Anyone for tennis (whites)?

Even if you haven’t been following the news, you can tell we’re in the middle of Wimbledon fortnight as the weather has been as variable as usual for this time of year! In Cornwall this week we have had scorching sunshine followed by mist and rain. On centre court however, it seems that the results haven’t been quite as predictable as the weather with our very own Great British Andy Murray still in the running at semi-final stage!

Wimbledon seems to epitomise the Great British traditions of cheering on the underdog while eating strawberries and cream and drinking Pimms while sitting outside in the pouring rain!

While I’m on the subject of traditions, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club where the Wimbledon championships are held still impose a strict dress code for competitors of “all white or at least nearly all white” clothing…

Images (left to right) courtesy of EPA and Tom Jenkins for The Guardian

Luckily this summer white is very much in abundance on the high street as well as in our spring/summer collection!So if you would like to get into the spirit of Wimbledon and embrace the “white or at least nearly all white” instruction (well if it’s good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it’s good enough for us!), here are a few ways you could go about it…
Pure white cheesecloth; you can’t get much whiter! This is one of our best sellers from this season so far so I would suggest being quick off the mark if you want to make sure you can still buy one. The Smocked Cheesecloth Top looks brilliant with a belt to add a touch of colour. We styled it with another of our very popular pieces, the Lariat Suede Belt. This top is a brilliant cover-up for a day on the beach or can be worn as an original take on the sheer trend which is gracing the fashion pages this summer.
OK so the colour of this Sheer Knit Cowl jumper dress is “stone” but I think it passes very well as an alternative to white. I love the large cowl neck and the flattering shape of this dress. If it’s a chilly day, you can comfortably wear it over a long-sleeved summer tee and you can also dress it up by night with the addition of a pair of your favourite killer heels. Ace (gratuitous tennis pun intended…)!
Veering very much towards the “nearly all white” part of the dress code, the Trapeze Hem Top comes in a very attractive “chalk” shade. I love the pretty lace detailing around the neckline which adds a touch of intricate glamour and the top looks great with a pair of jeans for an elegant daytime look. Perfect for supping Pimms!

Topless Tour for CLIC Sargent - 26th June 2011

Last month you might recall I wrote a blog post about the upcoming Topless Tour, a convertible car rally which was going to take place to raise vital funds for CLIC Sargent. Well, after being postponed at the beginning of the month due to some very un-seasonal weather, I am pleased to report that it took place on Sunday – and what a beautiful day to postpone it to! The temperature in Cornwall soared to idyllic summer standards on Sunday and I for one didn’t see a single grey cloud all day!

Many of the staff at Celtic Sheepskin put their hands in their pockets to help out and Charlotte Cole, our HR Manager and Press Officer took part in the Topless Tour and very kindly documented it in photos which I would like to share with you today.

Here’s Charlotte (in the bandana in the top left hand picture) with some of the Topless Tour organisers very early on Sunday morning, getting everything set up for the day ahead…


The Tour started at Hendra Holiday Park on the outskirts of Newquay where Charlotte said the staff and management couldn’t do enough to help with the event. They set up outside Hendra’s swimming pool, in front of their cafeteria and the staff of the park at that section wore CLIC Sargent t-shirts to help promote the morning. With a handful of helpers made up of Newquay Lions and family members, they set up a Tombola stand which raised over £75 and a registration desk for the 22 cars that signed up.

Once all the cars had arrived, they were judged for prizes in different categories including “cleanest car” and “best oldest car”. Each car donated £25 to CLIC Sargent, plus a further £2 for each category they entered their cars into.

Then at around 10.30am, they were off!


In all, 23 convertibles set off in topless convoy on a scenic tour which would hug the north Cornish coastline almost the whole way.

Most of the cars congregated for a picnic lunch at around 12noon at Godrevy Point where there is the most fabulous view of the lighthouse in one direction and St. Ives in the other...
How stunning was the weather!

Charlotte thinks they stayed there for around an hour but in her own words, after sitting in the baking sun, sipping Champagne and eating as much food as she could fit in, clock watching became less important! Very kindly, the National Trust gave the tour vehicles free entry to park in their car park. It was a busy day for staff at Godrevy Point as the sun was out and the surf was pumping, but they happily opened all the fields so that all the topless cars could park together...
After the picnic, the convoy stuck as closely to the coastline as possible although they didn’t travel through St. Ives because of the predicted traffic at this time of year. The cars reached Land’s End by around 2.30pm where they were greeted by a sectioned-off part of the car park to themselves, close to the entrance of the village, once again with free entry to park all the topless cars. Thank you to Heritage GB for this!
All in all it was a hugely successful day; with sponsorship from the Topless Tour cars and donations from everyone the estimated amount raised for CLIC Sargent is over £2000.

