Mary Portas Queen of Frocks- turning a department store into a sex shop?

Purple dildos and ‘Armoury’tights worn on the arms, were just some of Mary’s ideas for her new store at House of Fraser.

On last night’s episode of Queen of Frocks, the retail guru told House of Fraser bods that she wanted the design of her retail space to be fun and sexy with neon pictures of naked silhouettes of women and an area selling sex toys.

‘This is a family store’, the managers told her. ‘I don’t want to have to explain to my seven-year-old what a dildo is’, said another.

So the dildo’s were replaced with a line of homeware, a comparable compromise?

Things got worse as a month to go until the launch, and Mary’s collection was slated by her group of forty something women and a focus group set up by her business manager to decide whether Mary should be the face of the advertising campaign, after the retail consultant refused to do it, not wanting a celebrity endorsed line, like she said ‘Linda Barker with DFS.’The focus group, who agreed that Mary’s face shouldn’t be used to advertise the brand, said her clothes were boring and not quirky like the way she dresses.

However, Mary’s harshest critic was forty something Penn, who told her that her suit (part of collection) made her (Penn) look like a McDonalds manager, her sheer shirt was something she would have worn in the eighties, and a tight-fitting dress, which the other women said looked lovely on her, she claimed covered up her body which was better than the dress.

Taking on their feedback, Ms Portas extended her collection with clothes that she would wear, wasn’t that an obvious move, adding a leopard print shift dress and leather panelled dress. She also came up with, what she considered to be a genius idea to banish bingo wings and replace the shrug, ‘Armoury’, tights worn as sleeves, which Daily mail journalist Liz Jones scoffed at.

And that wasn’t Mary’s only problem, her only make member of staff Mark failed to respond to messages about a training day, leaving Mary to chase him herself, and then missing his train to go and view Mary’s shoe collection in collaboration with Clarks, along with the rest of the team. He turned up an hour late and missed the training. Mary warned Mark, who has been unemployed for a year, she was taking a risk with him.

On next week’s episode Mary’s store opens to the public.

The Only Way is Essex-Mark breaks-up Lucy and Mario

Mark successfully drove a wedge between couple Lucy and Mario on last night’s episode as he revealed that him and his ex had slept together three weeks ago, which Lucy adamantly denied.

The bombshell came after Mario asked Lucy to move in with him to his new apartment during their double date with Lydia and Arg. However the tables soon turned as after the run-in with Mark, Mario told Lucy they needed a break.

‘I would do anything for you. At the beginning of the night I bought us a flat, now Mark says you slept together’,fumed Mario. Lucy reacted by saying that Mark was just trying to bring them down as he can see how happy they are.

‘Lucy can’t stay away from Mark’, said Mario to Lydia, who was with the pair after Arg left their date to go meet Mark. ‘I treated you like a princess. It makes me question what we’re doing here’, Mario told Lucy.

‘I’ve wasted six months of my life believing Lucy’, claimed Mario, before telling his girlfriend they need to take a break.

And that wasn’t the only relationship that hit self destruct as Lydia told Arg, who not only ditched her for Mark, but who she caught with two girls at the club with Mark. ‘You’ve fucked up again’, she told him.

Earlier Lydia told Mario and Lucy that Mark controls people and James is getting sucked in. ‘He did it with Lauren for ten years. She got out. We are the three people (Lydia, Lucy, Mario) he can’t control. Mark has no other friends apart from Arg.’

Also on last night’s The Only Way is Essex

• Gemma made it very clear to Maria how she feels about her and Mick dating. At Sam’s sleepover, where the girls chatted about men and relationships, Gemma, who was nearly in tears, said to Mari in front of everyone that she was still getting over the shock that they (Maria and Mick) might get married. However, earlier on in a one-one conversation with Maria, she said that she was happy for the couple. Maria told her is she was cool about it than just to leave it. Gemma replied, ‘Then let’s not ruin the night.’
• Kirk and Joey’s bromance developed as Kirk told Joey how to cook, which he said would impress the girls.

