this classic shift dress. It’s the perfect piece for starting the party season in style.

Wisteria Lane dress £195 from French Connection

Mint Velvet is one of the latest editions to the John Lewis fashion stable and there are some beautiful pieces in the collection. The beading detail on this one guarantees sophisticated glamour.

Mint Velvet beaded dress £120 from John Lewis

The eye catching sparkle on this bodycon dress is bound to make a statement. Just team with droplet earrings and an oversized clutch.

Metallic lace bodycon dress £32.99 from New Look

Metallic lace bodycon dress £32.99 from New Look

The simplicity of this classic black dress will take you through the party season and into the new year. Team with a pair of kitten heels by day and transform with stacked glistening wedges for the evening.

Puff shoulder dress from Oasis

The ruffle detailing on this Ben de Lisi number simply screams wow factor and creates the ultimate hourglass silhouette.

Ben de Lisi satin ruffle front bandeau dress £140 from Debenhams

THE elves have been hard at work in Barton Square building the largest, most splendid grotto The Trafford Centre has ever seen!

MAGICAL: The stunning Ice Palace in Barton Square.

Sponsored this year by Christmas hit movie Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the brand new Ice Palace Grotto and 4D Cinema opened at the weekend to a flurry of eager families, keen to get inside and meet Father Christmas himself.

ICE: The Snow Queen welcomes guests.

This year, just like the characters from Narnia, our visitors walk through a magical wardrobe door into a surreal world – quite unlike the outside. A fabulous 4D cinema experience awaits, as the hilarious Rocket the Reindeer movie is shown, complete with wind and bubble effects!

After that, children are guided to Father Christmas in his grotto, where they can pose for photos and chat with the man behind the myth, and also receive a lovely present to help them remember their day.

BEAST: Magical characters abound!

As you can see from these photos, Father Christmas has spared no expense this year in creating his festive outpost at Barton Square. Magical characters and twinkling light displays really transport you into the world of Christmas, and get everyone at the grotto in the mood for this wonderful time of year.

With our traditional Victorian carousel just next door, and a host of festive stalls selling such faves as mulled wine and bratwurst, the entire square has transformed into a winter wonderland, cascading with lights and the sounds of the Singing Bears dressed in all their festive finery.

I am taking regular walks to the Square to soak up the lovely atmosphere. The only question to ask is: how many bratwursts can one person eat in a day?

* For grotto prices, and to book online to avoid a queue, just click here.

* HAVE you entered the magical Ice Palace Grotto and 4D Cinema? What did you think?

Well, I think The Trafford Centre has really excelled itself this year with the brand new Christmas lights. What do you think? They really are the most stunning I’ve ever seen here!

SPARKLE: At Barton Square.

After a fantastic switch on event with X Factor favourite Ollie Murs, everyone around the Centre has been getting used to the new festive outfit adorning every inch of the place.

With lots of time and effort put into this new lights scheme, the designers have done something very new, with the UK’s first-ever animatronic displays creating a dance of light and movement at every turn.

Baubles: Dangling on the Malls.

Huge Christmas baubles hang from the atrium of each mall, gently opening and closing to reveal bright, spinning Christmas trees at their centre.

Wreaths of lights decorate the Orient, with gorgeous Christmas trees twinkling away merrily. Every palm tree and every lamp-post it seems is drenched with thousands of bulbs – which are now greener LED bulbs which use far less energy than the old-fashioned bulbs the Centre used to display.

The old favourite talking Christmas tree is back on Lower Peel Avenue, and last year’s highlight the Ferrero Rocher installation in the Main Dome is back – and looking as amazing as ever.

You really can lose yourself staring upwards at that gravity-defying sculpture.

Over at Barton Square we have the multi-coloured conical Christmas trees which are my favourite, I would dearly love one in my own garden. Then the magical Ice Palace grotto takes pride of place in the Square, alongside the classic Victorian Carousel and festive stalls. It’s Christmas wherever you look!

SLEIGH: In the Orient sky-ceiling.

I’ve gathered some fun facts about the new lights to delight and amaze you – but there is no comparison for coming down and taking a look yourself. Why not bring your camera, and take some fab photos for friends and family elsewhere in the world, to show them how we do it in style at The Trafford Centre? Remember to look up while you’re in the Orient, to spy Santa and his sleigh streaking through the sky!

Let me know what you think of our Christmas lights – any favourites?

Light Fantastic Facts!

WOW – 30,000 Christmas baubles from Finland have been hung around the Centre

GEMS – More than 6,500 sparkling jewels will be glittering into the New Year

CRYSTAL – 5,000 crystal droplets have been polished for the display

HOLLY – 58,000 holly leaves have been used

LIGHT - 280,000 LED light bulbs will shine, using a third of the electricity of the old tungsten bulbs

HUGE - In all, the Centre has strung up more than 10,000m of lights

GOLD – 300m of gold-plated poles hold the decorations in place

ICE – 3000 icicles sprout from balconies and stairways

GIANT – 1,000m of Christmas garland will be used

CRAFTED – The enormous 10 metre Christmas tree has 1,100 branches, individually applied!

Undecided what to buy for the fashionista in your life? Look no further than our pick of the most stylish Christmas gifts

Make sure she stands out on the dancefloor in this beautiful dress from Karen Millen.

Karen Millen pink ruffle strapless dress £180

Cosy and bang on trend, the camel coat is on every woman’s wish list this Christmas.

