Kirstie Allsopp has revealed where she gets her fabulous on-camera outfits.
The colourful dresses we see on screen are a fixture for Kirstie, who has been TV’s go-to property guru since Location, Location, Location aired on Channel 4 in 2000.
In signature collared dresses with floaty skirts, Kirstie always looks fresh and ready to go as she guides potential homebuyers with her property expertise. So what’s her secret to immaculate professional styling?
‘Most of the dresses I wear for work are either made for me by the lovely @makwana_rashmi or by Samantha Sung @TheCrossShop or @KjsLaundry,’ she told her twitter followers.
The designers
Samantha Sung has worked in some of fashion’s most coveted roles, as head designer for Ralph Lauren Collections in New York and Cerutti in Milan. In 2006 she launched her own line, known for its feminine elegance and colourful prints.
Kirstie especially likes the designer’s range of shirt dresses. “I bought my first one several years ago and now have quite a few because they work for every occasion,” she told us in our June issue.
She added: “I’ve also been buying fabric and Rashmi [Makwana], who is the most talented dressmaker, uses it to make dresses for me.”
Rashmi Makwana is a designer with over 30 years’ experience in the fashion industry. In 2002, she launched her own collection, Rashmi Couture. She calls it an, “exquisitely cut story of Indian-inspired outfits for a Western audience”.
The line that Makwana created specially for Kirstie is full of bold block prints and form-flattering shapes that cinch at the waist and then flow.
The boutiques
The Cross Shop is an boutique in Holland Park, London, selling everything from fashion to homeware – and stocks Kirstie’s favourite designer Samantha Sung.
Made up of two floors stocked with bright styles, it’s no wonder one customer described the shop as, ‘carefree and dreamy and like a ray of summer sunshine 12 months of the year’ on their website.
KJ’s Laundry is another trendy London shop in Marylebone. Co-owners Kate Allden and Jane Ellis have an eye for discovering less established labels, and they also stock the latest A-list brands.
Londontown.com calls it a great shopping experience, with ‘clothes, hats and accessories are all beautifully laid out so you can easily find something pretty you’ll fall in love with’.
But if you’re planning on shopping like the stars, make sure your purse is prepared! Kirstie warned her Twitter followers, the dresses, ‘are pretty pricey which is why you see them pop up again & again’.
And if you do plan to splurge, make sure to find a print you love, and chances are you won’t regret it. Kirstie says her dresses are worth it because they “work well for me and last forever”.
