It’s been a busy year for Fleur East. Not even a year has passed since she finished second in The X Factor 2014, and already the star has released a chart-topping single, whilst her debut album, titled Love, Sax and Flashbacks, is set to be released on 4 December. And not just a talented musician, the Sax singer has turned her hand to designing, collaborating with Lipsy London to release her own clothing collection just in time for the Christmas period.
Fleur revealed that the collection was inspired by some designers who had caught her eye in the past, notably Balmain. But she wanted to design outfits that would work for the festive season, and the Christmas parties in particular...
Fleur East will be wearing this dress from her Lipsy London collection to all the Christmas parties
Fleur has already found her go-to party outfit for the season as she revealed she had fallen in love with the ombre style sequin mini dress in her collection. "It’s so lovely," she told us. "A salute to the 70s style, but it’s a new way of wearing sequins."
But the 28-year-old won’t be overindulging over the Christmas period, as she revealed the secret to her enviable figure was going to the gym at least three times a week whilst staying away from unhealthy snacks.
"I do circuit training, weight training, cardio and maintain a healthy diet," she explained. "Lots of protein, chicken, fish, eggs. I drink a lot of water, coconut water… I don’t really drink fizzy drinks or eat sweets very often."
Fleur showed off her enviable figure in one of her own decisions at the launch party for her Lipsy collection
The hard work clearly pays off, as Fleur’s X Factor performance in October was extremely energetic and she received praise from a host of fans and celebrities. She admitted she was nervous going back on the stage for the first time since the competition, but found the experience incredible. "I felt a lot of pressure, but it was an amazing feeling to be able to sing my own song for the first time," she said.
Backstage she passed on words of wisdom to this year’s contestants, telling them spend less time worrying about the competition and to just enjoy themselves. Fleur even gave them all a packet of throat sweets, knowing first hand the pressure the experience can put on their vocal chords. She also admitted that she was rooting for Reggie ‘N’ Bollie or Louisa Johnson to win.
Fleur blew people away with her X Factor performance
Even just appearing on the competition can open doors for the contestants, as proven by Fleur who was signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco, after coming second to Ben Haenow. And with Love, Sax and Flashbacks expected to do well in the charts, Fleur revealed we can expect an "up-tempo, uplifting party album."
But despite releasing her single, album and clothing collection within a matter of months, Fleur shows no signs of slowing down. She revealed she has a long list of artists she would love to work with in the future, particularly Alicia Keys, so it seems ideas for a second album are already being formed.
Fleur's Lipsy London collection is available from lipsy.co.uk