Bristol – A Stylist’s Dream

As we all know, Bristol is not short of shops and is a retail dream. But how stylish is Bristol? Rhiannon Smith speaks to Lucy Taylor, Bristol’s finest personal stylist.

As a previous buyer, and now a solidified personal stylist, Lucy knows style when she sees it.  Lucy’s favourite names include Puckoo Couture, for the younger, more adventurous of fashion lovers, with outrageous bright and metallic leggings and body suits. Another of Lucy’s Bristol favourites is Gill Cockwell, aka Gilly Woo, who is famous for her corset designs and faultless dressmaking skills. For the more important days in one’s life, Lucy recommends perfect, bespoke wedding dress designer Robyn Ellis, whose designs will make your wedding day extra special. Who knew Bristol had all these hidden gems.

 As far as fashion shows and events go, Lucy recommends the fashion show at The Mall, Cabot Circus and Harvey Nichols, as they promote the best our high street has to offer. She also confirms my suspicion that these fashion shows are immaculately put together, but only for customers looking for mainstream and high street fashion pieces. As far as ‘fresh off the catwalk’, or next season’s ‘must-haves’, the fashion show pool is sadly shallow. 

Lucy’s only slight negative opinion: Bristol’s lack of shoes. And she has a point. After all, not everyone can afford Harvey Nichols’ Choos or Louboutins, and not everyone has a taste for Kurt Geiger and Aldo. If this is Bristol’s only fault, I’d say we fair well against the big city giants. Designers and fashion brands are constantly assessing and noting Bristol’s growing status, with boutiques popping up in Clifton and on Park Street constantly. I’d say Bristol ticks all the boxes.

For those of us who aren’t professionals, there’s plenty of fashion shows and events around Bristol, allowing us to judge the style stakes for ourselves. This city knows how to hold a glamorous and trend-focused fashion event – for example, the Diamonds Are Forever Fashion Show, hosted by The Living Room and Guy Fawkes Salon, is a must. With proceeds going to charity, glasses of bubbly, food, plus  this season’s collection showcased on their uber-glam runway, what more could you ask for? 

If the option of picking up a few items is your thing, then one of the city’s great charity-based fashion events is the best place to pick up classic and individual pieces.  Chic and Swagger was created to raise money for Cancer Research and is to show what Bristol has to offer in the fashion and style stakes. The auction and fashion show is held on the 29 June at The Dolman Exhibition Hall – an iconic Bristol location for an iconic Bristol event.

Back to the professionals, Lucy describes being a personal Stylist in Bristol as a pleasure and a dream, and has a client-base to prove it. Just don’t mention the shoes.

Lucy Taylor, Personal Stylist.  taylorstyle.co.uk