Big thanks go out to Alison from CLIC Sargent for her part in the organisation of the Topless Tour as well as the main organisers; Celtic Sheepskin employee, Jos Cole and her husband Andy. They created such a special day which will be remembered by all who took part as a fabulous way to spend a glorious British summer’s day while doing their bit for an incredibly worthwhile cause!

Social Media: How you can interact online with Celtic Sheepskin

On a daily basis, as well as responding to telephone and email enquiries, my role at Celtic Sheepskin involves keeping up-to-date with correspondence on our social media channels. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds it hard now to think of a time before the advent of social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook? Nowadays, with the advances in technology, many people are immersed in an almost 24/7 interactive culture in which we can find out what our friends/followers/connections are doing or talking about at the click of a mouse or the touch of a button.

We have had a Customer Comments page on our website for a while now and it works well as a tool for new customers to learn personal opinions. As well as this, being an ever-evolving company, we have well and truly embraced social media as a key way to talk to you, our customers. As such, I thought you might like to see the ways in which you can interact with us online so that you can get involved too…

1. Customer Reviews

In addition to our Customer Comments page, you might be interested to know that you can read other customers’ reviews and also write your own reviews on the products which you have bought from us.

Each product page has a “Customer Reviews” tab next to the product details tab;

It is really easy to add your own review, and I would wholeheartedly encourage you to do so as it might help other potential customers who are trying to make up their minds by giving them extra confidence in the products they are choosing. The feedback you leave is very valuable to us as well as it helps us to continually improve our products. As a consumer, I like to conduct a bit of research before committing to purchasing something online and the best way I find to do this is to read what other customers think as I know that they will be brutally honest!

2. Facebook

“Like” our Facebook page here



We decided to set up a Celtic Sheepskin Facebook page as an interactive way to communicate with you, our customers. The beauty of Facebook is that it is so easy to post updates, photos and links and just as simple for you to post comments and questions to us. One recent comment about our skirts gave us some constructive food for thought…


We decided not to feature our skirts in the last Autumn/Winter catalogue (only online) because we felt that our designs weren’t quite reflective of the style of our other garments, so it was interesting to read that we were not alone in our opinion. You might be pleased to know that we are now focusing on a new skirt design so watch this space for Autumn/Winter this year!

3. Twitter

Follow us on Twitter here



I have discovered during my exploration into social media that Twitter is used in rather a different way to Facebook; it’s generally about following people and companies with whom you share a common interest to keep in the know about what they are thinking about and offering. Here at Celtic Sheepskin it is a useful tool for sharing a message, for example when we have job vacancies, as our followers can re-tweet (RT) our tweets to their followers. It also lets us know what the cyber-world is talking about as it is possible to see at a glance which topics are ‘trending’ i.e. they are mentioned by a large amount of Twitter users.


4. Blog

Read our other blog posts here



Well you’ve clearly found our blog by now seeing as you’re reading this post! I like to think of the Celtic Sheepskin blog as a depiction of our company ‘voice’, giving you a flavour of what we are interested in and what we stand for as a company. We often highlight relevant products for the season and tie in with current affairs. You can comment on a blog post by scrolling to the bottom of the page and completing the ‘post a comment’ box…


Of course you might prefer to contact us in a more traditional way and so you can find all our contact details here. Whichever method you wish to use, we always love to hear from you!

Festival fashion guide

As I write this I can’t believe that today, 21st June marks Midsummer and the longest day of the year. Looking outside my office window, although the sun is trying to make an appearance, it definitely feels more like spring! The summer solstice marks the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and - here’s a cheery thought – the nights will start to draw out now until the winter solstice on 21st December!

I think the weather is probably quite fitting for this week as Glastonbury Festival starts on Wednesday. I went to the festival a few years ago when the site was a mud bath. I spent most of the time wading through deep mud, trying my best not to fall over!Something that really struck me was the eclectic mix of people who were at the festival. From young children to students to more mature visitors who had been going ever since it started back in the seventies. Even on the rainiest of days, many people still made an effort to look stylish, which surprised me as I wouldn’t have necessarily associated wet weather gear with fashion!

