This gorgeous green t-shirt is brand new stock and absolutely flying off our shelves. With a glam embellished collar, I’m going to be wearing this soft jersey top tucked into a high waisted skater skirt, out over cropped trousers or layered under a denim shirt.
Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us with how you’d wear it, or what you’re coveting this Wednesday.
Love, Gemma xx
The following post was published here on the Tesco PLC blog by Kevin Grace, Tesco Group Commercial Director, yesterday.
The death toll at the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, at the time of writing, stands at more than a thousand. Such is the scale and horror of the disaster that it has drawn the world’s attention and through the media it has touched customers. They have responded with empathy and deep concern, asking searching questions of their retailers. They want to know that this tragedy will change the industry in Bangladesh. Tesco did not use factories in the Rana Plaza building, but we are all responsible for ensuring we prevent another tragedy.
For the multinational retailers like Tesco who source from Bangladesh, we must help it to change in a positive way, a way which sustains and improves the livelihoods of all those who work in the industry. Some say we should all pull out of the country because conditions are bad, employers exploitative, behaviour entrenched and the route to resolving those issues is too long and complicated to make it a credible prospect. Some argue that by staying in the meantime we are complicit in the exploitation of poor workers to satisfy demand for affordable clothing. The right thing to do, they say, is to leave and only return when standards have improved.
We don’t see it that way, and never have. Nor do the unions who represent workers globally and others who fight for their rights every day. They tell us to stay, but stay and share the responsibility for making the lives of people in our supply chain – who work for us – better and safer. If multinational retailers left, it would damage the industry, the economy and ultimately the people who rely on it. Clothing may still be made because the demand for affordable clothing would remain, but the inspections, commitment, expertise and accountability that big multinational brands bring would go. Conditions would deteriorate not improve, and Bangladesh would be $19bn poorer, a catastrophic reduction for one of the least developed countries in the world which has seen the rate of poverty fall from 57% in 1992 to 31.5% in 2009.
When we chose the market we chose to make a commitment to help it improve, and we have delivered on that commitment. That commitment is mirrored in the principles of the Ethical Trading Initiative, of which we are a founding member. Those principles say that when we uncover poor practice we work to improve it, we do not cut and run. Switching production from country to country when problems surface is not the answer.
Improving standards is slow, laborious work. It needs vigilance, persistence and persuasion. It does pay off – never fast enough for any of us, but it does. We have 54 people in Dhaka whose job is to support and help to improve standards at the 100 garment factories we work with. We do that with our suppliers and try to build relationships which means we can trust them and they us. They don’t try to hide poor practice if they are sure we won’t automatically abandon them if we find any. Nor do we just work with the factory owners either. Some of the most profound impact is on the factory floor so last year we opened a joint Tesco/DFID training academy specifically to show middle and junior managers how higher standards leads to higher productivity – as well as reduced hours and increased wages for all. It is open to any manager, not just the ones supplying Tesco.
We have a long list of checks we make, but improvement is a constant process so we have consistently strengthened our approach whenever we can. Today we are announcing that we will support the multi-stakeholder Accord on Fire and Building Safety, which aims to ensure good practice across the industry’s 5000+ factories. This Accord will be developed into a strong programme with other leading retailers and global unions, with coordination from the UN International Labour Organisation.
But we also want to ensure we are going further and faster with our own supply chain, where our reach and responsibility is greatest. So we’re publishing today our own commitments about how we will do that, including some changes we’ve already made over the last 12 months. They are based on the principles of safety, partnership, transparency and improvement. These commitments apply to all factories we work with in the country.
SAFETY
PARTNERSHIP
TRANSPARENCY
IMPROVEMENT
These are not the sum total of what we can achieve, they are the practical things we can do now, on our own and with others. We hope that discussions on how the Accord should be implemented will enable us all to go further. In the meantime we will continue working hard with our own supply base to make a difference today.
Every February the fashion pack hit the streets for London Fashion Week. This year we joined them to bring you the latest street style looks.
Get Andrea’s look
Space dye beanie, Skater dress, block heel boots
Get Sharna’s look
Pink split back shirt, Daisy skirt, Biker jacket
Get Nicole’s look
Leather jacket, geometric print tunic, scallop edge satchel
Send us your street style snaps!
