From modest dresses to flesh-baring bikinis... it could only be the VMAs

If you're the kind of person who listens briefly to Radio 1, only to think, "does this pass for music these days?!", look away now - because in today's blog, the stylists in London of Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) are turning their attentions to a landmark event in the pop calendar that certainly attracted no shortage of gasps and outrage this time around. Yes, we're talking about the MTV Video Music Awards, where there was a fair amount of outrageous and jaw-dropping fashion, with some touches being less advisable than others for our ordinary clients!

The divas were certainly in full force at the event, and if we're honest, Lady Gaga's million-and-one costume changes mean that we really must start with her. From a yellow wig and shell bikini to leather skirts and face paint, it seems that the Fame Monster star took on more different looks than most of us could muster from our entire wardrobes. She almost looked what might be termed 'normal' when she arrived, but from the moment she took to the stage to open the show with a performance of her new single, "Applause", she showed why she remains such a favourite of many a London fashion stylist.

Gaga began her performance in an all-white nun outfit incorporating a humungous square headpiece that probably wouldn't satisfy health and safety requirements on your average London street, and she ended it in a floral thong and bikini made out of shells. Fittingly enough given the raunchy competition, it was a thong that fully exposed Gaga's behind, as nobody could fail to notice when she excitedly jumped up and out of her chair as Taylor Swift headed to the stage to accept her award in the Best Female Video category, for "I Knew You Were Trouble".

Such raunchy competition came in the form of 20 year old Miley Cyrus, who sported a bejewelled midriff baring trouser and top on the red carpet, later being seen in a cheeky cartoon leotard and finally, apparently just her bra and pants. Miley's 'twerking' performance in a nude PVC bikini shocked many viewers at least as much as Gaga's bum flash. 39 year old rapper Lil Kim's fashion choices weren't much more sedate, with her PVC mesh catsuit perfectly flaunting her curves, while Rita Ora turned up in a ridiculously long feather frock and Katy Perry, when she wasn't attracting photographers' notice with the garish gold grill on her teeth, opted for a tight fitting crop top and boxing shorts for the stage.

It all left Rihanna comparatively underwhelming in her little black dress and heels - even if her outfit was one that actual users of Shikkuu Guides' (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) personal shopper services in London might actually realistically aspire to! Certainly, the VMAs had no shortage of ludicrous fashions this year - and with the help of a style advisor in London, you may even want to incorporate a few inspiring elements, while keeping your overall wardrobe distinctly 'you'.

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

The London fashion stores that you may encounter as part of your style makeover

From the wardrobe review at which you can assess your present fashion choices and future aspirations alongside a leading fashion stylist in London, to the personal shopper services that enable you to discover those perfect new pieces for you, there are many exciting services that Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) can offer you. And we wouldn’t blame you for getting excited about them - especially when you consider the opportunity that is presented to discover some of the biggest names in fashion on the capital's major shopping streets.

Chances are that there are certain stores that you already have in mind that you'd like to explore, whereas you may have ideas about other garments and styles, but no idea about the shops in which they can be found. If one thing is certain, however, it is the city's status as a global shopping capital. It means that with the help of the right style advisor in London, you're sure to find the clothing that perfectly suits and flatters your size, age and shape - whether you're most interested in cult destination shops, big name department stores, offbeat quirky boutiques or a certain combination of the three.

Those starting their search in central London, for example, can't possibly overlook the palatial shopping mecca that is Selfridges, with such designers and labels as Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Givenchy, Agent Provocateur, Matthew Williamson, Temperley and Prada all represented. Peruse the likes of the Wonder Room, Womens Designer Galleries and 3rd Central, and email yourself photos of how you look in various outfit options from the high tech fitting room mirrors, when you come here as part of our personal shopper services in London. Or why not pay a visit to Matches Marylebone, on Marylebone High Street? This light-filled designer emporium showcases not just in-demand labels, but also periodic art exhibitions and installations over its two floors.

The hippest young residents of East London, meanwhile, can be frequently spotted in the Start fashion emporium on Rivington Street. It's the perfect place to bring your personal shopper in London if you're a youthful hedonist on the lookout for a new winter coat or shirt dress, with Alexander Wang, House of Holland and Lara Bohinc among the represented labels. Or why not head to the Mayfair and St. James's side of town, and the dazzling new 2,850 sq ft flagship store of Christian Louboutin, or even Dover Street Market with its assortment of the most avant-garde fashion from the likes of Alaia, Lanvin and Comme des Garcons?

