The Shopper London.
Lauren is a London based Personal Shopper & Wardrobe Stylist. With over 10 years of experience and having previously worked for well known personal shopping departments in Selfridges, Harrods, Farfetch and Net-a-Porter, Lauren is fully equipped to cater for every fashion need. We asked Lauren about her style tips and the perfect wedding guest outfit…
Tell us about the journey of your company The Shopper London and what inspired you to start? I had worked within Personal Shopping for various different companies for over 10 years and was often asked by my clients if I could help with their existing wardrobe; through either a wardrobe detox, pairing outfits together or creating a capsule from lots of different brands at varying price points. I felt I wanted to offer a 360 degree service which I couldn’t offer as my role at the time was predominantly desk based, so I decided it was my time to branch out as a freelance stylist. Having started out working for a large high-street brand and then going on to work for high level luxury platforms, I felt there was a gap in catering for clients who like to shop across all price points and locations. From a luxury boutique, online and the high-street to their wardrobe at home.
How would you describe your aesthetic? I’d say I am quite classic but it completely depends on my mood. I love clean simple pieces whilst injecting personality with accessories and I also love mixing high-street with luxury to keep it fun and fresh. Fashion is often a reflection on how you feel so keeping it uncomplicated with a good capsule wardrobe, coupled with pieces that lift your look (and mood) such as jewellery or a great bag, will change the composition of your outfit and demeanour.
Can you tell us about your process and how you work with your clients? When taking on a new client, I really have to understand them as a person. What do they do in their day to day, do they travel a lot, have a family etc and what is their main goal for working with me. I’m proud to say my clients don’t come out as my clones, it’s about ensuring they feel the very best version of themselves and making that aspect of their life less stressful. I have a varied client book, some clients shop with me weekly, seasonally or when they have an important event they need a look for. Others I’ve worked with for over 8+ years, they have come along with me on my journey at different retailers and now call them dear friends.
You’re based in London. Do you feel the city has an influence on your overall aesthetic? Aside from the weather depicting many of our looks, I’d say London used to have a very strong influence on how I dressed but now I’m so inspired by people from all over the world. Through using social apps such as Instagram and TikTok, I find they’re a great tool for igniting creativity whenever you’re staring blankly at your wardrobe to get experimental.
Any advice for choosing something unique as a wedding guest? Being a guest at a wedding is always fun. You have to feel good in what you’re wearing along with being appropriate for the location and weather. When buying an outfit for a wedding, I recommend investing in something you can easily wear again like a set you can mix and match or a dress you can pair down for another occasion. Accessories come into their own here, you can go big on these and are a good ice breaker when you’re attending a wedding where you don’t know many people. Having a fun clutch bag or statement shoe, earrings etc will add personality and elevation to your look.
Do you take bridal clients? Once the bride has found the perfect dress, I love to help tie in all the loose ends of styling such as shoes and accessories. I also enjoy styling looks for their hen do/ bachelorette (especially if it’s abroad); the outfits can be a lot more playful whilst keeping it tasteful. Styling the mother of the bride is an appointment I always really enjoy too.
What has been inspiring you lately and what’s your vision for the future? I get very inspired and energised by people in general so working with lots of different character types on a personal level is fascinating. For the future, I’m going to start creating more capsules online for those who want a little more inspiration or to discover new brands. Shopping for some can be quite overwhelming so having a small edit to reply upon is always handy to have and build on.
What are the services you offer? I work in 6 different ways and each one includes a zoom consultation so I can fully understand the client’s style and what they’re hoping to achieve.
THE APPOINTMENT: My main one is an in person appointment where I pull a room with full looks in the private shopping space of Matches Townhouse in Mayfair. Everything is carefully selected and all in my client’s sizing ready for their arrival.
THE HIGH-STREET: The second type of appointment I offer is where we go around the high-street shops putting looks together. I’ll have a list of pieces/looks we’re going to be trying on which will be created after our zoom consultation and anything which inspires us that we find whilst in store.
THE MIX: The third appointment is where we combine the two appointments above to have a mix of high-street and premium. Starting off on the high-street and ending at the private shopping space in Matches Fashion to mix and match into outfits.
THE LOOK: The fourth type of appointment I offer is called ‘The Look’ where we have a room filled with beautiful looks to try, all catered to their special event at Matches Fashion in Mayfair.
THE WARDROBE PAIRING: The fourth type of appointment is called ‘Wardrobe Pairing’ which is where we work solely with the client’s existing wardrobe. This is typically for the client who has a large amount of clothing but unsure of how to style the items into various different outfits. An album is created of the looks we put together for the client to refer back to later down the line.
THE DETOX: And lastly, I also offer Wardrobe Detox’s which is where I categorise my client’s wardrobe, remove anything they don’t wear or love and any items of premium value can be sold through a pre loved partner. This allows the client to have a better view of their wardrobe and understanding of any missing gaps.
We asked Lauren for her wedding guest outfit picks, including a premium, mid-luxury and a high street edit.
Roland Mouret strapless velvet gown
Tiffany large bone cuff
Matches X Sellier Chanel Perfume Bottle cross-body bag
Saint Laurent Melody sandals
Tom Ford silver cut-out dress
Shay drop earrings
Aquazzura lips clutch
Amina Muaddi silver mules
Costarellos satin georgette gown
Magda Butrym earrings
Cult Gaia pearl clutch
Aquazzura pearl mules
Gauge81 draped brown dress
Bottega Veneta drop earrings
Bottega Veneta gold clutch
Giuseppe Zanotti intrigo metallic faux leather mules
Alemais floral set
Prada scrunchie
Olympia Le Tan clutch
Amina Muaddi mint sandals
Mango feather dress
Astrid & Miyu shell and pearl earrings
Mango feather bag
Sophia Pearla sandals
Warehouse watercolour dress
Mango silver bubble earrings
Ego heart bag
Stradivarius wrap ankle sandal
ASOS DESIGN one shoulder premium draped maxi dress
Gold drop earrings
Ego lipstick clutch
Simmi London Samia barely there embellished sandals
Mango red printed dress
Cloverpost hoop earrings
Diamante Clutch Wrist Bag
Schutz gold heels