Cheering our spirits after winter, few things delights the soul like the first hint of warmth to the sun’s rays, a purple and yellow crocus patch peeping up through the earth –and Spring fashion!

Bonnets and parades may be sadly few and far between these days, but the ancient tradition of new clothes at Easter lives on. With the spirit-cheering arrival of Spring comes the desire to cast off the gloom of winter and freshen your wardrobe with something colourful and new, be it crisp new whites, bolds and brights or candy-coloured pastels.

But what about that eternal dilemma of Spring fashion – how to dress for the sunshine when there’s still frost on the ground? Check out our brilliantly big, beautifully bright knitwear, or fabulous felt jackets for the answer to trans-seasonal dressing. When layering is key, our generously styled designs can be combined to create a unique layered look (what European designers call ‘lagenlook’) that’s versatile and different. A razzberry to conventional plus size clothing and large size fashion!

Scarlet, vermilion, firecracker… as we welcome in the Chinese Year of the Tiger, our newest clothing collection is a celebration of red. Red is one of the luckiest colours in Chinese tradition, and at this time of year sweethearts often exchange red underwear to ward off bad luck. Wearing red on the outside is even better however, or so we like to believe!

From fabulous felt jackets and easy-to-wear knitwear to directional tops, trousers and skirts in flowing cotton jersey, each piece is generously styled to flatter confident and independent women of all shapes and sizes. British-made designer originals that give a razzberry to conventional plus-size fashion!

January. Not exactly the most wonderful month at the best of times, defined as it tends to be by freezing midwinter weather, post-Christmas skintness and the physical fallout of festive over-indulgence. Add to that the daily media barrage of pending economic catastrophe, and it’s a wonder we aren’t all leaping lemming-like off the nearest cliff.

Well, bugger that for a game of soldiers. Forgive us for coming over all Churchillian, but what good is it to crumble in times of crisis? Instead of lying under the duvet in a fug of pointless worry, we’re resolving to look on the bright side. Take the lyrics to Ian Dury and the Blockheads’ Reasons to be Cheerful - ‘something nice to study, phoning up a buddy, being in my nuddy’ – as a starting point for inspiration. Or check out Optimistworld.com, with its dedication to heart-warming stories from the discovery of a new species of multi-coloured frog in Cambodia to the delight of the Lebanese farmer who’s unearthed the world’s heaviest potato. The bigger picture doesn’t have to be so grim either, if you choose to view it in terms of opportunity for change: the shift in focus away from material gain to family, friends and other things that actually matter, the realisation that little luxuries can bring as much pleasure as great ones. And in celebration of the affordable treat… you knew it was coming!… we’re offering discounted prices on all our current ranges while stocks last.

January doesn’t last forever, and after every downturn comes a bounce back. So stay positive, keep smiling and curl up with a cuppa – it’ll be over before you know it.

The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness brings with it the chance to revel in rich autumnal colours - berry, jewel, call them what you will. But there’s one colour above all which heralds the arrival of this season more triumphantly than any other, looking more beautiful in soft gold autumn light than at any other time of year: the colour purple.

Love it or hate it - and you can probably guess which side of the fence we jump down on - it’s a colour that draws attention and inspires emotion. Indeed, according to the proud, brazen and beautiful Shug Avery in the Alice Walker novel which took its name from the quote, “it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it”. In ancient times the rarity and expense of the dye - more precious than gold - made it the divine cast of kings, emperors, clerics and mystics. Still today it isn’t a colour for the ordinary Joe. So what of those who dare to wear it?

As well as the intoxicating whiff of wanton luxury, purple hints at a defiance of convention in those who wear it; eccentricity, even, as in Jenny Joseph’s Warning (”When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me, And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves, And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter“). Purple can be soft and pretty or deep, dark and mysterious - but at its bright, brave and brilliant best it is always a statement. And those who make that statement are those who know what they like, like what they wear and don’t give a fig - a purple, luscious fig - what anyone else might think of it.

So in a celebration of purple and purple people everywhere, we’re putting some of our favourite purple pieces on special offer - click through the links below. Enjoy!

Degas Jacket and Torino Jacket in aubergine wool acrylic, £69.95Toscana Jacket in purple cotton corduroy, £69.95Milano Jacket in rich velvet, £49.95

Jazz Jacket Original in fabulous felt, £49.95

Cezanne Dress in faux suede, £79.95

NEW! Raphael Blouse in royal purple powdertouch £59.95

NEW! Rainbird Top in lavender wool acrylic £69.95

Perhaps like a lot of independent retailers, we’ve been watching BBC2’s Mary Queen of Shopswith interest but also with mixed feelings. Mary Portas is clearly quite the dynamo and deserves respect for her straight-talking nous, her excellent haircut and her enviable collection of statement jewellery. However, you can’t help but feel for the shop-owners being steamrollered into submission for the sake of good TV. For while surrendering to ‘those who know best’ - be it Trinny and Susannah, Sarah Beeny or Mary Queen of Shops – may make you more of a success, there’s something depressing about having to conform to convention in order to do so. The thing about personal taste, good or bad, is surely that it’s part of what makes the person.

So, as we begin to plan the overhaul of our own beloved emporium, one thing’s certain: not for us the identikit ‘shop, 2008′ look of blonde wood floors, minimalist rails and a feature wall papered with ironic chintz. All we can say is that it’ll involve scaffolding, ladders and lots of pink paint. And the revolution will not be televised – so maybe it’s time to plan a visit?