Schools Out For Summer!
04 Aug 2024
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Schools Out For Summer!
Why is it that even before the schools break up, schoolwear retailers start advertising with “Back To School” marketing campaigns?? They are not the only ones to go early on the marketing either – the day after the equinox in June my inbox had at least two emails encouraging me to book my “Christmas Party whilst I still can!” (Nooooo….. its way too early for that – I need to have a Summer first!!).
You can always tell when the summer holidays are looming. Not only do we see those Back To School adverts but parents are running around in a panic trying to get everything done before heading off on a family holiday and for those last few days in school the weather is usually glorious! Ice creams on the way home, maybe tea in the garden … then we break up and it rains!!!!! Not just a bit of drizzle or light rain, but proper full on torrential ‘can’t do anything without getting a complete soaking’ kind of rain!! Welcome to the great British Summertime where you can pretty much expect 2 or 3 different seasons in one day!!
Remember that Alanis Morissette song “Isn’t it ironic?” not just ‘10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife’, you may have seen that our new Autumn/Winter Collection has launched on 19th July …. the hottest day of the year so far! (I know right? The irony wasn’t lost on us either!).
Whilst our main Spring/Summer collection will have finished at the end of July, the Maison Captain Collection is here to see you through the sunnier days (whilst stocks last).
This Satin V Neck Top in Ivory is available in sizes 6 to 24 and is great for dressing up or down for effortless chic. Featuring short sleeves and a loose fit, it looks great worn with the matching satin skirt too!
The Long Satin Skirt in Ivory is high waisted for elegance and feminity in a material that is so fluid it falls beautifully as you move. The elasticated waist is forgiving and the ankle length of the skirt is very flattering with a long side slit for practicality as well as a bit of “oo lalal!”
Alternatively add a colour splash in this gorgeous Satin Shirt Dress in Orange and really elevate your style! This dress is both on trend AND timeless. Available in sizes 6 to 18 it is crafted from a premium cotton to feel super soft like brushed satin and flatters all silhouettes with its graphic structure. The buttoned front has mother of pearl effect buttons and a drawstring waist being perfect for casual days out as well as evening looks too! (We also love wearing it unbuttoned as a long line jacket over a vest top and jeans).
Alternatively add a colour splash in this gorgeous Satin Shirt Dress in Orange and really elevate your style! This dress is both on trend AND timeless. Available in sizes 6 to 18 it is crafted from a premium cotton to feel super soft like brushed satin and flatters all silhouettes with its graphic structure. The buttoned front has mother of pearl effect buttons and a drawstring waist being perfect for casual days out as well as evening looks too! (We also love wearing it unbuttoned as a long line jacket over a vest top and jeans).
Our printed shirts are a good choice for summer travelling as can be worn as is or equally look great worn open over a vest top too. Choose from Paprika or Cappucchino colourways in sizes up to 24.
Crafted from a fluid and light breathable fabric, its perfect for warm seasons adding a casually chic touch to your outfit. Featuring a buttoned front, round collar, and fancy cut out on the dropped shoulder, this straight cut shirt is both pleasant to wear and elegant too!
So, apart from rain, traffic jams, queues (for anything – not just for take out coffees/ice creams) and roadworks what else can we expect this summer? Precious family time – think ‘Hygge’ but in a (hopefully) warmer sunnier climate! The Olympic Games in Paris which is sure to be a Spectacular Sporting Event not just for the athletes but also for the locations too – the opening and closing ceremonies are sure to be spectacular!
Two bank holiday weekends in August (so two 4 day working weeks instead of 5 day working weeks - woohoo) The Edinburgh Fringe Festival – the worlds greatest showcase of all things creative and the performing arts. A Level and GCSE results days (good luck everyone and hope you get what you need to get you to your next step).
… and a HUGE queue in any shoe shop selling childrens shoes that first weekend of September!
So, what can you do, rain or shine this summer?
Firstly, if you can, PLEASE shop small and/or shop local – whether you are home or away the local small business economy needs you! Tempting as it is to order a massive supermarket online delivery to your holiday accommodation, there is probably a local shop that really relies on the trade from visitors during the summer to provide local jobs, keep it going and ensure that it can supply the local market outside of the holiday season too. If you can balance it out a bit between local shops, Amazon online and the big supermarkets, you will be helping to keep cash and jobs in the local economy.
You can help us here at Tortue please! We are proud to offer inclusive sizes from a size 4 up to 24 and need more women at either end of these size ranges to know about us! Stocking sizes 4 to 24 is far more than the 8 to 16 average range stocked by other retailers. We know these sizes are needed yet so many people still don’t know about us and we would LOVE your help in spreading the word about our timeless and versatile collections please. Maybe you have first hand experience of our inhouse Stylist team who have helped you create some fabulous outfits? Or maybe you love our chic designs, styles and the sheer comfort of our clothes too? Please do tell other friends, work colleagues and acquaintances.
It would also be amazing if you left us a review on Trustpilot which you can access from the home page of our website. Simply click on the * Reviews.io black banner at the top of our homepage, Click on how many stars you would give us and add a few words about how Tortue has made you happy. Your comments about customer service, price, delivery, returns and refunds especially help people who may not have heard about us before. Add your name (or be anonymous its up to you) and your email address to verify that your review is genuine then click the black Submit Review button and that’s it.
Similarly, with cafes/restaurants and coffee shops too. Sometimes during holiday periods there can be big queues as the hospitality industry is really under pressure and if something goes wrong in the ‘order to cook to table’ serving chain this can start a domino effect leading to longer than you would like waiting times. PLEASE be considerate to the staff at the venue, they are trying their best.
We experienced this as a family recently at a local restaurant at the time of the worldwide IT outage. The order system was printing out the orders without any times or reference numbers so they knew which table number had ordered what but not when they ordered it so were having trouble keeping track of who was next. We waited a VERY long time (as in an hour and a half) for our food order and I could see the poor staff under pressure, free drinks were offered and some people were clearly taking this to the max “because they could” (think G&T rather than the lemonade they had previously ordered) because they were “entitled to it” but the hospitality industry is facing really tough margins and sky high costs at the moment so all those freebies probably meant that they operated at a loss that night - the waiting staff didn’t get decent tips as the service was poor (but not the fault of the waiting staff) and the barrage of abuse they faced from some people may mean that some resign putting even more pressure on those who are left and who knows – if you go back to that spot next time, they may have had to close and not be there anymore.
Never before has the phrase “in a world where you can be anything, please be kind” had truer meaning.
Enjoy!
Angela x