Yesterday I was kindly invited to a personal shopping experience at Topshop in Knightsbridge. I was promised an afternoon of exclusive style advice and a private viewing of the hottest new spring/summer arrivals. After spotting Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing on Brompton Road and quietly Instagramming the back of his head, I strolled into Topshop and made my way to the top floor.
Two spiral staircases later and I was standing at the entrance to a new fashion dimension. Behind sliding doors in frosted glass that can only be opened from the inside, there lies a world of styling possibilities; a personal shopping department hidden away from the rest of the store and kitted out with all the latest pieces. I was greeted by Topshop’s own Amber Rowe, who immediately offered me a glass of champagne. After no deliberation at all I took her up on the offer and took a stroll around the glamorous lounge, camera at the ready.
There were two main lounge areas, each one complete with a stylish love-seat, a luxurious shaggy rug, plush cushions and ready-made Topshop outfits as wall art. Coffee tables were dripping in accessories, rails were stocked with spring/summer essentials and floor-to-ceiling mirrors followed you wherever you went. It was as if I’d dreamed up my ideal walk-in wardrobe, and the lovely people over at Topshop HQ built it exactly to my specifications!
I quickly made my way to the main room, where Jessica Jenner- another super-stylish personal shopper – was handing out some style advice. Stopping at a few stand-out pieces on the rails, and picking out her own personal favourites, Jess talked through Topshop’s spring arrivals with a lot of trend knowledge and passion. She paid particular attention to matchy-matchy styles, which are having a serious style moment.
The first rail was packed with vibrant pops of colour; cropped pink jackets and loads of fun, statement prints. The girls had layered shirts beneath biker jackets, and added loads of accessories to give us an idea of how they’d style each piece. There were two other rails packed full of spring essentials; one sporting a monochrome print party, and the other labelled “Hot In The Tropics”. This particular rail featured a range of colour-popping pieces, holiday prints, leggings, shirt dresses and flatform trainers. Jess mentioned that the statement palm tree print would be a big seller this summer. All the pieces you see here are available to buy now over on Topshop.com.
With fashion week on the brain I asked Jess, my new fashion guru, how she would style this textured pink midi skirt I bought in store recently, and we had a bit of fun giving it a sporty edge with burgundy croc skaters (here) and a grey blazer. The blazer is slightly fitted at the waist so it creates the perfect silhouette. She also picked out this fuzzy felt A-line skirt as one of her new season favourites. (here)
As for Amber, these cut-out wedge boots got her fashion week vote (and mine!). They are the perfect height for daytime use, and the manageable wedge means minimal pain if you’re on your feet all day. The cut-out detailing gives them a high-fashion edge that would instantly update your outfit.
Surrounded by beautiful spring colours, mini cuts and light fabrics – it’s easy to get carried away with dreams of bare legs and lightweight jackets. But the reality is that it’s freezing outside, so I asked Jess and Amber for some exclusive style advice for Scarlett London readers, for anyone wanting to bring the sunshine into their current winter wardrobe.
What advice would you give someone worried about the rain and cold weather, but wanting to incorporate Spring/Summer into their outfit for fashion week?
“I’d advise that LFW goers should invest in a staple coat. Either go for the thick option in a vibrant, stand out colour (we have some brilliant orange felted wool coats in at the moment) or go for a thinner fabric coat like the navy dust coat. This can be worn with a thick roll neck jumper underneath whilst it’s still cold but will be a fab spring coat to throw over a slinky cami top when the weather turns warmer (eventually!).” – Jessica Jenner, Topshop Personal Shopper
I had never really considered making a personal shopping appointment until now, partly because I love finding new pieces myself. However, with the girl’s passion and trend knowledge, the whole experience was like a group of friends getting together for a luxurious styling party. In fact, I can imagine booking an appointment for a special birthday. Hidden out of sight and with its very own till, it’s like the ultimate girl’s night out. They offer an array of different styling appointments; from “The Big Wow” for an important upcoming event to “The Bags of Appeal” where stylists put together a bespoke packing list specially for your getaway! That certainly takes the stress out of last-minute packing.
I love the look of the Mother and Daughter experience too, and am definitely going to book it as a surprise treat for my mum! (Let’s hope she’s not reading).
Thank you to Amber and Jessica for having me on behalf of Scarlett London. It was just the pre fashion-week fix I needed.