Of course, these are just some of the highlight stores to be found by you and your personal stylist in London when you make that call to Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com). From top multi-brand stores and designer favourites to the shops frequented by the most clued-up fashion insiders, we can introduce them to you all as part of our premier personal shopping and styling service.

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Shikkuu Guides combines the best of online and offline shopping

In recent years there has been an increasing battle between the worlds of high street and Internet shopping – with the relative newcomer, the latter, apparently winning out. News headlines are blaze with the damage done to physical retailers by ‘showrooming’, the practice of finding a better deal for an item online after browsing for it in a high street store. People are increasingly asking about what Britain’s high streets will look like in years to come. In that context, where do the personalshopper services in London from Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) fit in?

First of all, it’s important to appreciate that we Britons have definitely not fallen out of love with the high street. We still love perusing our favourite fashion retailers, not least because of the sheer physicality of sifting through those racks, not to mention the fact that you can actually try on your latest find straight away, and carry it out of the shop immediately after purchasing. You can admire yourself in the mirror in the store’s changing rooms, and make sure that the garment that has caught your eye truly reflects your own sense of style, in addition to fitting well on your body.

There are so many other benefits to shopping on the high street that our fashion stylists in London really make the most of. After all, not only do we offer personal shopper services, but also personal style and image sessions, colour consultations and group tours and parties. What could be better than getting together with your friends for a group shopping tour in London, discovering new areas and hidden gems with the help of an informed retail tour guide? It certainly beats huddling around a computer or looking at your tablet computers on a ‘girly night in’.

But of course, there’s no denying that online shopping has its conveniences, too. You can often find what you want straight away through Google, without having to walk even a few hundred yards from one store to another – helped by the ‘recommendations’ that fashion websites offer. The Internet is also renowned for the bargains that it can bring. But wouldn’t you prefer to combine the joys of both online and offline shopping, with genuinely tailored fashion ideas being suggested to you by a human being, not a ‘one size fits all’ computer? Well, that’s certainly what a style advisor in London from Shikkuu Guides can offer.

We can give you genuinely informed suggestions on the basis of your size, body type and fashion preferences, finding the best styles available for your budget. It allows you to experience the wind in your hair doing “real” shopping, discovering many of the great fashions that would have completely passed you by if you depended entirely on the Internet. Contact our stylists in London now at http://www.shikkuuguides.com for a well-priced personal shopper experience that appeals to both your head and your heart.

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Get together with your friends for a style makeover

Are you always picking out a garment from the rack that just doesn’t fit you as well as it should, or that doesn’t nicely complement the rest of your wardrobe? Or maybe your make-up techniques leave a lot to be desired? We all turn to our friends to ask their advice at times like these, but why not go one step further and get those friends together for a group style makeover with a personal stylist in London from Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com)?

Let’s face it... you’re always judging your mates’ sartorial or beauty choices, often rather negatively, and you can bet that they’re doing the same to you. At the same time, much has been made of the fact that if you want to achieve something, whether it’s getting fit or even just completing a tricky late-night work shift, it’s a great idea to rope in someone else to help you with it. Plus, it’s nice just to see your friends in one place again, if you’re normally busy people.

With all of that in mind, we’d urge you to consider our extensive range of group tours and parties. You may be joining your mates for a break in the English capital, for example, in which case alongside all of the usual visits to those museums, art galleries and theatres, you might want to do a spot of shopping. London can be fiendishly expensive, though, and the amount of choice of eye-catching fashions can be overwhelming. So why not book a personal shopper in London to guide you through the best of the city’s fashion boutiques, making the most of the limited time available to you?

Our personal shopper services in London are truly tailored to the individual needs of your friends. We get in touch in advance to discuss where you and your friends would like to shop, whether that is in Oxford Street, Bond Street, Knightsbridge, Covent Garden, Kensington and Chelsea or somewhere entirely different. Even if you have lived in London for your entire life, you’d be amazed at those hidden, out-of-the-way stores that we can point you towards, as well as some of the more obvious retailers that you might have previously ignored.

All the while, your friends will be laughing and joking as part of a great bonding experience... and it’s a similar story if you take advantage of one of our make up lessons in London. These parties involve a minimum of five people being shown make-up application techniques by an informed and friendly stylist. By the end of the lesson, everyone in your group will know so much more about the make-up colours that best suit them.

We offer many other style and colour parties for those who are looking to learn something about the best shades, shapes and fabrics for them, whether as preparation for going out or just for the ultimate ‘girly night in’. Simply visit http://www.shikkuuguides.com for more information on what a style advisor in London can do for you and your friends!

