The daffodils are out, and it is the first of March, which can only mean one thing...

So it's too late for a pinch and a punch; I got a bit overexcited this morning and ended up posting this story of Anthony Carrigan instead! Still it was worth it!

It would be wrong however to let today pass by without a little reminder that it's the first of March and that can only mean one thing! Goodbye bathtub picture and hello stylish hats!

To give you a bit of history of the inspiration behind this picture, I'll have to introduce my friend! Fern Bereen is quite possibly one of the most casually creative people you will ever meet! Training in costume and set design at University, Fern is a milliner (making hats) by trade and also has the ability to whip up and style almost anything; it's safe to say if I attempted the same, the decor would look like I dropped it from a great height, whereas Fern gives it a stylish purpose! Anyway, in a moment of panic about how we'd actually get the shots to look nice, AND make sure no boobs, nipples or other bits were on show, I rang Fern! She chatted to me in calm tones and promised to support me on the shoot! Out of the cupboards at her workshop came wedding crockery, afternoon tea sets, dresses, and hats, and she willing transported everything on to set in all manner of trunks and suitcases!

It was then that the girls discovered Fern's inspired hat collection, made from anything she can get her hands on including old broken jewellery, raffia table mats and even dried flowers! They couldn't stop putting them on and so a new picture was born - one which took advantage of the gorgeous colour and structures of the hats and showcased them against the cream background of the traditional Cotswold stone! They looked gorgeous!

The reason that this picture was selected for March? Unless you are one of my Cheltenham buddies, something which you may not know is that Cheltenham is often referred to as the 'home of horseracing'. Every March, there is one of the most coveted prizes of the sport up for grabs - the Gold Cup - and whilst more 'country' than Ascot, the event still features big hats and a best dressed competition! I personally go to these races often and in fact have worn one of Fern's creations, so it seemed only fitting to pop this one into March, a month known locally to me for its big hat occasion!

Fern makes affordable hats for any occasion, from the traditionally stylish to the statement flambouyant. To find out more, you can visit her website, or like her on Facebook, either of which will be appreciated! You can also buy one of the very styles we wear, if any of them take your fancy!

Happy page changing!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald

A sneaky peek at some of our plans...

Last year we started Pretty Bald with a 'small', calendar project to raise awareness of Alopecia...

This year, we have some slightly more large-scale plans; ones which we hope will help build on what we've already established and also raise copious funds for Alopecia UK! Now, we're not going to let you in on all our top-secret plans (that'll spoil half the fun and the excitement when it happens), however we will let you in on one or two things happening now...

Our brand new blog...

There are plenty of people writing excellent blogs about their hair loss, their experiences and how they deal with it, but we're hoping to do it slightly differently! Rather than one individual (aka, me) telling one story, we've decided to bring together a collective group of volunteer bloggers to tell lots of stories. Lots of opinions, on lots of things (all related to hairloss or personal experience), creating a valuable library of things you can relate to! We're starting small, but in the next few days we'll introduce our very first volunteer blogger to break up the monotony of my ramblings ;-) If you like the idea and would be interested in participating, you can email us to express your interest

A new range of products...

Starting next month (hopefully), we're going to be offering a range of unique, quirky or useful products that we all either covet or need. Basically, our plan is to add the products at their Recommended Retail Price (as requested by the suppliers), but commit that all profit made will go to Alopecia UK to help fund their vital work! It's no secret, we all buy many of the same products, but we buy them from companies that profit! Now that isn't inherently a bad thing, but this way, you can still buy what you need through Pretty Bald, but in doing so, also donate money! Now we can't get everything straight away and we're being pretty picky about who we work with, but we're also interested in ideas on what you'd like us to include! Please email us your favourites, must-haves, can't live without's, really love etc. etc. and we'll do our best to include them!

Now, it might not sound like much, but we're hoping to raise at least £10,000 each year for Alopecia UK (more if we can) so they can really keep doing what they need to do!

Fingers crossed and we hope you like it!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald 

Our 2014 calendar...

OK, so I know we're halfway through January 2015, but I think it's important for us to look back at our 2014 calendar and take a peek at how it all started! Some of our readers may already know about it, but for a few of you, it will be new and interesting!

Not to be arrogant, but it all starts with me! I lost my hair a few years ago and although it was really tough, I had a fantastic support network in my friends and family! I worked through it and over time came to terms with it, and then I took part in the Alopecia UK flashmob! While there, I learned a lot about who they are and what they do, and came to appreciate just how much they have to offer! They also inspired me to help where I can and to raise much-needed funds if I'm able!

Now, I'd probably collapse after 5m, let alone running 5km, so doing a run, swim or anything sporty is pretty much out of the question! I'm terrified of bungee jumping and go weak at the knees at the thought of jumping out of a plane! Basically, I'm not much use at doing something worthwhile, and thereby inspiring my friends, neighbours and relatives to dig deep! I could put in a cheeky request for a hand-out, but I'm pretty sure they'd tell me where to go and if it worked, would only work once! So... what to do?

I work for a PR & Marketing agency and wanted to ensure that whatever I did, it would make a big impact, raise awareness and most importantly, raise funds. I'm not sure quite when I thought of the idea to recreate calendar girls (nude and bald), but once I'd had it, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I got together a crack production team and a group of fabulous sponsors (who I couldn't have managed without), borrowed a venue and convinced twelve ladies to get involved, some with the promise of gin!

A few months later, and we had a fabulous, finished calendar! Next step was to prep a press release, elicit the promise of a few real-life stories and send it out. We expected a little bit of exposure and potentially a few interviews near to where the ladies lived, but we couldn't anticipate what happened next! The press loved it and it went around the world - twice; publications everywhere from Brazil to China, Hungary to Russia picked up the story and before we knew it, our faces were popping up on 180 websites / newspapers / magazines, in more than 50 countries! Not only that, but the orders started coming in from around the world and it's fair to say we had more orders through the website from as far away as Jamaica and Australia than we did from the UK! It couldn't have been better! It's also worth a mention that some of us enjoyed a trip to London to appear on Good Morning Britain (video below). So far we think we've raised about £4,000, but despite it being January, we're still getting a couple of orders a day! Amazing!

On to 2015, and we're hoping to do the same, albeit with a completely different theme! Watch this space!

In the meantime, here's some of my favourite pictures (all copyright Pretty Bald Limited of course)...

February: The gorgeous Kate and Amy

December: With all the girls

Phew! I think that's probably plenty for now, but watch out for interesting and exclusive updates over the coming months...

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald

Here's the promised video of our appearance on Good Morning Britain... (More about that later!)