Love Nic
With London Fashion Week fast approaching and exciting new collections hitting the high street, we’re all in a bit of fashion buzz at F&F HQ. LFW is such an exciting time with all sorts of weird and wonderful looks on and off the catwalk. We thought we would share our worst fashion moments with you!
Thanks goodness the team have found their fashion sense! Share your fashion confessions with us.
Love Nic
A cold and boring January is the perfect time for a spring clean! Whether it’s a wardrobe sort out or you’ve got your heart set on an
interior or DIY project that’s been bugging you for the last 2 years. Usually everyone’s social calendars are looking rather bare at the start of the year so why not spend a weekend de-cluttering your life?
Here are a few pointers to get your started.
If you fancy giving yourself an overall-re-style for 2013 then start with looking at what you already have crammed in your wardrobe. The key here is to be ruthless, make 3 piles, one for charity, one for eBay and one to keep. Anything that you haven’t worn in the last 2 years, you’re probably never going to wear again so be ruthless and get rid of it. Remember anything you want to sell on eBay needs to be in fairly good condition.
If you find you always buy clothes but never have anything to wear, then try shopping for investment pieces like a good fitting pair of jeans, a smart jacket, a striped tee, ballerina pumps or classic riding boots. When you sell your old stuff on eBay you can use the money towards investment wardrobe items.
Shop our Inspire Me page for new season fashion inspiration.
Sorting out knotted jewellery can be a bit of a nightmare, so why not get creative and display all your trinkets and treasures on a
dressing table or bedside. Check out our jewellery stands and boxes for a pretty way to organise your jewellery. If space is an issue then hang your necklaces on a wall and frame them with a quirky picture frame.
Hot pink jewellery tree £8.00, Bird jewellery stand £18.00, Small jewellery tree £7.00, Sequin jewellery roll £10.00, Faux leather jewellery box £14.00, Glass jewellery box £10.00
When it comes to interior style start by creating an online pin board with Pinterest, collect images that you find inspiring and before you long you’ll have a mood board to start working from. Perhaps you fancy making a feature wall in the living room, or you’re big on style but your home is low on storage space? Having visual images will help you focus on creating your perfect space. Start keeping a box of things you no longer use, old crockery or a picture that you’re never going to put up. Anything you sell on eBay or at a car boot sale will give you money towards your new furniture or accessories.
Check out more stylish home ideas from tescodirect.com.
I have recently de-cluttered and managed to make £50 by selling stuff on eBay, here are my favourite picks from F&F.
Mid
wash super soft jeans £14.00
Share your ideas and thifty tips with us!
Love Nic
Like many of us this January, we’re making New Year resolutions. After the indulgent month of December we all want to detox and lose weight in January. The key is to make smaller realistic lifestyle changes. Here are the F&F team’s top tips for New Year fitness!
Susannah, Website Editor
Apps are a brilliant alternative to a personal trainer – Nike Training Club takes you through various workouts depending on your goals and your fitness level, and you earn bonus workouts as you rack up the minutes. The new Davina app looks promising too.
Sunipa, Trainee Web Trading Manager
Try on an old dress and aim to fit in to it again. It’s good to have a goal when you want to drop a dress size. Drink 3 pints of water at work and eat lots of fruit, veg and lean meat. Try and use meat alternatives as a low fat option.
Keep a pedometer on you all day long to ensure you walk more than 10,000 steps a day.
Laura, Copywriter
I would recommend drinking plenty of water, join classes like Zumba which make exercise fun and try to go with a friend so you can motivate each other to go!
Kim, Campaigns Manager
My top tip would be that you don’t have to make huge changes or revolutionise your life all on the first day – just commit to making one small change per week that you can stick to 100%.
I know my husband’s top tip would be to track what you eat and how much exercise you’re doing using the ‘myfitnesspal’ app / website (myfitnesspal.com). He has lost over 25kg this year using that to keep him on track!
Debs, Menswear Merchandiser
My husband’s a personal trainer so these are his top tips.
1. Set a realistic fitness goal
The New Year is here, and one of the top resolutions made every year is to finally lose weight, start exercising and get in shape.
Unfortunately for many, those good intentions soon fizzle out – 88% of people who make a New Year’s resolution fail. This is down to their goal being unrealistic. Your fitness program should fit in with your lifestyle.