Coming soon to a cinema near you-We Need to Talk about Kevin

I'm really excited about the arrival of We Need to Talk about Kevin to the big screen at the end of this month. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver, the story follows a mother who tries to deal with her grief and feelings by writing to her estranged husband after her 15-year-old son goes on a killing spree at his secondary school.

The film adaption sees Tilda Swinton play mother Eva, John C Reilly as dad Franklin and Ezra Miller as Kevin. As films go this is sure to be a hit, after being critically acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Only Way is Essex-Mick and Maria's first date causes Gemma's jealousy

Mick and Maria went on their first date on last night’s The Only Way is Essex.

Despite Mick having to play ‘teacher’ at dinner and explain to Maria where Chile is and that we have a coalition Government, the pair both said they fancied each other and agreed to go on another date.

However, Gemma wasn’t too happy when she got hold of the news that Mick and Maria are dating.

When Lauren Pope told Gemma that Maria and Mick were out on a date, Gemma first of all thought she was joking and then told her she was a bit pissed off about it. ‘What a bitch’, she said referring to Maria.

Lauren Pope replied, ‘But it was you that set them up?’ ‘I thought they wouldn’t get on’, said Gemma. ‘That’s back-fired a bit then’, replied Popey.

‘If they (Maria and Mick) get married I’ll pelt them with eggs’, claimed Gemma, who a week ago exclaimed she was over Mick?

Also on last night’s episode

• Sam and Joey met for a drink to discuss their failed relationship and clear the air. Joey told Sam he couldn’t understand why she broke up with him. Sam told him things were moving too fast and it was just wrong timing. Joey replied that he still loved her, while Sam told him to stop as it made it harder through tears. The pair hugged and Sam left. Not sure that cleared the air?

The Only Way is Essex-Mark 'If I wanted Lucy I could have her'

Mark and Mario went head to head again on last night’s TOWIE, during Mark#s sister Jess’ underwear party for the launch of her new shop, for which Lucy was a model for.

The trouble started when Arg overheard Joey and Kirk, Mario’s friend, saying that Mario still has a grudge against Mr Wright. Sticking up for his best mate, Arg told Kirk and Joey that it was just ‘boy bitching’ and Mario is probably a but jealous?

When Arg relayed the information to Mark, Mr Wright took Mario aside to have a word. Mark told Mario he was annoyed for him to act as a bitch. Mario told him it was ‘boy banter’, Mark replied, ‘You don’t like me.’ ‘True’, said Mario.

‘We met once and had a chat and got on well. I didn’t bitch afterwards, but you did. That is disrespectful’, said Mark, who implied that if Mario trusted Lucy there wouldn’t be an issue.

‘I don’t trust you’, said Mario. ‘You’re getting it wrong. I didn’t like her at the time she cried over me. What I’m trying to say is if I wanted her (Lucy) I could have her’, boasted Mark.

However, it appears Lucy doesn’t feel the same about her ex as she told Lauren G, after apologising to her that they had both seen the light in regards to Mark, and that she is happy in her new relationship. Lucy admitted that the decisions she had made with Mark were disgusting and she had been dreading bumping into Lauren. Whereas Lauren said she had done her a favour as all Mark does is use people to hurt others.

Mary Queen of Frocks-The retail consultant is off to a difficult start

Queen of Shops Mary Portas put her money where her mouth is as she turned her dream of starting a clothing line for 40 plus women into reality.

On the first episode of Mary Queen of Frocks, the retail consultant was up against the clock to design and create a collection unique to anything else on the high street, and recruit 12 members of staff to work for her brand.

The first hurdle was to find a backer crazy enough to agree to work with head strong Mary.Marks and Spencer's ignored her and the chairman of Jaeger and Aquascutum said he couldn't do it. A glimmer of hope came when Ms Portas received a call from department store House of Fraser, who agreed to giver her a 2,000 sq ft space in their flagship (Oxford Street). The catch? 'You need to make £2m in the first year', said CEO John King, and create a collection and have the space up and running in six months, a mean feat even for Mary.

