Behold the 2013 M&S AW13 campaign shot by Annie Leibovitz. They brought out the big guns didn't they? So who have we got here: Helen Mirren, Ellie Goulding, Katie Piper, Grace Coddingon (the flame haired beauty), Tracy Emin, Karen Elson, Nicola Adams. It's like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy except Actress, Singer, Artist, Boxer - and a gold medallist to boot.

Well, what can I say? I love it.

I frequent M&S to buy my pants (not my bras - Bravissimo all the way) but rarely do I venture there for clothes. I pass through the racks and routinely feel....uninspired. The worry that comes with the "best stuff" on offer is that everyone will be wearing it because the "best stuff" is so few and far between. But glancing my eyes over the shots for the latest campaign, not only have M&S nailed the new season looks (leather, pink, tartan) they have showcased them on women of all ages making them instantly accessible and wearable.

What will left to be seen is if M&S have got their supply chain right and bought enough of the "best stuff" in the first place or whether just the larger stores will be serviced with the gems leaving the dregs for the smaller stores thus pissing women off who have been fashion-penalised due to their geographical location. But then again, there's always online (click here for M&S website)

With a supplement in the September issue of Vogue, M&S have upped their fashion credentials and with the canny mid August press sweep they are leaps and bounds ahead of other retailers in the AW13 new season rush to secure consumer spending power.

Job well done M&S, job well done. Now Karen Elson - hand me those leather leggings.

You've guessed it...more tea...

My love for tea is well documented. Now a teetotaller tea has risen to the top of my drinks cabinet. It has been known that I order a tea on a night out from time to time. A couple of months ago I was working on my Wardrobe Angel Social Media Strategy (read: losing time in the Twitter vortex) I entered a competition to win some tea and I WON!!! I was the lucky recipient of some very awesome tea from Melissa the owner of Choi Teas.  

When my Chinese tea arrived - heaven. Beautifully packaged with instructions on how to brew I couldn't wait to get the kettle on. In my box I received: wild green tea, chrysanthemum flowers and giant flowering tea bulbs (personal fave). First up - the tea bulbs. Disregarding the mugs in my kitchen cupboard, I cracked out some china (an Xmas present that had been waiting for an occasion to rise to) and set to...

Visually arresting non? They literally bloom before your eyes! In the bumph Melissa sent one of the quotes is "few teas have the glamour of Choi Time's range," and it's true. Such an awesome idea for a dinner table decoration - china, water and flowers - simple yet abundantly decadent. Or simply if you need a bit of low-key drama in an otherwise average day - sling one of these in a cup and away you go!

Then there's the health benefits as well: caffeine free, aids digestion and can purify the skin. These sets would make a great xmas gift/stocking filler so get yourself over to the Choi Time website and fill your cart; December will be here before you know it. 

Business Growth? Yes please!

Kudos to those working in their community, for their community, to further their community

 Jocy Hunter of Business Growth Calderdale

When I was thinking about starting The Wardrobe Angel (TWA) I bought "Starting a Business for Dummies" but no amount of reading can prepare you for the leap of faith you have to summon when you strike out for yourself. When people ask me how it felt to give up my "proper" job and start out on my own I always say it's like toppling over a cliff, hanging onto a cliff edge with your fingernails and waiting...do I stay or do I go? You don't know what's beneath you, or what's going to catch you but you can't stay on the cliff edge forever so you just have to let go and trust in yourself that you will survive. 

One organisation that has helped me beyond belief has been Business Growth Calderdale (BGC). I happened upon them last October when TWA was 15months old - still a start-up and still finding my feet. It was just one of those random afternoon surfing the Grand Old World Wide Web and boom! Suddenly I had a meeting arranged with Jocy (Head Honcho at BCG) about getting a business mentor. For me the vital tool has been the mentoring scheme. I sit down once a month with my business mentor, Dawn, and without a shadow of a doubt she has focused my mind, aligned my business thinking with my career and personal goals and helped me strategize my business, month on month, quarter on quarter. I often joke that Jocy should start a dating website because she was responsible for 'matching' Dawn and I! 

So....we have the who, now the where, what and why. The What - BGC is a scheme which helps businesses overcome obstacles to their continue success, it's all about identifying the barriers, knocking them down and letting business thrive, in turn increasing profit, in turn creating jobs . 

The Where is in Calderdale - the scheme is a pilot which is now being copied by Leeds City Region. Lucky Yorkshire folk, aren't we?! The Why happens to be because of EU funding (I know! And you thought they did nowt!). Started in April 2011, BGC kicked in like a defibrillator sending a shock to an ailing heart and started seeing results in October 2011. The project runs until March 2014 and council worker bees are gathering evidence to show how and why the scheme has worked in order to secure more funding. Jobs is one of the measuring tools used: with advice and mentoring from BGC 1 firm safeguarded all their employees jobs. Other companies have stopped doing low profit work and have started driving higher profit as a result of BGC intervention. 

All in all a bloomin grand scheme doing excellent work (and providing work!) in my manor! Maybe you should take note, George Osbourne - the solution to fixing the economy may be closer to home than you think. 

For the BGC website click here and for BGC Twitter click here