The Mailbox has become a haven of creative art of late, and next week Castle Galleries will host a hotly anticipated appearance from contemporary artist Drew Darcy.

On Saturday 20 March, Darcy will be in the gallery to showcase his hugely popular collection of limited edition and original artwork, from 1-4pm. Drawing inspiration from the fashion world, Darcy creates exciting and provocative imagery fit for any fashionistas wall.

It also seems that fashion is in his blood: “My grandfather was from five generations of tailors and trained in Saville Row to become a bespoke tailor. On my father’s side, my grandfather was an industrial designer and skilled draughtsman. Thus the fabric of the artist was woven,” he said, when we caught up with him to talk about the show.

So, take some time out of your shopping trip next week and pop into Castle Galleries to meet the man behind these fantastic images.

Castle Galleries
25 Wharfside Street
The Mailbox
Birmingham
0121 633 0015

http://www.CastleGalleries.com

To celebrate the Irish holiday, Bullring’s Build-A-Bear Workshop has launched two special bears so you can take a slice of the Irish charm home.

Beary O’Lucky Teddy with boy outfit – £28

Beary O’Lucky Teddy with girl outfit – £25

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

House of Fraser has teamed up with St Mary’s Hospice to host a charity shopping event this Thursday.

As part of the Shopping Soiree, guests will be treated to an exclusive fashion show, featuring the latest looks from the store’s best brands. There will also be offers and discounts, as well as free gifts with special purchases. Even better, every guest will walk away with a luxury goody bag.

The House of Fraser and St Mary’s Hospice Shopping Soiree takes place on Thursday 11 March from 5.30pm – 8.30pm.

Tickets cost £20 and all proceeds go to St Mary’s Hospice. For more information call 0121 472 1191.

How are you enjoying being the new style guru on This Morning?
It has been one of the best experiences of my career. I have an amazing team working with me and the best thing about it is doing the viewer makeovers on Raid the Rails.

Have you enjoyed working more closely with Phillip and Holly?
Phillip, Holly and I have worked together for quite a few years now doing Dancing on Ice, so to be on board with them twice a week on This Morning is brilliant fun. It’s really like a big family environment where we rib each other but ultimately enjoy working together.

How did your passion for fashion begin?
I think it was intrinsic from an early age. My mum always asked my advice about her clothes and I remember always styling her and my aunts for special occasions. As a performer I’ve always loved dressing up in costumes for the numerous shows I’ve been cast in, and as a choreographer I’ve had to work closely with big names in deciding their look and the looks for their dancers.

How would you describe your own style?
Structured tailoring with layering and inventive accessories. Sometimes you have to be daring to be original.

What single item of clothing do you wear the most?
Honestly, I’m not one to always favour one item of clothing. I dress for how I feel day to day, except if it’s work related, then I’m planned. I think people tend to get stuck in fashion ruts if they only wear the same clothes. Variety is the spice of life!

What do you think will be the hottest new trends this season?
Techno Prints, utility chic, lace, shorts and sophisticated sportswear. Also corsetry and underwear inspired garments, kitten heels and sandals.

What will be the key colours to look out for this spring/summer?
Nudes, biscuits, sandstone, blushes, sherbets and sorbet colours. Scarlets, monochromes, muted grays and khakis will be big too.

What one thing should all the girls add to their wardrobe this spring? And the guys?
For the ladies a lightweight mac and a selection of great belts.  For the gents a good selection of waistcoats.

If you could give one fashion tip for how we can all look our best, what would it be?
For ladies, it would be not to be too obsessed with sizing on garments. Too often I see women squeezing themselves into clothes that are ill-fitting purely because their pride won’t allow them to go up in size so that the fit is correct. The sizing changes dramatically from brand to brand and store to store, so buy clothes that fit rather than because of their often incorrect sizes. Also, invest in good support underwear for a smooth silhouette.

Do you have a favourite designer and who do you think gets it right on the high-street?
I love the sharpness of Tom Ford, the voluptuousness of Westwood, the originality of Galiano, the genius of McQueen. Top Shop, Zara, Designers at Debenhams all seem to be doing great collaborations with top designers like Ben deLisi, Sonya Rykiel, Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Julien McDonald.

Which celebrity’s style do you admire at the minute?
Helen Mirran looks amazing for her age and is inspirational for this age group. Kate Moss still turns it out and is the quintessential yummy mummy. Brand Beckham always look stunning and Anna Friel mixes designer and high street brilliantly. And Mark Ronson always works a cool for school look.

The recently opened Mailbox store has revealed its key staples for the warmer weather.

Easy-to-wear block colour items, pretty ruching and belt detailing mean you can keep accessorising to a minimum.

As seen on the catwalk, the new look rocking the runway is the cowgirl look. So saddle up and add these to your Western wishlist.

Move over UGG, there’s a bigger, better boot in town. These Suede Damisi boots are perfect for updating your look, and for protecting your tootsies during the inevitable British rain.

So, take some time out this week and warm yourself up with a trip to ALLSAINTS.

Not that we need an excuse, but now we can justify another trip to the shops.

Aspecto, in Pavilions, is offering a special 10% discount when you sign up to their loyalty card scheme. Not only will you get insider knowledge, discounts and exclusive invites, but for every pound you spend in store, you get one point, which build towards money-off vouchers.

Take a look at the latest spring fashion in-store now, from brands including Barbour, Ugg Australia, Luke 1977, Money, Evisu, Original Penguin, G Star, Humor, Jeffrey West, Stussy, and Y3 Footwear.

Any excuse for a spot of retail therapy.