Ms Portas' plan-to produce from scratch seven easy pieces, not tweak-ready made collections as House of Fraser had hoped.

Then came the problem of recruiting staff. After a talk with the department store's existing employees, many of whom were told they could loose their jobs as the shop is modernised, only one person applied, Siobhan from Austin Reed.

'I feel like Billy no mates', said Mary. So she took her search nationally and placed an ad in the Metro newspaper, a move which saw hundreds of people apply and Mary Whittle them down to just 12. Among Mary's team of staff, former Biba manager, a camp Northerner and a self proclaimed crazy woman. Siobhan didn't make the cut.

At the same time she recruited a group of 'real women' in their fifties to advise her and enlisted the help of her wedding dress designer.

 But with so much more to do before the store can open will it prove too much for Mary and will she crack under the pressure. The pressure of delivering perfect customer service after criticising other brand's' service and making a profit rather than a loss, as most lines starting out do.

The Only Way is Essex-Mick and Maria to marry?

Gemma’s wish to match-make the whole of Essex and rid the county of all singletons may be on the way to coming true, as lock and key couple (singles date night) Mick and Maria arranged to go for a drink on last night’s episode.

Mick asked Maria out on a date during Lauren Pope’s paintballing party, despite worries that it would cause trouble with his son Kirk, who in the past had a few run-ins with Maria over former girlfriend Lauren.

‘I think too much about Kirk. Kirk has to get over that stuff’, he said.

And wanting to clear the air herself, Maria decided to have a word with Kirk minus paintball guns. After telling him about the date with his dad, Kirk told her he thought it was weird as she is younger than his brother. However, Maria replied that she is older than him.

‘I prefer my dad to be with a woman with kids and life-experience’, admitted Kirk.

‘I’m just looking out for my dad. As long as you make him smile. I’m fed up with arguing.’

‘There might be a wedding’, said Maria. ‘Shut up’, replied Kirk.

But just as a potential relationship is starting, another may be coming to an end, as Mark gets involved in Lucy and new boyfriend Mario’s love life, even after agreeing to stay away from Lucy to Mario when they bumped into each other at the gym.

Mario told Mr Wright that he has given Lucy rules-not to speak to Mark or any of his family, and that he doesn’t have a problem with him.

‘I want you to respect the fact I’m with Lucy. I’m not going to lie, I asked her not to talk to you in a club.’

Mark replied, ‘You don’t need to feel threatened. You need to talk to her (Lucy) and get her not to talk to me. Anything you want to know ask me.’

However, Mark changed his tune after seeing Lucy in his flat modelling his sister Jess’ underwear ahead of the launch of her lingerie store.

‘You look smoking by the way’, said Mark as he stood in the doorway to his flat, while Lucy was mortified.

Perhaps Mark should take his dad’s advice, Mark senior, who for his first ever appearance on the show, told him he needed to ‘go out with the boys and see different girls-not from the same group.’

‘I’m sick of this, so is the whole family’, he told Mark Jr after he asked his dad whether he was handling the break-up in the right way.

His dad told him he had messed up Lauren’s life and now she has messed up his.

‘Make me proud’, he said.

Also on last night’s TOWIE

• Arg started his new job as a DJ on hospital radio, but he didn’t make a great impression after talking about the girls in Marbs. His boss told him that’s not what recovering 80-year-olds want to hear. He also said that Arg was more like Christopher Robin than Chris Moyles or Evans.
• Joey announced to his sister Frankie that he is ready to move out and get his own place. However when Frankie talked about what bills he would have to pay he was clueless, not even knowing you have to pay TV licence or for water.
• Sam and Joey agreed to meet up and talk to clear the air so it isn’t as awkward when they see each other out.