It all started with a neon cow.

Earlier this week I attended Ted Baker‘s Team Day with a few of my favourite fellow bloggers. As the name suggests, this was an event By Ted Baker, For Ted Baker. Along with the team, we were invited to celebrate the new SS12 collection witha a little fashion show, the footage of which will be screened in all stores throughout the season.

Cute Ted Baker fleece blankets kept us warm in the chilly Bloomsbury Dairy venue, as the girls with Gaga-esque hair, brightly coloured trousers and wearing t-shirts spelling “TED ROCKS” came out to a round of applause. They were followed by a bunch of quirky male models: a ginger boy, plenty of tattoos, moustaches, grey hair,… I thought the unconventional casting worked perfectly with the collection, which ranged from casual beachwear to formal suits. “Real” men wearing real clothes.

The biggest surprise was the women’s collection – I saw tons of dresses I wouldn’t mind in my wardrobe! There was lots of colour, florals as well as a few great black and white pieces, and again, the collection ranged from casual to business-appropriate clothing and ended with a finale of colourful maxi dresses, aimed at the wedding/prom season. As for accessories, I loved the iPad case with bow – almost like a clutch bag! – some lovely leather bags and a great pearl collar necklace. Some of the dresses in the show were part of the Ted Baker Langley Court collection – a small range of incredibly beautiful high end pieces (with matching price tag…).

As I said, I was really pleasantly surprised – I can’t say I’ve actually ever really noticed Ted Baker much before (being foreign, I think it’s just one of those British brands I never got to know), but the whole collection was a really pleasant surprise and has definitely converted me. It’s great to see the closeness of the team behind such a big brand, including the slightly secretive Ray Kelvin, aka Mr. Ted Baker, who gave a lovely little speech to his staff at the end of the show.

It’s times like this I wish more high street brands would have fashion shows. It’s a great way of discovering a collection, seeing it in action, seeing the clothes move and styled in a way the customers could perfectly do themselves. More of this, please?!