This week, we treated you all to our first live-stream from the Harvey Nichols Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Show. Thanks to everyone that tuned in and joined the live chat, it seems like you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

Whilst we still did our usual front row celeb spots we were actually more interested in what was happening on the catwalk, and not just for the gorgeous host Jamelia. As well as a fantastic tribute to the late Alexander McQueen, the show gave us tips on what we should be wearing in the coming months, with collections from some of the world’s best designers.

This season, we’ll be seeing a lot of colour as sunset and candy shades dominate the catwalk. Burnt orange, bright pink and pastel purple will be adorning the wardrobes of the every fashionista, especially when used in florals and prints. Urban safari will also be a big look, helping us all keep cool through those sweaty days. If that fails, we’re giving you permission to walk around in your underwear, as outerwear-lingerie becomes a big thing.

Never failing to hit the runway denim is still a big thing, with denim dresses and longline shirts being essentials for the summer. Keeping it casual, urban sports are also a must for stylish men, along with luxe fabrics and classic tailoring.

We’ll have a gallery of the full show next week but in the meantime, here are some snippets of the big night. Don’t forget to check out the latest collections at Harvey Nichols and maybe treat yourself to a spot of afternoon tea.

See you online for the next show.

Last month, we sorted Valentine’s Day out for you and this month we’re doing the same for Mother’s Day.

Here at Style Birmingham, we know how stressful it can be trying to come up with something fun and original for the woman who looks after you best. So, we’ve come up with the ultimate gift to give your mom a bit of ‘me time’ and save you the hassle of finding the perfect present.

We are declaring 19 March the official stylebirmingham.com ‘Beautiful Day’, when the city’s best shops and salons will be treating moms to a day of pampering and VIP treatment. For just £49 you can choose three indulgences to create a special pampering day for your mom, including an appointment at a top city centre hair salon, professional make-up session, and manicure. There are also options for a champagne indulgence at House of Fraser, or Afternoon Tea or Personal Shopping at Harvey Nichols.

Each hairdressing session includes an hour-long wash, cut and blow dry, followed by an appointment at a leading make-up brand, including a special £10 offer redeemable against a make-up purchase on the day. The final treat of the day will be an express manicure or special experience from House of Fraser or Harvey Nichols.

The retailers taking part in Beautiful Day include:

Hair

• Toni & Guy, Benjamin Ryan, Bad Apple Hair, Hush Hair and Saks

Make-up

• Clarins, Clinique, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Trish McEvoy, Nars and Space NK

Nails

• Nails Inc and Marco Benito

Extras

• House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols

Each appointment is scheduled to be less than one hour with time in between for that all-important retail therapy.

To see the brands and salons taking part, and to create a bespoke day for your mom (or even yourself) go to our Beautiful Day page.

The CiB shop will showcase the work of local artists and photographers, in addition to providing a space for creative events and exhibitions. We see on their Twitter that they have plenty of exciting stuff ready to sell to the city’s shoppers.

Launching in true style, there is an open invite for anyone that wants to browse the shop when it opens its doors at 5pm today There will also be some great music from Sister 45 and Colour to get you in the party spirit.

If you want to get involved in the CiB shop, or just want more information, go to www.createdinbirmingham.com.

We’re all very excited at Style Birmingham towers this week as one of our favourite TV shows is coming to Birmingham.

We’ve been watching the CSI teams solve crimes in Vegas, Miami and New York, and now the hit show is coming to Birmingham in the form of ‘CSI: The Experience’. The interactive exhibition will bring to life the scientific principles and techniques used by our favourite characters in the show, so now we can pretend to be the next Gil Grissom or Catherine Willows.

The exhibition takes you through dark alleys and hot deserts, in an attempt to catch the criminals by gathering the evidence from the scene of the crime and testing it in the lab using the latest forensic technology.

‘CSI: Birmingham’ is the UK debut of the cutting-edge attraction and will be located in the old Borders unit at Bullring (Middle Mall West) from Friday 26th. Admission is £9.75 for Adults and £7 for Children (aged 5-17). Children under 5 are free.

For more information, visit: www.csibirmingham.co.uk or www.csiexhibit.com

It seems that Birmingham’s designer store Harvey Nichols is no exception, as they have announced the launch of a new Alice in Wonderland confectionary range. From Mad Hatter tea to “Eat Me” cookies, the magical assortments of sweets and treats will be in store from the end of this week.

The quirky array of whimsical goodies, from Fancy Nancy, Dermaquette, Curious Chocolate and Food is Art, also includes a hand-painted white rabbit, a solid milk chocolate teapot and giant key covered in gold, as well as edible mock turtles, chess pieces and woodland cutlery. Even better, prices start from just £3.25.

Also from the range:

Fancy Nancy Eat me boxed cookies, £8.50

Curious Chocolate White Rabbit, £35.95

Mad Hatter tea, £3.95

Food is Art chocolate teapot, £8.95

Corporation Street is in the running for the title of Britain’s Best Fashion Street in the first Google Street View Awards. It joins a shortlist of 20 locations across the UK to battle it out in a public vote.

Corporation was picked for its exciting store offering, which includes high street favourites like New Look, Urban Outfitters, Gap and H&M, as well as the designer labels found at House of Fraser. It was chosen by the all-star judging panel, which includes Editor of Glamour Magazine, Jo Elvin, fashion retailer Jeff Banks, and TV personality Brix Smith-Start.

Style Birmingham HQ is getting behind Corporation Street to make it the nation’s best shopping street. You have until Sunday 28 February 2010 to vote and the winners will be announced next month.

To vote, go to: www.maps.google.co.uk/beststreets

Photo Credit