Therapy News Update

Therapy Website
We have recently revamped our website: www.therapypetworth.co.uk. 
Being back to one shop, it needed a bit of changing. I'm very pleased with the results. Thank you Susannah! I hope you will be too. We've tried to make it more informative and clearer for you.
I want to start a links page. So if any local individuals or companies would like to swap details then please get in touch.


More Shoes!
We have just received a new delivery of La Badia pumps & cute trainers, as well as a reorder of yummy Toni Pons espadrilles. So if you haven't quite sorted your summer footwear or fancy a treat, then come & see us!


High Days & Holidays Promotion
To get you in a celebratory mood we're offering 20% off all party frocks & posh outfits. So if you have a special occasion & fancy something new then come along and see what we have.


Chris & I are off to Montana for 3 weeks now. I hope you'll all pop into the shop to see Louise & Ann while we're away. And let's hope that, on our return from the States, summer will be in full bloom.


Happy Holidays!
Laura x 

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What are we like?!

I have just returned from a blissful break in France where I bared my pallid flesh in shorts and vests. It felt great to have the sun on my winter-weary skin and I wallowed in the relaxing ambience.


Oh if only it were the same in real life! I confess I blanched when I first considered a mini break in France in May. My first thought was for my lumps and bumps. Expose them? No thank you. I lost a bit of weight and started doing some exercises and felt a bit more confident when the moment came.


But this is what I want to discuss. A very good customer and friend was shopping with us recently. Commenting on how great her bust looked in a dress, I was shocked to hear her shriek with horror and claim it as her worst feature. It turned out that some wrinkly old doctor had judged her boobs too big for her frame as a tender teenager and she was scarred for life.


What a waste.


This beautiful lady is not only blessed with a fantastic figure, she is smart, funny, warm and genuine. How sad that she should have suffered her entire life because of the throwaway comment of an insensitive surgeon.


And I feel it more keenly because I know how she feels. It is only within the last year or so, and because of the unwavering love of my husband, that I can now accept the body I have. I look back in sorrow at the wasted years of misery I spent hating my body. 


The way I finally conquered my demons was by considering just what this same body had done for me over the last 45 years. Despite the neglect and abuse levied at it, my dear body still carried on (95% healthily) allowing me to live my life as I chose.


My husband kept telling me: "You have a lovely body for your age. You're not 18 any more Laura." And he's right. I now look at my body as a tapestry of my life. Every scar and stretch mark and wrinkle tells a story. And I'm proud of that story - proud that I've got this far.


I've been in retail now for 21 years and it still makes me gasp when I hear women denigrating their bodies. And this despite the fact that I have done the same to mine. I'm considering how I can do something to improve this terrible view we have of ourselves.


It's all very well selling beautiful, flattering clothes, but surely we should be addressing our fundamental attitudes to our bodies? Isn't it sad that we should reach 'the youth of old age' and still be uncomfortable in our own skin?


I haven't considered yet just how I can address this through Therapy. So if you have any ideas then please let me know. 


Laura x

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New Shoes!

We have a new delivery of LA BADIA ballet pumps!


We've finally taken delivery of some basic colours - Black, Navy, Brown & Beige. At the moment we have them in all sizes (including half sizes) from 35 to 42. (That's a UK 2 - 9).


If you're needing to replace an old pair, or love your pink pumps so much that you'd like a pair in black, then come and see us!


We've also received Gabrielle Parker's bloomingly beautiful rose print collection. Tea Dresses, skirts and tops in the prettiest florals. Don't miss them!


Phone, email or come in and see us. We're here to help.


See you soon!
Laura x

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The Magical Month of May

The May Bank Holiday has passed - and the Royal Wedding too. Wasn't it wonderful?! Being Scottish and still not used to Bank Holidays, it's a real treat to have an excuse to dress up and celebrate. 


Our customers have certainly been in celebratory mood. The sun has brought out the best in everyone and it's showing in your clothes.


Louise and I spent Wednesday remerchandising the shop - in other words 'moving things around'. We had lots of new stock to put out - gorgeous rose printed dresses from Gabrielle Parker; yummy new tops from Part Two; perfect sundresses from Goose Island - come and see!


And come you did. There's something about activity that gets everyone's curiosity going. While Lou and I sweated beneath armful's of clothes, our customers rummaged and smiled as they unearthed the perfect addition to their summer wardrobe. Lovely.


It reminds me of why Therapy exists and gives us just the boost we need in these testing times.


Thank you ladies, once again, for your unfaltering support.


Laura x 

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Swimsuit Shopping

I went swimsuit shopping in my local high street last week. What a depressing experience!


With an imminent trip to France looming large, I decided to bite the bullet and find a suitable garment to cover and flatter my winter-white flesh.


