Lily Allen’s fashion venture

She’s best known for being the spirited singer, but Lily Allen’s on-going relationship with fashion is set to cement itself one step further as she announces she’s to quit music and set up her own boutique.

She’s come a long way in the style stakes since her first move into fashion with that collection for New Look – she’s the face of Chanel’s Coco Cocoon bags, launched her own jewellery line, became BFFs with Karl Lagerfeld and sang at his SS10 show for Chanel in Paris – but now she’s taking it one step further as she plans to set up shop in a new venture with her sister.

Lucy in Disguise is the name for her new boutique, which will make designer labels accessible with clothes and outfits available to hire.

“It’s about making fashion democratic, that’s the idea behind it,” she told the Daily Mirror. “It’s about getting really nice clothes but letting people rent them for affordable prices so they can go out and feel like a million dollars and it won’t cost them a million dollars.”

Well, in principal, we think this sounds like a pretty fab idea.

Oh, and for all you musical maestros, don’t worry – Lily’s not quitting music entirely. She is, in fact, hell bent on starting her own music label.

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Fashion Matters: Couple’s marriage endures

Hugh and Doris Martin tend to do things together. If he’s interested in a new car, she goes shopping with him. When she’s searching for furniture, he’s beside her. When they were raising their children, it was a united and consistent effort.

They’re committed to each other and their relationship, a conviction that hasn’t wavered in 50 years.

"We like to do just about everything together,” she said. "We give in to each other. If he wants to go a certain place, and I don’t, I usually go. And he does the same for me.”

Doris and Hugh married in 1958 after dating for three months. She was 17 and a junior in high school. He was 19 and in the Air Force. They moved from Kansas to Japan to Big Spring, Texas. Then it was on to Washington, D.C., where he was an airplane mechanic on the president’s fleet.

When Hugh was sent to Thailand, and she couldn’t accompany him, she and their two children moved to Oklahoma City to be close to her parents.

A year later, the couple reunited, living in California before relocating to Oklahoma City, where they built a home, welcomed new friends and continued to strengthen their commitment to each other.

"We feel like we’re each other’s best friend,” she said. "We talk to each other. We might not agree with each other, but we talk. I ask him for his opinion, and he kind of cools me down when I get upset.”

Hugh said keeping their marriage and relationship strong is a shared responsibility. One person can’t do it alone.

"I think it all boils down to commitment — just paying attention to life, to each other and what’s going on,” he said.

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→Do you know a couple who epitomize commitment? For a chance to share their story, go online to NewsOK.com/inspiringcouples. The deadline to enter is Tuesday. A maximum of 12 couples will be chosen and featured in promotion of the "Forever. For Real” project and the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative.

→To learn about workshops and tips for building a strong, healthy relationship, go to the Oklahoma Marriage Institute Web site at www. marriageOK.net.