Mary Portas: Queen of Knickers!

Mary's Bottom Line: Copyright Channel 4
There is something really compelling about watching Mary Portas on the TV. She's loud, opinionated and will push a cause until you feel duty bound to get on board.

It only seems five minutes since I was watching her rescue JuJu in Brighton, then launch her own range of clothes in House of Fraser, and now, in all the 'downtime' that she gets, she is striving to revive the manufacturing industry in the UK.

Workaholic doesn't seem adequate- this is a woman on a mission. Her crusade to save the high street has been well documented; could she be about to breathe life into an almost dead industry?

Well, she certainly seems to have the workers of Middleton on board, oh and those all important CEO's of the big fashion chains. John Lewis, Liberty, Selfridges and Boots to name but a few.

The editing of those meetings made it look suspiciously easy for Mary to just waltz on in with her knickers. Of course they all loved it, but was it simply because Mary had put her name to it?

Then there are the knickers themselves, which despite all the amazing retro packaging and cheeky slogans actually aren't all that spectacular for £10. Sorry Mary, it's the way it comes across on the TV!

You have to applaud the factory workers, their trainers and the concept, but for me, despite everything, the finished product just doesn't live up to the hype.

I have no trouble in spending money on underwear, but as an impulse buy, £10 is a lot to fork out for knickers which don't look any different to any others on display.

The process behind those knickers will be what make it a success however, and I hope it does, but for now I will be an observer on the sidelines, willing it to succeed, but not by buying the product.

Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags...

Lily Allen & Sarah Owen: Lucy in Disguise
When the promo first came out for the new Lily Allen doc, the lady herself was quick to dismiss its content and even tried to dissuade her fans not to watch.

Well, I'm a fan (of sorts) and I love vintage clothes, so obviously this was something that would spark my interest.

In short, the whole documentary ends up being a weird mish mash of entertainment combined with reality TV, as Lily and her sister Sarah try to get their clothing empire off the ground.

Considering that 'Lucy in Disguise' has now been around a fair while, had a big launch and Lily has suffered unimaginable heartache since this was made, it seems a very odd time to air this documentary.

I can see why she tried to distance herself from it. In the first half an hour she shows that she's absolutely clueless about money and gets it so unbelievably wrong about the average person's spending habits.

Buying beautiful designer vintage is all very well, but when you're charging £300 upwards just to rent the piece for a few days, it shows how out of touch she really is.

To be fair, despite the odd immature outburst and childishness, I liked the way Lily came across. She was vulnerable, approachable and utterly honest about what she now wanted out of life.

How many women in their early twenties would happily turn their back on a hugely successful career for a normal life with a husband and kids?

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series, if only to see if they can actually pull together a business all on their own. Having Mary Portas on hand can't hurt though can it?!

Mary Portas: I Heart You!

Mary Portas- Secret Shopper: Copyright Channel 4
There’s something very compelling about Mary Portas. Whether it’s her severe hair colour and cut or wonderfully bonkers wardrobe, she’s a very watchable person.

I admire her crusades (last night it was better customer service) but when she’s on screen, I have to admit, all I’m thinking about is her blingy accessories or what colour her eyeshadow is.

See, now here’s where it becomes quite shallow- yes, she’s a positive role model, but honestly most women don’t watch for her retail skills, they watch for her ever changing fashion.

I, as I’m sure do many others, love her signature hair cut combined with tailored and trendy clothes, which make the most of her long frame.

It’s no coincidence that websites and magazines are bombarded with news on what Mary’s worn the day after she’s appeared on the box.

Her accessories are particularly praised- again I love the knuckleduster ring and statement necklaces she sports; she’s become a slightly unlikely style icon.

If you can’t get enough of Mary either, the good news is she’s on for the next few weeks stepping up her campaign for improved customer service.

Next week looks hilarious, but while that’s meant to be the focus, I can already see my mind wondering to where she’s got her boots from...

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings: Best show ever?!

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings: Copyright Channel 4
I am loving Channel 4 at the minute. Hollyoaks, Mary Portas and Jamie Oliver all in one place makes me a very happy bunny indeed.

However, they totally surpassed my expectations last night, with what was arguably the best show ever created- Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

OMG it was compulsive viewing from start to finish and I am gutted I missed the one off show last year, because I feel somewhat behind the times!

Thankfully, I think I've got the jist- gypsy girls know what they want from a very young age and despite the very revealing clothes they wear, they're actually very old fashioned, traditional and have the morals of a saint...

Ok, maybe not a saint, but it's hard not to like them. The enormous wedding and Communion dresses that they wear alone make them very interesting to watch.

17-year-old Josie's was a douzy- weighing five stone and slit up the front, it wasn't exactly elegant or classy, but she was certainly the centre of attention!

Same with eight-year-old Margarita, whose holy Communion dress weighed twice her own body weight and was covered with 5,000 crystals.

Despite taking Communion with all the other school children, her 'princess' dress certainly stood out- I think the other giggling girls were merely jealous that their parents hadn't gone all out.

Madness, but utterly compelling- this is a show which will divide a lot of people.

Personally with a wedding coming up myself, I'll be tuning in purely for inspirational purposes... then again, I'm not sure I could quite pull off seven yards of puffball!