Keep this in mind when setting your exercise goals, if you know you’ll be miserable jogging at the gym, plan to get your cardio by
jogging around your local area, walking the dog or cycling to work.
2. Make exercise part of your routine
Pencil it in on your calendar, program it into your phone and stick to it just like you would any other important appointment. For best results, you may find that exercising at the same time and on the same days each week helps you stay on track.
3. Make exercise convenient
You should see exercise as an enjoyable part of your day, a time you look forward to. You are less likely to keep this up if you have to travel a long way to the gym before you even start your workout.
To make exercise as convenient as possible, pick a gym that is very close to your home or place of work. If you’re a morning
exerciser, pack your gym bag the night before so you can grab it and go in the morning. If you exercise after work, bring your bag with you to the office so you can stop at the gym on your way home.
4. Fit in exercise where you can
Life is busy, so even with the best intentions your workouts may sometimes get side tracked by travel, work or kids. On the days
when you don’t have time for a regular workout, squeeze in some exercises on the sly. For instance exercise doesn’t have to be done in a 45-60 minute block, get off the bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way to work or back home.
5. Reward yourself each month
Set your realistic goal each month and once you reach that goal stop to give yourself a great big pat on the back. Reward yourself for achieving your goal by treating yourself to something like a massage, a meal out or a new piece of clothing to show off your new fit physique. This will keep you motivated and striving to reach your next exercise milestone.
We would love to hear your successful resolutions. Share your fitness tips with us.
Speedo Stop Watch £35.00
Shock Absorber Run Sports Bra £37.00
Proskins Active Women’s Leggings £34.00
F&F Basic Trainers £7.00
F&F Active Cycling Top £20.00
F&F Active Padded Cycling Shorts £18.00
Shop the latest F&F Active range now.
Party season is a great excuse to try out a new beauty trend or product. We’ve all had those make up mishaps, whether you’ve got lipstick on your teeth, gone overboard on the bronzer or lost half of your false nails. Perhaps you’ve learned from these mistakes and now you prefer a more natural look or maybe you still love full on glamour.
Here’s some of our very own beauty finds for the party season. What are your beauty secrets?
Day to Evening Galaxy Glow highlighter £9.50, F&F Vamp £6.50
Christmas Shopping Oil free foundation £7.50, F&F Cherry Jam lip balm £5.00
Christmas Day F&F Promise £6.50, Fever cheek colour £5.00
New Year’s Eve Twilight Pearl metallic eye shadow £6.00, Raspberry Ripple lip gloss £5.00
Share your make-up stories or tips with us.
This time of year is when things start getting a little bit, well, complicated. There are (delete as appropriate) work parties and nativity plays and drinks with the girls and potluck suppers with the in-laws and carol services and team lunches and that’s all before we get to New Year’s Eve!
Here at F&F we can’t help if you’ve burnt the mince pies or forgotten to buy a present for Aunty Mary, but we have found one super flattering, very versatile dress which we think will take you to all the occasions above and beyond.
Stella Morgan dress – £22
Following the F&F Christmas party this week, the team have shared a few hangover cures to help you get through the party season…
What are your hangover cures?
It’s not just us girls who worry about our Christmas party look – men do too! It’s easy for a woman to look different outside of the
office, but how can your man dress up without wearing a formal suit?
This season we have a range of modern jackets available at F&F complete with style tips on how to wear them.
Here are a few of our top tips to get him looking his best at those festive parties. . .
If the invite says black tie then make sure you wear black tie. Don’t try and pull off a smart casual effort or you will feel very underdressed. Less is more: a simple black tux and white shirt is perfect.
Always arrive slightly later than planned; you don’t want to be first one there looking too eager!
If the party has no dress code, opt for jeans in a dark or indigo wash that can be dressed up with a smart jacket. This pulls of smart casual perfectly.
For a smarter occasion swap your regular daytime suit for tailored trousers and a velvet jacket.
Embrace accessories! Mix and match a skinny tie and printed shirt or team tailored trousers with a stylish belt.
See our Party Time feature for more inspiration.
LifeStyled is our blog to share fashion tips, inspiration and the latest from Clothing at Tesco.
