Are you on the hunt for the ultimate capsule wardrobe?

Do you dream of a unique capsule wardrobe built from niche designers? Ann Whorrall, Head Stylist at Olivia May, chats new season picks and why wearability is key for spring/summer 2016

Olivia May Ltd (Image: Archant)

For a little while now, online shopping and its posse of social influencers have been moving consumer attention towards shop-the-look features via forums like Instagram and the ever-expanding blogosphere. Fashion has always been fickle, but this kind of turnaround in browsing and buying has reached unprecedented levels like never before.

In June last year, The Telegraph reported that ‘online sales in the UK [among other countries] will grow by £320bn between now and 2018’. Although the amount spent on fashion is undisclosed here, that’s a lot of people shopping online, and where clothes are concerned, the likelihood is shoppers will have been brought here through the advice of online strangers, and are they really the experts?

Olivia May Ltd (Image: Archant)

To keep pace with fast fashion and to be in touch with an expert’s opinion, you need to find somewhere with a service that combines the two. After all, who would turn down the opportunity to have the advice of a real stylist when it comes to updating their wardrobe?

Olivia May is a high-end fashion boutique in Oxford with a one-to-one wardrobe consultancy service. While they offer online shopping and a fabulous ‘Inspire Me’ mood board on their site to keep pace with the Age of Social Shopping, they also have a store with real stylists on hand to offer advice in-person at no extra cost.

Olivia May Ltd (Image: Archant)

With a roster of 13 niche international designers behind them, it seems there is no better time to catch up with Olivia May’s Head Stylist, Ann Whorrall, to chat the new season and their ready-to-wear collections.

The brand’s ethos runs through all of their collections, as Ann asserts, ‘we want to inspire people with our clothes; give them opportunity to push the envelope with their personal style’ but they also keep in mind that ‘wearability is key’ and all of the pieces in each designer’s collection can be ‘worn with jeans.’

Olivia May Ltd (Image: Archant)

We’ve all heard tips on how to cut down or throw out clothes we never wear, but Ann’s tip is simple: ‘build a capsule wardrobe that you can dress up or down.’ If you don’t stray from this rule, you shouldn’t go too far adrift, and as Ann promises, ‘we will remember your style and previous choices’ to help women ‘make the most of their purchases with us.’

Whether you’re looking for the bold tones offered by the Japanese-designed Moyurua collection; the feminine silk-based textures of American-designed Magnolia Pearl, or the conceptual structuring of German-designed Rundholz (himself an architect by trade), Olivia May can offer a who’s who of international designers. This means your options aren’t limited and the clothes lend themselves easily from season to season.

Olivia May Ltd (Image: Archant)

Step inside, or log into their Inspire Me page to discover carefully curated collections offering the sort of alternative and eclectic vibes that promise to be big trends for 2016.

Online shopping is great, but it’s never a substitute for the real thing. With a team of professional stylists and a beautiful flagship store (31 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford) you shouldn’t miss out on Olivia May’s hybrid service. There’s no high street comparable, so you’re guaranteed to stand out from the crowd in these avant-garde designs.

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31 Little Clarendon Street,

Oxford,

OX1 2HU

01856 515336

www.oliviamay.org

naomi@oliviamay.org