Gavilan camel coat £139 from MANGO

These leopard print gloves are very this season and practical too, making them the perfect stocking filler.

Leopard print gloves £40 from John Lewis

Invest in a gift she’ll use again and again. This is one of Radley’s most popular styles, so you can’t go wrong.

Radley Grosvenor clutch £129

Whatever her age, shape or personal style, good tailoring is a must-have in her wardrobe. Show off your fashion credentials with this smart number from River Island.

Black jacket £39.99 from River Island

Ah, the joys of Christmas… We all strive to bring the perfect festive ambience into our home and everywhere we look everyone seems to be making it look so easy! If it’s not Nigella oozing over Christmas gingerbread cookies in the middle of the night, then it’s Jamie bashing together Christmas pud sundaes at the drop of a hat.

If the pressures of rustling up a winter stew at the last minute when the neighbours pop round or having a constant pot of mulled wine bubbling on the hob weren’t bad enough then it’s not surprising that we might all get a little bit ho humbug in response to the pressures of this idealistic time of year.

Creating the perfect Christmas cheer, ensuring we look our festive best, and then along comes the little added pressure of what decoration scheme we’re going to adorn our abode with this festive season!

We all love Christmas but lets face it, it can get a tad stressful so here at Trend Watch we’ve been busy doing the hard work for you and we’ve found a trend that will bring some Christmas zest into your home… ‘colour me happy’!

Colourful Christmas from a range at British HOME Stores

This trend is all about high energy brights with a bold and vivid colour palette. British HOME Stores has embraced this colour revolution with a riot of turquoise, cerise and emerald. Other stores to look out for include M&S Home, Habitat and Selfridges.

And if you’re looking for something a little bit different then HomeSense is a treasure trove of unique finds like these quirky tree decorations.

Good enough to eat: Candy tree ornaments from HomeSense

For decorations for the tree there’s a range of decoupage baubles with retro prints and colourful wreaths we’ve picked a few of the best in our gallery below. This is a trend that you can really have some fun with so don’t be afraid to experiment, the more splashes of colour and sparkle at this time of year the better.

Some of our favourites...

This year we love how some of our favourite gourmet hang outs have put a creative twist on the traditional Christmas turkey with all the trimmings.

We’ve poured over the best of the festive menus in the Centre to find something a little bit different and a scrumptious tasting session found some amazing results! Christmas pizza anyone?

Christmas pizza was on the top of our tester list on the EST Christmas menu, which we would never have imagined trying for our Christmas meal in the past, but topped with turkey, pancetta and fresh cranberries it was gorgeous and left our mouths watering.

Festive falafel: A delicious falafel burger from Gourmet Burger Kitchen

The seasonal speciality from Gourmet Burger Kitchen is the luscious fresh venison burger with spiced redcurrant and cranberry sauce, salad and relish. We rounded off with the appetising turkey and chestnut fajitas at Las Iguanas, we only wish these were on the menu all year round.

Don’t even get us started on the desserts!

We realised Christmas doesn’t have to be the usual every year and there are so many delicious alternatives. So why not try something different? If you’re like us, with many great unusual choices out there, why not try absolutely everything… it is Christmas after all!

Do you know a proper beauty junkie? Someone who has to try the latest products and is always on the hunt for the ‘perfect’ shade of lipstick? Then make her Christmas with one of our top 5 beauty gifts.

This is not only a palette of colours that will suit any skintone, it’ll be a stylish addition to her handbag too.

Dior Minaudiere £59 from Debenhams

Containing six bath ballistics, this makes a great gift for the family to share and the gold box can be re-used afterwards to keep other products in. There’s a mix of festive treats and all year ones, to suit everyone’s taste. Follow this star to Lush to make all your Christmas dreams come true!

Lush Christmas star gift box £19.95

Five of Elemis’ anti-ageing skincare hero products, which protect and nourish skin from day into night. This gift set includes the new award winning Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser

Elemis perfect pro-collagen set £65 from Selfridges

This gorgeous palette and makeup bag is issued every Christmas in strictly limited numbers. And it always sells out. It’s a must-have for girls on the go.

Trish McEvoy The Voyager £61 from Selfridges

It’s been noted in the office that anyone who trys Liz Earle skincare becomes a long-term addict to the brand. And is it any wonder? Delivering clean, soft and radiant skin for everyone, Cleanse & Polish produces outstanding results on every age and skin type.

Liz Earle cleanse and polish starter kit £13 from John Lewis

As the temperature plummets and the wind starts howling, a girl needs to keep warm, but without losing her sense of style. The Trafford Centre is full to the brim of gloves, scarves and hats, so you’re spoilt for choice. But to make your task that little bit easier, we’ve picked out five of the best.

We love the trend for animal-inspired headgear, such as this cute bear style hat.

Soul Cal hat £9.99 from Republic

Our appetite for animal print shows no sign of abating, especially when it comes to winter woollies.

Animal cut-off gloves £12 from Accessorize

Keep your ears warm without the dreaded hat hair with a pair of cosy earmuffs.

Earmuffs £11.95 from John Lewis

The snood has become a must-have accessory from the catwalks to the high street. Embrace the trend for faux fur with this stylish number.

Faux fur snood £25 from Marks & Spencer

Brighten up any winter outfit with a bright scarf, we like this one which comes in purple, cream, taupe and black, so you can match it perfectly to your favourite coat.

Lurex weave scarf £20 from Oasis