Will somebody please tell us: where has October gone? It hardly seems any time at all since we were welcoming in the new month and now it is almost over. Sadly this October hasn't lived up to its' reputation for giving us a final fling of summer; it's been mainly damp, grey and not particularly warm.

We've reached Halloween and soon the Christmas decorations will be going up around town. Who would have thought, back in March, that we would still be in the clutches of the dreaded Covid19 and that the upcoming holiday season could be very different from any we have celebrated before?

Things have definitely changed for everyone and we may never get back to the reality we used to know and love. But we can surely create a new kind of life, taking the best bits from pre Covid times and combining them with new ways of living to keep us all happy, safe and healthy.

Victoria Lane Fashions has continued to trade, albeit in a different way, with our loyal customers coming to visit us regularly to take a look at our new stock. This month they (and us) had to navigate the road works in Kings Road while the electricity cables were being repaired, which was fun!

With more Autumn and Winter deliveries this month we have had to reorganise the stock. We now have all our rails back in the shop and have moved the clothes around to make it easier for our customers to find exactly what they are looking for.

If you haven't been to one of our recent fashion shows please do take a look at our invitation later in this newsletter or on the Events page on our website. We would love to see you here in the shop, enjoying an exclusive viewing from our in-house model.

We welcome another new collection for you this month - Leo & Ugo, by Léo Guy of Paris. This knitwear house creates exciting and affordable fashion, perfectly suited to our customers' tastes. We've brought in a small range of sweaters this Autumn to introduce the brand and whet your appetite for the future.

Lebek have sent us two new down free jackets and a padded winter coat which we're sure you'll love. The Gucci looking print with a plain navy reverse and the pink and grey herringbone print with plain grey reverse jackets are both made using the manmade fabric 'Down Optic' which keeps you incredibly warm. The great winter quilted navy coat with faux fur collar and hood has poppers and a zip to keep out any draughts.

New this season are three practical pairs of jeans by Brax. Look for Skinny Spice with elasticated waist in bi-stretch mid denim blue. Our favourite trouser shape, Mary, comes in a new printed premium soft fabric in mid denim colour and lastly Skinny Shakira now available in Sensation, a super stretch mid denim colour.

You may have noticed a new word floating around the world of fashion this autumn -coatigan. It's been with us for a couple of years but this autumn has been adopted by many of the best known fashion brands and is making a name as a fashion essential.

Find out more here Read more

Imagine receiving your own personal invitation to a select and intimate fashion show. A fashion show which is so exclusive that you would be one of just four people in the audience; a fashion show where you can choose who joins you in the room at the show and a fashion show where the clothes being modelled would be selected to reflect you and your fellow members of the audience.

We have always believed that the best way to bring our clothes to life and demonstrate the different ways they can be put together is by holding regular fashion shows. With Covid19 restrictions still in place we have worked hard to find a safe way to achieve this and are happy that we have done so.

We are now delighted to invite you to join us at a select, intimate and safe fashion show on a day and at a time to suit us all. The shows will take place during November and are by appointment only.

For your part you will need to invite up to three other people to join you at the show; don't worry, we can separate the chairs to maintain social distancing if necessary. Then call the shop 01423 709 267 to arrange the day and time for your show. We will do the rest.

Each show will last for approximately 30 minutes and the shop will remain exclusively yours for up to one hour after the show to give you and your friends the opportunity for a relaxed look at the clothes and to try them on if you want.

In return, we do ask you to pay a deposit of £10 per person for the show; however, this is redeemable against any purchase made at that show.

So which of your friends are you going to invite to join you for this very exclusive opportunity?

This month we thought we would concentrate on posts to our Instagram account which has the largest number of followers of our social media accounts. We are very grateful to everyone who takes the time to read our messages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and even more so when they leave a comment on the clothes we feature.

We're still looking for ideas of what you would like to see in the future. Do you want images of clothes from one fashion brand at a time or would a mix of several brands give you more ideas for creating a mix and match wardrobe? Do let us know as we want our social media posts to be of interest to both our loyal customers and to attract new people to the world of Victoria Lane Fashions.

Here are some of the things we've been talking about in October:

1 October

Remember those boxes from last week? Well inside one of them we found this lovely blue collection from Rabe. One of our top selling brands, Rabe always comes up with interesting designs in stripes and overprints which fit perfectly into any wardrobe. Here are two of the sweaters we found.

2 October

Rabe's new autumn collection uses cerise pink and black with highlight stripes and prints. Some designs are brilliantly retro, taking us back to the 60s. Here are two of the sweaters in the collection.

6 October

Our 4th new collection by Rabe is also a new colour for Autumn - brandy. Highlighted with navy the colouring goes equally well with denim or classic navy separates.

7 October

Cosy knitted coatigan from White Label. Goes with so many different colourways it will quickly become a staple in your wardrobe.

9 October

Classic black dropped sleeve long line gilet from Faber. Shown here with Faber sweaters in winter blue and burnt orange.

13 October

How does the same sweater worn by the same model look so different? Part of our new Kris autumn collection whose brand strategy features plain colours and simple lines combined with intricate and varied stitching.

16 October

Striking black and red jersey twin set from Habella. A great layering combination for the cooler days.

23 October

Here is a super new black coatigan by Faber. Great stud detail on the sleeves and body turn it from a contrast over-piece to an exciting and stylish must have jacket. Shown over a Faber sweater in winter blue.

24 October

Another signature outfit by Kris. Greys and creams, a great understated colour match. The sweater has clever stitching detail in each colour block. Don't forget the knitted jacket for extra warmth and a perfect foil for both winter brights and muted colours.

( click any of the logos to follow us )

We do hope you enjoy our monthly newsletter. Would any of your friends or family also like to receive a copy?

Why not point them in the direction of our website (www.victorialanefashions.co.uk/mailing-list) where they can complete the application form, the first step of a two stage process. Their welcome email will have full details of how to confirm their registration and once they have done that they will be on our monthly mailing list.

Obviously you and they can cancel the membership at any time. Just send an email to enquiries@victorialanefashions.co.uk and put 'Newsletter cancellation' in the subject line.

Please note:

Due to the new Data Protection laws we are only allowed to send our subscribers a copy of the newsletter if they have:

• Completed a registration request
• Responded to the confirmation email they receive

We can also reassure you that your data is safe with us; we don't pass any details on to anyone!