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Harvey Nichols anniversary party heralds a new dawn for Midlands fashion

Harvey Nichols recently celebrated 10 years in the second city and celebrated by throwing the glitziest party Birmingham has seen for a long time writes fashion blogger Emma Iannarilli.

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Harvey Nichols recently celebrated 10 years in the second city and celebrated by throwing the glitziest party Birmingham has seen for a long time writes fashion blogger Emma Iannarilli.

From stilt walkers and fire eaters, to contortionists and magicians, the Mailbox was turned into a fashion circus, with invites to the show highly coveted. Celebrities, from the world of music, sport, Reality TV, television, radio and fashion and beauty, all descended on Birmingham to bestow their best wishes on Harvey Nicks.

But this night was more than just a birthday celebration for a much loved store, this was a validation of just how far the second city is progressing in terms of becoming a real force in fashion.

The Harvey Nicks party followed on from a host of fashionable occasions for Birmingham. Style Birmingham Live was a huge success, as were the celebrations for Fashion's Big Night Out. Selfridges hosted a hugely entertaining GQ Cuban Night which was attended by over 200 fashion savvy shoppers, whilst Clothes Show Live will be back at the LG Arena in December.

We are also just a couple of weeks away from the arrival of the annual German Christmas market, which is now a seasonal shopping tradition for many Midlanders.

This is all great news for the city, particularly as all the events mentioned followed on from some of the worst riots that Birmingham had ever seen. Birmingham bounced back from those horrendous August days with alacrity, with residents showing a real spirit and pride for their city.

This has been rewarded by companies who have decided to open flagship stores here, from Forever 21 to Luke, not forgetting the 'Black' store from Curry's, the ultimate collusion of electronics and fashion, which opened its first store in Birmingham almost a year ago. These stores could go elsewhere, and maybe 10 years ago they may have chosen to, but now they choose to come to Brum.

With the festive season almost upon us, there are further exciting times ahead, with numerous shopping evenings across the city planned, and the aforementioned Clothes Show Live just around the corner. It has never been a better time to be involved in fashion in Birmingham and I, for one, am very proud of the city's achievements.

Emma Iannarilli writes a fashion and shopping blog at www.fashion-mommy.com

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