This was my first time attending Stylist live and to be honest I didn’t expect much, just some talks and a free glass of drink but to my surprise it was so much more than that! Straight away I got excited from the moment I saw the glittery sign outside which was definitely eye catching and instagram shot worthy. I’ve made the mistake of only going to the hours that I’ve had booked but there is so much to see and do that you should definitely go as early as possible and if there are free spaces for talks you can just walk into them. Between the four days that it is on for, there are so many different talks available so even if you’re not a fashion or beauty enthusiast I’m sure you would find something for yourself. Even though the talks were light-hearted there was some serious girl-power going on which I loved; women supporting each other and admiring each others work is rare these days. I think it’s important to create opportunities like this for women to learn from each other and give each other advice on how to make it in this male dominated world. Furthermore there were jewellery, food, lingerie, make-up and other stalls which offered special discounts and if that didn’t convince you enough, let me add that there was a champagne bar as well.
I had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Shirley Eniang who runs a blog Shirley’s Wardrobe since 2008 and Susie Lau Style Bubble which funnily enough was Shirely’s inspiration for starting her blog and now she was giving a talk with her so not only it shows to never give up because everything is possible but also it reminds me of the quote; work until your idols become rivals. Although their blogs and styles are very different they both share something in common; they were doing something they love and they got recognised for it and turned it into businesses and careers but it didn’t happen overnight or even within a few months, it took years of hard work and dedication for them to be where they are today. What I loved about both of those ladies was how they stayed down to earth and humble even though Susie has the most successful and widely recognised blog of that type and Shirley has nearly half a million instagram followers but that’s probably partly why they got so successful by staying themselves no matter what. Furthermore later on I listened to a talk by a lovely and bubbly lady Caroline Watson who’s a celebrity stylist and a business woman and she shared some tips and advice on seven ways to grow your business through instagram which is useful when you have a business or even if you’re doing anything freelance as then you’re selling yourself and instagram is a great way of showing your vision and encouraging people to want to work with you. At the end Caroline added that if you have a vision just keep going and follow your dreams as she recently launched a bag brand and she worked on everything by herself and not even her husbands sceptic view stopped her as she said don’t let anyone stop you, not even your man, or especially not your man.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up to Stylist’s newsletter here to know when the early bird tickets go for sale which are cheaper than buying them later. See you next year Stylist!
