Every year, the Harrods Winter Sale is one of the main highlights of December. Going down to the launch has been a yearly ritual for me, for five years running now. I have very fond memories of seeing Mr Al Fayed coming out to shake the hands of customers waiting out in the queues, including mine, when he was the owner. Years ago, I simply went there as a big fan and customer of the luxury department store.

My life as a blogger has changed enormously in the last 18 months. Actually, it’s not just my life as a blogger that has changed – my entire life has changed and I am now a full-time fashion blogger. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with so many incredible brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Liberty, Selfridges and Victoria Beckham, and am very fortunate to have been featured in Tatler twice in the past year as well as a few other leading publications. It’s a very good feeling to be recognised and appreciated for the work you do. The best feeling in the world. Harrods is another brand I deeply love, so it felt delightfully special when I received an official invite to join them in attending the launch and sale. I felt the butterflies in my stomach.

During the morning of the sale, an hour before the launch, it was already packed with eager customers hoping to get their hands on some designer bargains, and some excellent fragrance gift sets. The queues went around the block. It was a lovely winter morning – thank goodness it didn’t rain.

I stood outside a stage shortly before 10am where performers from Cirque du Soleil treated us all to a spectacular performance combining gymnastic, dance and musical extravaganza. I recorded it on video which you can see below. Please watch it in 720p mode for the highest video picture quality.

VIDEO:

They were truly a delight to watch. After the show, a member of staff took me around inside the store where I was treated to some breakfast.

Then I went to have a look around and indulged in a bit of shopping – after all, how can you go to the Harrods sale and not buy anything? I picked up some little presents for my parents because they mean the world to me. There was an enormous demand for cut-price luxury handbags and an even bigger one for perfumes. Even when I had left 5 hours later, there was a queue outside and thankfully the waiting time was not long.

SLIDESHOW AND GALLERY:

I am extremely grateful to Harrods for inviting me, and for even going as far as picking me up from my home then dropping me back again, by car. It was a magical day and one I won’t forget. I think it is wonderful that everyone who works there take so much pride in what they do.

If you follow me on Twitter then you probably know that I interviewed Gok Wan a few weeks ago, exactly one day before Specsavers’ Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards. It took place at the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and was good fun. The video is now online (see below) and is about 22 minutes long. I hope you enjoy it. Gok and Specsavers support Kidscape which is a charity offering help to child victims of bullying. So I had asked him some questions about his involvement, followed by some random questions connected to his life and the world of fashion.

After the interview, he took my Gorillapod (flexible camera tripod), and made it into a pair of spectacles. Pretty funny although I am pretty certain that is not what a tripod is for Gok, haha.

Thank you Gok and Specsavers for the lovely afternoon!

Now in its 24th year, the most fashionable and inspirational show returns in a little over two weeks’ time. The Clothes Show Live 2012, in association with Suzuki, will be open to the public on 7th December until 11th December in Birmingham. A few days ago I met up with the Clothes Show Live team during a breakfast meeting. It was an opportunity to learn more about the show, meet Daisy Lowe and Grace Woodward which was pretty incredible. It was all very relaxed and informal. Everyone was busy chatting away as they ate breakfast. Daisy was absolutely lovely and gave me a kiss on both cheek as we greeted each other. I have always been a big fan and each time I have met her, she always has the biggest grin. Grace was a darling. I interviewed her, shot it all on video and will be putting it up in a few days.

During the five days at The Clothes Show Live there will be catwalk shows, celebrities, designer guests, makeovers, champagne bars and over hundreds of fashion and beauty brands to shop from. If that isn’t enough, there will also be an enormous 5,500 seat fashion theatre performance showing you the very best of the country’s best design talent and Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model Live.

I went down to the Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model Live show last year when it was in London and really enjoyed it. I had been told by friends that the Clothes Show live is even better, and now to find that it is combining with BINTM Live, it is going to be really quite amazing. Bigger!

Now, the reason why Daisy Lowe was at the breakfast meeting with us is because she will be the face of this year’s show. She will be modelling in each performance in the Suzuki Fashion Theatre on Friday 7th December, which will be hosted by Grace Woodward and Henry Holland. I have learnt that boy band JLS will perform a series of live DJ sets on Monday 10th December, so if you are a fan, this may be for you.

Zara Martin (DJ/model and star of Sky Living’s Show Me Your Wardrobe) will present the Diet Coke Image Catwalk in association with Company magazine. It will showcase the autumn and winter High Street collections as well as final year collections from fashion students.

The Style Studio will introduce you to some of the leading stylists and industry experts, and there will be workshops on all things connected to fashion for those looking for a career in the fashion industry. It will include a Q&A sessions with designer Mark Fast, singer and lover of ethical fashion VV Brown, Zainab Vandu-Chikolo and industry expert Caryn Franklin.

Peter Andre, Amy Childs and Gemma Collins will also make an appearance to promote their latest collections, and Sam Faiers will introduce her new book. If you are a fan of Lauren Goodger then you will be pleased to know that she will also be there, hosting the stand for her beauty brand Lauren’s Way.

If you need tickets, you can get them at www.clothesshowlive.com. I am definitely heading down there!