I started in a well known chain, picking up a few reasonable styles in what I considered to be a reasonable size. Well, either I have a completely distorted and overly optimistic perception of myself, or the designers are having a laugh - and at my expense.


My first choice was a cheeky sailor style one piece. At least that's what it looked like on the hanger. Once on it became a Tarzan leotard, the neck reaching to my midriff and flattening my bust so that I resembled Borat in his Mankini.


The next two piece barely covered my extremities. Struggling in and out of various ill-fitting garments in the full and unflattering glare of fluorescent strips, curtain flapping and sweat rising, is not my idea of a pleasurable time.


Eventually I found a reasonably priced, reasonably shaped one piece in a size larger than I'd like to admit. But it fitted, and what have I advised about buying garments that fit regardless of size? This polka dot swimsuit had moulded cups, a long enough body and made me look more Jessica Rabbit than circus strongman. At last, a result.


The whole experience was endured as a necessary evil, the costume languishing in its carrier bag still. And it got me thinking about the environment we offer at Therapy.


Our aim is to provide comfortable, functional changing facilities. I believe our lighting is pleasant and illuminating and leaves you feeling confident. Louise, Ann and I always aim to be on hand to offer advice and search out possible alternatives if you're having a Tarzan moment.


My unpleasant experience left me reminded of why we started Therapy: To offer a friendly, enjoyable shopping experience - right down to the trying on. 


I hope you agree. If you don't then I'd love to hear your suggestions.
Laura x

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Sunshine days

A huge apology to all of you who’ve made the effort to look at our Therapy blog and found nothing new since March!

Those of you who know our business will know that we closed our shoe shop at the end of March. Don’t panic though - we still have out best-selling La Badia ballet pumps from Florence and a fantastic range of espadrilles from Spain which we’re selling from our original and best shop in Golden Square.

It’s been a long winter and a hard road for us from deciding to close to actually clearing out  the shop ready for a new tenant. Up until now we’ve always managed to transform areas that haven’t worked into something else. So it was with some sadness that I have been packing away the remains of our lovely shoe shop and saying goodbye to what was.

But Spring is all about new beginnings and Easter is all about transformation, and I for one am now feeling very positive about the future. Now that we are back to one shop, we are able to focus wholly on what we do best and hopefully offer our customers an undiluted Therapy experience.

And how blissful this Spring weather has been! The sun shines and everyone relaxes and blossoms. Throwing off our winter boots for strappy sandals has put me and everyone I’ve met in Therapy into a buoyant mood. Finally we can purchase our new summer clothes knowing we can enjoy them immediately.

And what better way to celebrate Easter and the upcoming Royal Wedding than with something new to wear. I’ve chosen some lovely tops from Oui. I confess this collection has become a firm favourite of mine. I just love the way that every piece is full of embellishment or quirky prints or beautiful yarns - doing all the work and allowing me just to throw them on and forget about what I’m wearing.

I’m going to treat myself to some Toni Pons espadrilles too. For under £70 you can choose from pretty, practical flats to sexy peep-toe heels - and so comfortable!

As usual I say too much. I’ll stop talking and you can all come and visit us instead.

See you soon!

Laura x

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Do you feel like a mad March Hare?

Welcome to March! The month of mad Hares, March winds, daffodils and sunshine. Already we've had more sunshine this month than for the year so far - hooray!

I don't know about you ladies, but my mood has improved dramatically with the brightening days. I can almost picture myself in strappy sandals - I can't wait!

In the meantime, get into Spring by investing in a few "transitional" pieces. Now as long as I've been in fashion, designers have been trying to perfect the right clothes for the right season. As all of us know, though, the fashion seasons seem to have no bearing on real weather. So we find bikinis in January and fur coats in July - crazy.

Imagine what it's like for us trying to sell these! I've tried over the years to buy into transitional ranges - "mid season", "holiday", call them what you will - I've never found them to work very well.

What does work is layering! Yes, that thing that we don't consciously do much down here. Well at this time of year we do it very well. Think about it: It's March, we're sick of our winter wardrobe and it's too cold to wear linen unless we're wintering in Australia or of doubtful sanity. But wait - we can!

We've been selling linen shifts & skirts, leggings, jeans, long sleeve tee shirts, cardigans. Any one of these can be teamed with our existing wardrobes.
Imagine - a pretty cornflower blue linen shift, over a white long sleeve tee, on top of skinny jeans and worn-in boots.
Or how about a linen skirt teamed with a cashmere jumper and knee high boots?
Perhaps a pintucked and embroidered cotton top in the prettiest pale pink worn over a grey turtle neck with jeans and ballet pumps?

I'm delighted to see our customers embracing the new Spring collections. So don't wait for the temperature to rise, treat yourselves to something new and wear it now!

Laura x

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