Last year we mentioned in our blog that we felt that festivals should be more about the music and vibe but this year we have succumbed and I think that we should show you what we have to offer. So with memories of Glastonbury on my mind and for those of you who are going to be embracing festival chic, here are a few suggestions of items I think would add a touch of chic to your tent wardrobe;

Waxed Jacket

The waxed jacket has been gracing all the festival fashion pages in recent weeks and our version, the Kelmscott Waxed Jacket, will keep you warm and dry! It is 100% dry waxed cotton so it isn’t heavy either.

Boots

Let’s be optimistic and say you will hopefully not be knee high in mud so the Short Gum Boots will be more than adequate to squelch through any puddles. They look great with skirts and skinny jeans!

T-Shirt

I would say that you need to travel light if you’re camping for 4 nights and this Bamboo Asymmetric Tie Tee won’t take up too much room in your bag . Being bamboo, it is soft and comfortable and even has natural antibacterial properties!

Across-body bag


And finally, the perfect across-body bag for carrying all your essentials; the Sheepskin Bag. I love this because it is compact but practical and enables you to be hands-free so all in all it’s an ideal day bag!

Hopefully the weather will be a bit more seasonal if you are going to Glastonbury or any other festivals this summer but whatever the forecast throws at you, we hope you have fun!

It's Ladies Day!

With Father’s Day just around the corner, it seems strange to dedicate this blog post today to ladies but what would June be if you didn’t have Royal Ascot to coo over? Even if you haven’t been wasting time plundering the internet at all the photos that are popping up, I’d bet you’ve at least seen a glimpse of a lady in a stunning hat on the news or front cover of a daily paper. There’s just no getting away from it, and we don’t mind that one bit!

As we’re based in Cornwall, Ascot isn’t quite close enough to be on everyone’s minds, but browsing on Twitter yesterday it was nice to see a tweet from Marie Claire

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle-galleries/34113/0/royal-ascot-2011-ascot-2011-pics-ascot-hats.html#play “The most scene stealing and extraordinary hats on show at the annual races”.

It’s certainly worth a peek, as gets you in the mood for all those hats, dresses and beautiful shoes…

Were you aware that this year is Royal Ascot’s 300 year anniversary? It makes Celtic Sheepskin’s 21st birthday this year sound insignificant!

Now as this blog always goes, I feel I should bring in a little Celtic Sheepskin magic dust into the equation. Our best hats are usually oversized sheepskin ones but of course this is summer, and unless you’re planning a skiing trip to Australia or New Zealand (lucky you if you are!) then you’ll be more interested in our summer hats. These aren’t as spectacular as those donned at Royal Ascot, but they’re certainly more practical!

Taking them from top-to-bottom are our Palm Trilby Hat, Panama Hat & Cowboy Hat. And be warned, we haven’t many left! In fact, we’ve put in a new order for the Cowboy Hats as they’ve proved so popular.

So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what delights the day brings with up to the minute photos. If you’re not already on Twitter, today may be a good day to start! If you would like to follow us you can find us here (@CelticSheepskin).

SS11 trend: The Obi Belt

Well so much for the start of summer! The weather here in Cornwall at the weekend was inclement to put it mildly. My plan to go clothes shopping was abandoned (I hate going out in the rain!) so instead I enjoyed some online retail therapy. While I was browsing online I came across two articles highlighting one growing trend which is set to be one of THE hot accessory trends of the summer; the Obi Belt. Here it is on Vogue online and Look.co.uk .

You might remember we have produced our very own Obi belt in the past. In fact we have featured it in our catalogues for a good few years so you might even say that because you, our customers, are wearing the Obi Belt more and more, we have contributed somewhat to the start of this trend!

As it is so popular, sadly the Obi Belt is currently out of stock (I will let you know when we have more available). You might not be aware that we offer some belts exclusively on our website, i.e. they don’t feature in our catalogues. So I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to highlight some of these slightly hidden gems! I have specially chosen belts which channel the essence of the Obi Belt; elegant, eye-catching and most importantly waist-cinching to enhance your natural silhouette…

Lisa, our Factory Shop Supervisor, very kindly agreed to model for me so you can get a real idea of how the belts look…

So first up, here is Lisa wearing the Soft Waist belt…
This belt is most definitely designed to be worn around the waist and works brilliantly over a dress or long top to draw attention to the waist area. Lisa is wearing it over the Knitted Vest Top and I think it works really well. The black and white contrast exemplifies another of this summer’s hot looks – monochrome.
For my second selection, Lisa is wearing the Twisted Front Belt…Again I think this is another great option which can transform the look of an outfit. I love the combination of the belt detail with that of the knitted vest top and the width of this belt makes it a good substitute for the Obi Belt.