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

What use is a personal shopper service to a man?

Shopping for clothes has traditionally been seen as a woman's pastime, and certainly if you are a man, you may still have a miscellany of excuses for your own failure to update that wardrobe that is oh-so-2004. Maybe you just see shopping as a chore rather than a source of enjoyment, or perhaps you're overwhelmed by the options or think that your girlfriend is better off buying your shirts. It's understandable, then, that you might not necessarily be convinced at first by the personal shopper services in London of Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com).

After all, if it's the women who are likely to be as enthusiastic about fashion as you and your male friends are about football, a personal shopper in London would surely be the preserve of women...or so you'd believe. In truth, the long-established strengths of personal shopper services - such as the ability that they give to better narrow down the many clothing options - have plenty of applicability to the male dilemma about clothes shopping. After all, as soon as you book your personal shopping experience with us, we'll get a stylist to discuss your needs over the phone, so that you are thoroughly prepared.

The range of subjects that you may discuss during this initial 'style consultation' can include your overall aim for your personal shopping session, as well as your size and body type and any specific areas, brands or stores that have caught your eye, and that could therefore be incorporated into the shopping trip. This preparation helps to avoid one of the things that men hate most about clothes shopping - the constant waiting around while their partner idly sifts through the clothes racks. A fashion makeover with us is about being purposeful and making the most of the time that you have with us.

We charge an affordable fee for several hours of personal shopping, and we're confident that you'll soon have a wardrobe to be proud of; one that is both timeless and subtly respectful of current trends. We carefully consider your own tastes and needs, including your budget, and you aren't obliged to buy anything if you can't find anything that you truly want to buy.

The stores that are to be visited are planned out as soon as the initial style consultation is over. For an extra fee, you can even book a personal style and image session with one of our stylists in London, learning how to select a style, cut and colour that perfectly suits your own body type and skin tone. A wardrobe review and colour consultation is also available. Certainly, if the increasing popularity of these services among men is anything to go by, that metrosexual image of years past is becoming more out of date by the day!

Contact Shikkuu Guides at http://www.shikkuuguides.com now for more information on how our services could finally get you loving shopping as a man.

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Why should you choose an independent personal shopper?

If you’ve given yourself a few moments to peruse the Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) website, you’ll have hopefully got a basic grasp of what our personal shoppers do. Essentially, in conjunction with our other services like personal styling, make up lessons and wardrobe reviews, our personal shopper in London will work hard to ensure that your wardrobe is firmly 2013, albeit tailored to how you truly want to look, by giving you the complete and well-prepared retail tour of London.

There is, however, another obvious contender in the personal shopper stakes...the personal shopper who is tied to a particular high street store. This is how high street stores have responded to the phenomenon of independent personal shopper services in London, like ours, and taking advantage of this new option is certainly tempting, especially if you have a particular favourite store. However, we would at least give you several caveats before you go for this option.

Firstly, the most obvious point: a high street personal shopper is firmly motivated by the interests of their employer. That means that it is in their interests to get you to spend as much as possible in that given store, and you’ll have probably guessed that this doesn’t necessarily exactly correspond with your own interests. Such a personal shopper is therefore likely to be very familiar with the store’s own ranges, even possibly pairing together the same items for you as they did for their last few clients – who may have had very different requirements to you.

This may mean you come out of the experience with an outfit that may look good enough in isolation, but which isn’t really the perfect match to your own needs or what you might have been hoping for. After all, when you’re spending money not only on a personal shopper but also potentially on a style advisor in London, you’ll want every detail to be perfect. If a particular outfit isn’t quite right, you’ll want your personal shopper to be sufficiently independent to suggest that you look elsewhere first.

This naturally brings us onto the advantages of choosing an independent personal shopper to give you your fashion makeover. Here at Shikkuu Guides, our personal shoppers are perfectly trained to hunt out the clothes and accessories that are an exact match to you and your personal style – and lifestyle. We fully consider such aspects as your body shape, personality, daily lifestyle and, of course, budget. Above all else, we pay attention to your own sense of style, never selecting outfits that you are not comfortable with wearing. Nor are you obliged to spend a single penny if you don’t want to – the affordable fee aside.

Of course, it would be remiss of us to suggest that personal shopper services in London with connections to high stores do not have their benefits. They do – but we’re also confident that you’ll find an independent, tailored service like that of Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) to be the superior option.

Editor’s Note: Shikkuu Guides (http://www.shikkuuguides.com) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.