By Michelle Norris
Getting the chance to walk down the red carpet in a gorgeous gown, while listening to the crowds shouting ‘who are you wearing?’ is always a great moment and an amazing feeling – until you snap out of the daydream that is.
But that feeling can now be a reality, thanks to a new affordable couture range of gowns available exclusively at selected Debenhams stores across the UK. And lucky for us, Lakeside Shopping Centre has been chosen as one of the special few to stock them!
Designed by successful entrepreneur Michelle Mone, who is the founder of Ultimo Lingerie, the new Ultimo Couture collection comprises of 12 sophisticated, chic and modern dresses made from bespoke fabrics with custom made patterns and intricate attention to detail.
“The idea for the dresses really came from attending balls and evenings where you spend thousands of pounds on a dress,” Michelle Mone tells me from her office in Glasgow.
“And once you get pictured in that dress you can’t really wear it again! So I messed around for a while and came up with the idea for having a built in bra inside the dress.”
Indeed, a unique element of this gorgeous collection is the inner Ultimo bra support, meaning that you don’t have to worry about showing off your straps in a backless dress!
But it’s also Michelle’s intricate designs that really make this collection an exquisite addition to this season’s wardrobe.
“I wanted to make sure that we had a nice selection of long maxi dresses and shorter prom style dresses, so that women can wear them anywhere, from weddings to dinner dances, you can find a dress for you,” explains the 38-year-old mother-of-three, who was recently awarded an OBE in the Queens New Years Honours List. “It’s all been a real success so far and just to think that this time last year, it was merely an idea is incredible.”
And for Michelle one of the most important factors when designing the gowns was not just their quality, but also their affordability.
“Instead of spending thousands on a dress, it’s merely hundreds,” she says. In fact, I think our most expensive dress is around £300.”
Indeed, with prices ranging from £100 to £300 and with new designs being introduced to the collection every eight weeks, women right across the UK will be able to appreciate the Ultimo Couture range.
And to reflect this, Michelle has invited women from the general public to model the dresses in her advertising campaign.
“We’ve got 14 normal women modelling the gowns for us,” says Michelle. “I know that we’ve had the likes of Kelly Brook and Mel B being the face for our bras before, but we really want to make it noticed that these dresses are for everyone.”
So, if you’ve got a special occasion coming up or simply feel like treating yourself to a gorgeous dress fit for the red carpet, pop along to Debenhams in Lakeside Shopping Centre to see the full range or visit www.debenhams.com/ultimocouture for more information.