By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – A brighter consumer outlook for 2011 marks the end of a year marred by recession and economic crises, according to a poll on Friday.

More than three-quarters (77 percent) of 18,000 people in a global survey by Reuters/Ipsos said next year will be better than 2010.

LONDON (Reuters) – The astounding predictions of an octopus, the perils of “chexting” and the pain of getting around on planes were the laughing matters of 2010.

News that a Sicilian man had stolen sweets and chewing gum so he could spend New Year’s Eve in jail to avoid his relatives seemed odd until another Italian man was stabbed by his son after a quarrel over tactics for a soccer videogame.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – The astounding predictions of an octopus, the perils of “chexting” and the pain of getting around on planes were the laughing matters of 2010.

News that a Sicilian man had stolen sweets and chewing gum so he could spend New Year’s Eve in jail to avoid his relatives seemed odd until another Italian man was stabbed by his son after a quarrel over tactics for a soccer videogame.

LONDON (Reuters) – Better-than-expected growth in Britain’s economy greeted the opening of a new retail complex at the heart of London’s financial district on Thursday.

One New Change, a 60-store mall developed by property firm Land Securities Group, next door to St. Paul’s Cathedral, will provide City workers with the kind of modern shopping centre that had until now been relegated to neighbourhoods further afield.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Better than expected growth in Britain’s economy greeted the opening of a new retail complex at the heart of London’s financial district on Thursday.

One New Change, a 60-store mall developed by British property firm Land Securities Group Plc, next door to St. Paul’s Cathedral, will provide workers in the square mile financial district known as the “City” with the kind of modern shopping mall that had until now been relegated to neighborhoods further afield.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Consumers still reeling from the global economic crisis will shop for bargains, buy online for deals and convenience, and plan to work beyond retirement age and boost savings in 2011, global market research firm Mintel said on Wednesday.

Mintel offered nine predictions about consumer behavior in Britain and America over the coming year from “rainy day” savings and smartphone usage to gender roles at work and home as well as the struggle between indulgence and obesity in its “Consumer Trends for 2011″ report.

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Designers opted for the sexy and colorful for next spring’s womenswear at London Fashion Week, but stuck to a timeless style to appeal to budget-conscious buyers picky about adding to their wardrobe.

Short dresses and high heels featured prominently on the catwalk at many spring/summer 2011 shows, with Julien Macdonald injecting doses of glamour by looking to the boudoir.

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – British luxury goods group
Burberry unveiled its “Retail Theatre” concept in London and
around the world on Tuesday, allowing consumers to see and buy
its 2011 Spring/Summer collection live from the catwalk.

Burberry (BRBY.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts would not
be drawn on the potential sales effects after the London catwalk
show, but said the concept was part of a rush to embrace online
retail by a luxury sector that spent years ignoring the power of
direct sales.

LONDON (Reuters) – Supermodels, glossy magazine editors, film and music stars alongside the elite of the fashion world paid tribute to designer Alexander McQueen on Monday in a service at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Model Kate Moss and actress Sarah Jessica Parker were among the A-list crowd of more than a thousand people gathered to commemorate the mercurial personality and artistic brilliance of a designer who rose from a gritty east end London boyhood to the front ranks of fashion before he took his own life in February.

LONDON (Reuters) – Supermodel Kate Moss and movie star Sarah Jessica Parker were among the elite of the fashion world who attended a memorial service for British designer Alexander McQueen at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Monday.

McQueen committed suicide in February aged 40 shortly after the death of his mother. He took a mix of cocaine, tranquilizers and sleeping pills before hanging himself at his London flat, an inquest concluded.