Looking to revamp your wardrobe this year? We chat to fashion guru Hannah Hill – founder of LIFESTYLISH, a Bristol-born business providing bespoke styling and shopping solutions – to find out how she can help build a wardrobe that works hard for you all day, every day.
TBM: Can you tell us how LIFESTYLISH first came to be and why you wanted to open a business which offers more than just the increasingly popular “one size fits all” approach to styling services?
HH: For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved clothes and the most important element for me is the way an outfit makes me feel. Starting my day in clothing that makes me look good and feel good instantly puts me in a better mood. It felt like a secret that I needed to share. I wanted to help people rediscover their confidence through clothing and show them solutions that suited their individual needs. It’s all very well wearing an outfit that looks good but clothing should be functional for a person’s lifestyle too. Flattering, comfortable to wear, and easy to style items make getting dressed in the morning so much easier, but not everyone knows where to start.
Tell us about your background in fashion…
My story started as soon as I got my hands on one of those ‘90s doorstop fashion catalogues as a toddler. Later, I started designing my own clothes for my Barbie dolls, uninspired by the outfit offerings that they’d arrived in! Fast-forward a few years and I completed my fashion degree at Kingston University London, but I knew that design wasn’t my passion. It wasn’t until after university that I realised I wanted to be a stylist. Working in retail roles for premium brands as well as high street stores gave me the opportunity to dress people from all walks of life. I loved being able to use my creativity and knowledge to make someone feel amazing in their clothes. I decided to top up my training and specialise in a personal styling course with London College of Fashion, which lead me to launching LIFESTYLISH in 2020.
What styling services does LIFESTYLISH offer?
To make things simple, our styling services are split into two sections. Firstly, we have “Off The Rack” services. This includes wardrobe management and personal shopping services, which are our best-selling services. My main aim for the brand is to help people make the most of the clothes they already have, while helping them buy better when they need something new, which is why we have services to help with both. To make styling accessible to as many people as possible, services are available in-person, as well as virtually. In addition, we also offer “Made to Measure”, which includes wedding wardrobe styling as well as curated capsule collections. These services are something extra-special, tailored specifically to clients.
How do you accommodate different lifestyles, budgets and tastes?
There’s a common misconception that personal stylists are for celebrities and the super-rich. In actual fact, we work with anyone and everyone and can actually save you valuable time and money. Shopping trips are structured and focused and you’ll have someone to stop you from making those unnecessary impulse buys. When it comes to budget, I’ll happily work creatively with what someone wants to spend and choose appropriate brands for us to browse together. I know that scheduling a shopping trip in-person can be tricky given how busy everyone’s lives are, so offering an on-screen digital personal shopping service was a no-brainer. Clients can receive a fully shop-able document straight to their inbox to browse at their leisure, allowing them to be more flexible with their time.
For people that don’t have time to style an outfit every morning – what’s your advice for a quick fashion fix?
Make sure that what you have in your wardrobe works hard for you! Creating a collection of items that can be easily mixed and matched will save you so much time in front of the mirror in the morning because whatever you reach for will work for you. Choosing your outfit the night before can also be a game-changer.
What are your go-to statement pieces that you think every wardrobe would benefit from?
Some of my favourites include a leather jacket, straight-leg blue jeans, a classic white shirt, a boyfriend blazer and a cosy over-sized statement jumper. Black Chelsea boots are also a must for me. They smarten up any casual outfit and the heel isn’t too high to be walking around in all day!
Which Bristol-based brands would you like to give a shout out to for the great things they’ve been doing during the pandemic?
There’s a brilliant brand called The Shortlist set up by Laura Briggs that immediately springs to mind. Many of my clients need to alter items they buy to get the perfect fit, so finding a petite fashion brand making good quality garments without compromising on design is a real win! The next one isn’t specifically Bristol but I love going into the Finisterre store on Park Street. The Cornish brand are a certified B-Corp company and they put sustainability at the heart of their business. The team at the Bristol store are so knowledgeable – I always receive brilliant customer service and leave educated too.