For something completely different, I like the Lariat Suede Belt…
This 100% British suede belt is amazingly versatile. You can create a different slant to that of the Obi Belt by wrapping it around you in layers and tying it almost like a bow around your waist as Lisa has done here or you can utilise your creative flair and wear it any way that your mood takes you!

Last but not least, if you’re still looking for an Obi Belt, this one comes with a free top (or is it a top with a free belt?!), the Houndstooth Belted Kimono…
I mentioned this top and belt combo in a recent blog post so I won’t go on about it but needless to say at half price down from £70 to £35 this is a real bargain!

There are plenty more belts where these came from. View them all on our website here.

Time to give your Celtic Sheepskin boots a new lease of life?

Following on from Tuesday’s blog post in which I talked about giving your wardrobe a summer makeover, I imagine that some of you might be thinking of putting your Celt boots to the back of your wardrobe for the next few months in favour of toe-baring footwear!

So, rather than forgetting about your favourite sheepskin boots over the summer, I thought it might be a good time to remind you about our fabulous resole service. After all, if your long-loved boots are starting to look a little bit dishevelled, now is the time to be thinking about freshening them up so that when Autumn comes around they are looking as good as new!

For those of you who might not be aware, when your Celtic Sheepskin boots finally start to look as though they have seen better days we can replace the soles of your boots to help prolong their life (and because we have a passion for recycling!). Here is the link to the resole section on our website if you would like more information; http://www.celtic-sheepskin.co.uk/our-environment/repairs-resoles/

For a change, I thought you might be interested to see what happens to your boots when they come to be resoled (and truth be told, I wanted to see as well!). So armed with the camera, I ventured into the factory where I found some willing volunteers to guide me through the resole process…Here we have a pair of Celt knee boots which have clearly been enjoyed by the customer judging by the worn down soles! The customer has kindly machine-washed them which we ask you to do before sending them in.

When they first arrive in the factory, Maria, one of our experienced cutters, checks them over to see if there is any damage to the sheepskin which might need repairing by the sewing team. In this case there isn’t so they are passed over to our gluers.

The soles of the boots are removed so that new ones can be sewn on. One of our gluers, Stu, told me that he has discovered all sorts of things when he has removed soles including corn plasters (yuck!) and a cuddly toy! He didn’t find anything inside this pair though so he hands them back to Maria for the next stage.

With the soles removed, she can now clearly see any damage to the inside of the boots. Here you can see where the heel back has worn down slightly; this will also be replaced as part of the service. Maria then hands the boots to Jo, one of our experienced sewing machinists for the next part of the process…

Jo takes off the old heelback by hand and replaces it with a new one, sewing it carefully on her machine. Then she attaches the new fluffy insole to the base of each boot and trims off the excess wool. The last stage of the sewing process is to apply binding to the boots…

Jo uses a separate binding machine for this and she makes it look so easy! It is a true skill to be able to sew with such dexterity and is very interesting to watch. You can see how the boots look now in the picture above.

Then the boots are taken to Stu in the glue room again…

…where he applies glue to the base of the boot and to the sole. After about 15 minutes (when the glue is ready) he sticks the two together...

After brushing the soles to ensure a clean finish the newly resoled boots are handed to Lucy, one of our checkers, to make sure that they meet our (and of course your!) standards of quality.

After brushing the sheepskin and checking the boots over…Voila!

One lovely looking pair of good-as-new Celt Knee boots. And all for only £35 (plus postage & packing)! Don’t they look great?

As you might expect, our resole service can get very busy in the winter months so I would definitely recommend sending yours in now to be ahead of the game.

Sheepskin: Not just for winter!

I’m sure some of you might be in the process of packing away your winter wardrobe for a few months. I for one have already resigned my winter woollies to the loft and added a seasonal touch to my wardrobe. If you are thinking that your sheepskin boots need to be included in this spring clean, today’s blog post might make surprising reading…

As some of you may have spotted already, our HR Manager & Press Officer Charlotte Cole was quoted in the latest edition of Prima Magazine in a feature entitled “Clever ways to keep your cool” about different ways we can help ourselves to feel comfortable in the summer heat…

It’s true: sumptuously soft, snuggly sheepskin boots really can help to keep your feet cooler in the warmer months! As Charlotte explains in the article, wool reacts to changes in body temperature which helps to keep you warm in the depths of winter and release heat and moisture in the heat of the summer so your feet can feel lovely and cool. Wool has a natural ability to absorb moisture next to the skin meaning it’s an extremely breathable fibre as well.

