I remember when they were one of few e-tailers, under the guise of As Seen On Screen, selling wares “inspired” by celebrities. You could buy Kylie’s famous white lycra all-in-one, a J-Lo inspired deep plunge dress, the list rolled on. ASOS has come a long way from those humbler beginnings. A dominate force in the British e-shop market, ASOS now boasts independent designer collaborations, alongside well established designer names and high street products. They update at a rate of knots, so I was interested to see their set-up when invited to their recent “Access All Areas” blogger event.

The night, for me, was a story of people and not of clothes. A select group of bloggers was assembled, champagne was added and the ASOS girls mingled. The ASOS employees, many of whom have Twitter, uphold and represent the brand perfectly. What I liked about actually meeting them was that their loyalty seemed utterly genuine. This didn’t seem to be a contrived marketing machine, albeit a very slick one. Finally meeting the people that email me little stories, send out press content and @ me via Tweet Deck was a joy. They were as sincere as I expected them to be (or they are the best actors I have ever met…get them to Hollywood I say!!)

Bringing together bloggers is a flawless way to generate happiness. There must be a collective noun for bloggers by now? Well, whatever we are, when we come together a hive of creativity and chaos seems to emerge. It was great to catch up with my faves; Disney Roller Girl, Mademoiselle Robot (pictured centre with the The Very Simon G,) Isabelle O.C., Kiki’s Delivery Service (2nd from right) and Catherine Kallon of Red Carpet Fashion Awards (far right) A highlight of the evening was chatting with the lovely Joe and Katie from What Katie Wore. We moaned about the extreme heat while I hid in the corner in my pvu (bad choice) jacket, ate every canapé that passed and stroked Butters the Pomeranian!

There was no catwalking for me (not my thing,) plus my pvu (a.k.a. pleather) jacket had brought me out in a sweat…or was that the champagne? Stephanie and Susie of ASOS were delightful; I hope to chat to all the other ladies properly on my next visit. My biggest surprise was the gift bag as I left. I didn’t get a chance to glance inside til my return train journey finally commenced. I was so delighted I emailed Susie immediately. In an inconspicuous little envelope hidden under lots of other little treats, was a gift card to spend at ASOS…my only dilemma now is what to buy! In a way a voucher is harder to shop with than “real” money as I feel I should get something worthwhile, different, that I wouldn’t normally choose to spend my money on. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed!

Other brands take note! ASOS dazzled the bloggers and in many cases did more than just keep us “on side,” they converted us to the ASOS way (all before offering us free stuff!)

P.S. The clothes! OOops….The selection on offer was pretty special some amazing rope shorts, high-waisted hareems; as and when I spot them online, I’ll try to point them out.