Fashion Contrast

the worlds of fashion and high finance rarely overlap. This however is one incident where they did, and the results are nothing if not surprising.

As a designer Louise Goldin has caught a lot of eyes as her career has developed. Not least of these were those of the panel of judges for the coveted Coutts Fashion Forward Award. To mark the receipt of this Goldin was commissioned to make a very special dress – entirely out of paper.

The symbolism of making a dress from paper in this context is powerful. On the one hand the material, paper, reflects the work of the sponsor. Wealth management is paper shuffling, and for the most part the material stuff of this craft is paper, it is gilts and bonds. And then we come to the creative aspect.

Paper as a medium is where all designers start – perhaps the primitive childish joy in making paper clothes for dolls, creating beauty from the basest elements. There is a certain atavistic passion that this evokes, along with a celebration of all that goes with it.

Coutts and Co. are a private bank specialising in such activities as capital investment.

The world of online retail has certainly shaken up the whole commercial High Street sector in recent years. In most respects, the online experience has revolutionised the way we shop and how we in-turn as consumers are treated. Nowadays, virtually any man and his dog can set up a Google Checkout account and attach an e-commerce plug –in to the back of a WordPress site. The advent of social networks and FB has led to a redefined customer experience, once again putting power back into the hands of the consumers.

With all this new technology, chaos running rampant through the global financial markets and increased competition both on and off the High Street, retailers have been forced to dig deep and offer totally new consumer experience in order to hold on to their traditional customer base: Fortunately, this is great news for shoppers, as retailers are now offering a whole range of discounts and voucher codes if you know where to look…

One such site is Boots Treat Street: An online arm of Boots, offering a whole range of special offers and discounts on selected products and brands. The premise is simple enough – as long as you’ve got a Boots Advantage card you can sign-in to the site and click through to the retailer of your choice and earn valuable points as you spend.

To make it even more attractive, Boots are offering a wide range of offers such as a 15%  New Look discount code, as well as deals on delivery and electrical items. Once you’ve brought your products and taken advantage of any special deals, you’ll also be able to clock up your Advantage points and spend them online with Boots, or at your nearest High Street store.

With so many sites offering unique discount codes and aggregating price services, the online High Street really does provide consumers with an advantage over those shopping in the traditional manner.