At The Centre, Livingston the countdown to Christmas is well and truly on as visitors tick off their presents list and pick up some top trending seasonal outfits for themselves, including sparkly outfits for a standout party look and cosy faux fur coats to wrap up when the temperatures drop!
With the help of local stylist and colour expert, Leigh Maybury, shoppers not only had the opportunity to take some time out at the recent Christmas fashion event and get inspiration to find the perfect Christmas outfit, but they also had 15-minute colour analysis sessions.
Shoppers got an insight into which colours suit them best and enhance their natural skin tone, hair and eyes, and top tips on how to create outfits that are versatile and which styles to opt for, from satin dresses and sequin blouses to feather-trimmed tops and velvet trousers.
The sessions were £10, with all funds going to the Children’s Hospices Across Scotland, (CHAS), which is The Centre, Livingston’s festive charity partner for the third consecutive year. All funds raised helps CHAS to continue providing a variety of services for children with life-shortening conditions and support for their families, including respites and counselling.
On the day of the fashion event our Style Squad team were also out and about, catching up with lots of shoppers to find out which styles and colours suit them best and hear about some of the purchases they’ve made, with many of them already making great headway on their Christmas gift lists.
First up on our radar to chat to was Leigh Henderson, a midwife from Longridge, who was getting some top tips from stylist Leigh Maybury on warm outerwear, with the top trending longline faux fur coat from M&S and River Island’s short jacket version catching her eye.
Leigh said: “Today my plan was to pop in and get some birthday pressies as I love shopping at The Centre, Livingston – not only is it indoors, but there’s such a great variety of stores, so I always find what I’m looking for.
“When I noticed Leigh was running a style pop up event, I jumped at the chance to get my colours done, which I’ve always wanted to do.
“Knowing that I’m a ‘warm spring’ will really help me to make better decisions on which outfits bring out my best features and for keeping in mind when I’m trying to mix and match my wardrobe.”
Some of Leigh’s favourite stores she likes to browse include Lush, New Look and M&S and she also enjoys finding a bargain too in Primark. When it comes to dining out, wagamama is always at the top of her list of places to visit.
It was lovely to catch up with Amy Vincent from Livingston who was spending the day shopping with her boyfriend. One of her favourite things to do at the shopping centre is to visit Waterstones to check out the latest books and enjoy a coffee. Flannels and River Island are also her top places to shop.
Amy said: “I loved getting some insights into which colours I should be leaning towards from Leigh today. I never really know which shades suit me best, but knowing what I should be opting for now is going to make clothes shopping so much easier.”
Amy and her boyfriend were telling us all about their exciting, upcoming city break to the markets in Berlin and sharing some of their Christmas shopping list with us – and plans to refuel in Dnisi, which is an all-time favourite for them, as they are big fans of their great-tasting toasties!
We also spent some time catching up with Vivienne Watt, a community care assistant from Ayr who was Christmas shopping with her boyfriend, Ben Scobie from East Calder. Not only did she pick up a beautiful cologne for him in Rituals, which is one of their favourite stores, but she also got a reed diffuser for herself.
Vivienne said: “We really enjoy shopping at The Centre, Livingston as there’s lots of shops we both really like, including H&M for me and JD Sports for Ben. We are hoping to tick some presents off our Christmas list today but first up we popped into Starbucks for our favourite drinks, and afterwards the plan is to treat ourselves to a nice meal in Nando’s.”
We then caught up with Ellie Graham from Blackburn who was buying Christmas PJs for an upcoming weekend away with friends in Aviemore.
Ellie said: “I’m really looking forward to my breakaway with friends and thought it would be really nice if we all had the same Christmas PJs, which is why I nipped into Primark and got exactly what I wanted.
“I’m also planning to nip into M&S and Rituals today to pick up some gifts which will help me get off to a good start this year, as I don’t like to leave my shopping to the last minute.”
We had a great catch up with Jessica Smillie, a teacher from Bathgate, who shared her favourite stores with us, including Flannels, H&M, River Island, M&S and some of her purchases.
Jessica picked up a beautiful tealight holder house from Sostrene Grene and a stunning dress from H&M for her Christmas party.
“I always really enjoy a day out at the shopping centre with my friends – it’s a great place to get bits and pieces for myself and some presents too, and I always like to treat myself to a Starbucks when I’m here.”
At the Elf School, a free arts and crafts event for children, we were delighted to meet Lisa and her son, who were enjoying spending time with Santa’s elves.
Lisa said: “It was lovely to come across the Elf School in the shopping centre as we have a few things on our list we need to get today, so this was a nice break for both my son and me.
“We live locally, so visit regularly as there’s such a great choice of places to shop and enjoy a bite to eat.”
Zhenya Dove, Community Fundraiser at CHAS, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who joined in and supported the event. Every pound raised brings joy, care and comfort to children with life-shortening conditions and their families.
“The continued support from The Centre, Livingston makes an incredible difference, especially at Christmas.”
Leigh said: “It was great to be back at the shopping centre running another fantastic style and colour analysis event, this time focusing on festive outfits which will give you a little bit of extra sparkle this Christmas and the shades to opt for that suit you best and give you a more coordinated, easy-to-mix wardrobe.
“Thanks to everyone who stopped by on the day to get some trending fashion tips and for helping us to raise funds for CHAS by getting a colour analysis.”
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “Our style events with Leigh Maybury are always very popular with our shoppers who travel far and wide to get a colour analysis and style insights, with some lucky shoppers also receiving a surprise £25 Gift Card to treat themselves.
“Our Christmas fashion event also gave us another opportunity to shine a light on the great work our charity partner, CHAS, is doing for children and their families and raise much-needed funds.”