Speaking personally, my Celt boots don’t ever see the back of my wardrobe as I find that they come in so handy all year round. In our changeable British summer weather, I find they are ideal on a muggy drizzly day as they shield my feet from the rain but don’t feel too warm in the heat. Style wise, I agree that they don’t necessarily work with everything in my summer wardrobe but they work well with leggings or shorts – I roll the tops down on mine to give a different look.

If, however, you’re really not feeling the sheepskin-boots-in-the-middle-of-summer vibe you can still enjoy the comfort and benefits of sheepskin by following Charlotte’s advice and wearing a pair of our Shearling Flip-flops…

The Shearling Flip-flops almost envelope your feet in soft sheepskin as it is stitched onto the sole and nubuck straps. We introduced them last year and they have been popular with our customers so far. Don’t just take my word for it though; here are some customer reviews I have taken from our website…

“These are just beautiful looking shoes and they are super comfortable too. They are exactly the right size and the toe-post doesn't hurt at all, unlike some flip-flops…They are an indulgent treat but I've not regretted spending so much on so little!”

“I have been wearing my shearling flip flops for two days: I know that I will be wearing them all summer! They are so comfortable and look good too.”

“These have to be the most luxurious flip flops available today. Have bought mine as “summer slippers” and they feel almost decadently comfortable!!”

We don’t often mention our menswear on this blog (nothing personal, honest!) but our male readers might be pleased to read that these flip-flops are unisex and go up to a size 12. With Father’s Day coming up in a couple of weeks, maybe you should start dropping hints!

Just in case you haven’t fallen in love with them already, perhaps I can tempt you by letting you know that as well as being comfortable, soft and adaptable enough to wear with anything, they are also machine-washable? So you can make sure that your flip-flops are always in tip-top condition!

Camping in style

Having just enjoyed the last bank holiday weekend for a while, you might, like me, be organising something to look forward to over the next few months. Some of you might be fortunate enough to be jetting off somewhere hot and sunny but for the rest of us we will have to make do with whatever the good ol’ British weather has to throw at us.

Even if the weather isn’t at its best, here in Cornwall there are some wonderful campsites, many of them in a quiet field in the middle of nowhere or overlooking a stunning beach. Camping is one of my favourite ways to spend a summer weekend and I have vowed to try to do it as much as possible this year. I think it’s down to the thought of being ‘at one’ with nature and just getting away from it all (as well as the the desire to consume as many chargrilled burgers as possible!).

When it comes to preparing for a weekend camping, I am terrible at travelling light and have to make and stick to a checklist otherwise I would be tempted to pack my entire wardrobe.

As I’m going camping in a couple of weeks I have started thinking about what I really need to take (probably not my hair straighteners!).

So tent etc. aside, I thought I would share with you my checklist and suggestions for camping wardrobe options…
It’s only a weekend so two tops should be sufficient. The Winged Tie Back Tee is a pretty yet simple top, ideal for daytime activities. I like to take at least one adaptable option, for example this Trapeze Jumper Dress can be worn over jeans or on its own making it ideal for day-to-night wear.

In expectation for at least one downpour over the weekend, this Short Hooded Jacket will keep the rain away but as it is made from Epic® Cotton it won’t cause you to get too hot.
These lovely Gum Boots are so comfy as well as practical. Great for muddy fields and deep puddles! These Shearling Flip-flops are great for lounging around by the campfire or going for short walks to explore your surroundings. They are incredibly comfortable and if they get dirty you can even wash them in the machine!Because everyone needs a hat! This Cowboy Hat will keep the sun off your face and tick the boxes for cowboy chic which is a big trend for summer.As the sun goes down you might need an extra layer. The Helical Shell Knit is soft and light so it won’t take up too much room and it will work really well over the Trapeze Jumper Dress as the scoop at the front complements and draws attention to the waistline.Our popular Tinder Pouch is just about the right size to carry all your essentials and you can wear it across the body allowing you to be hands-free, giving you the freedom to have a drink in one hand and a burger in the other!