LOVING IT
Shoppers tell us their hottest buys
With the summer now upon us, visitors t o The Ce n t r e , Livingston have been treating themselves to everything from hot holidaywear and statement sunglasses to chic accessories and fabulous footwear.
When the Street Style Squad visited The Centre earlier this month, shoppers were snapping up a selection of summer trends and with over 155 shops in The Centre for people to choose from, it’s no wonder shopping bags were bursting at the seams with the hottest must-have pieces.
This month, six stylish shoppers were selected to share their fabulous new purchases in return for a Gift Card worth £25, courtesy of The Centre, which can be used in over 70 stores and all restaurants.
All six pictures will appear on the Shop The Centre Facebook page on Thursday, May 1 and the picture which receives the most likes over a period of 48 hours will receive another £ 100 Gift Card from The Centre.
First up on our style radar was Blair Paton, a 19-yearold student nurse at Glasgow Caledonian University. Blair is from Bathgate and had popped down to The Centre on the hunt for some holidays clothes for her upcoming trip to Lanzarote with her boyfriend.
Blair said: “Shops like Topshop, River Island and Primark are usually first on my list when I’m in The Centre. I really liked the trousers as soon as I saw them and the T-shirt was a real bargain at £3.50.”
The Street Style Squad couldn’t resist checking out the bulging bags of stylish shopper John Dirkie, a 35-year-old DJ and percussionist f rom We s t Calder.
John was visiting The Centre with his wife to collect an online order but got tempted by a few extra purchases along the way.
John said: “When we’re visiting The Centre I usually head straight for Xile Clothing as they’ve got a fantastic mix of brands and designer names.
“I love my T-shirt, it’s got such a summery feel to it.”
The next shopper with a passion for fashion was John’s wife, Marcia Dirkie, a 35- year- old percussion and dance teacher at Beats of Brazil.
The Centre is a regular port of call for her and on this particular visit, Marcia opted for a wardrobe staple with a tropical twist after a floral hoodie caught her eye.
Marcia said: “I loved the tropical pattern — it’s bright, cheerful, so colourful and the quality is fantastic. “I come down to The Centre all the time and love making a day of it — it’s great to relax, browse the shops.”
The next stylish shopper was Anne Gunt o n , a 67- yearold retired occupational health advisor from Motherwell. Anne was enjoying a leisurely shopping trip at The Centre with her husband, looking for a few summer pieces for an upcoming holiday to the USA.
Anne said: “I’ve just bought this striped top from M& S — it’s a classic style and cut and perfect for our holiday.”
The next person to catch our Style Squad’s eye was Heena Ahmed, a 22-year-old full time mum from Glasgow who was visiting The Centre with her two sisters to get Families going down to the Centre, Livingston will be in for a big surprise this saturday — the first teddy Bear’s picnic takes place from noon to 3pm in Elements square. Kids should bring their teddies to join in the fun. some baby food and browse the shops.
Heena said: “Because I stay local I come down to The Centre quite a bit.
“We’ve just bought this cardigan for our mum, she’s already got it in turquoise but having it in black will be so useful as it will go with lots of different colours.”
Our final lucky shopper was Stacey Selley (31) a care assistant from Livingston.
Stacey popped down to The Centre with her friend on the hunt for a new outfit for the weekend.
She said: “I spotted these gold, slip on trainers in H&M and had to get them — they’ll be perfect with skinny jeans and a simple T-shirt and the metallic gold looks really bright and stylish.”
Ashley Bisland, Deputy Centre Director at The Centre, said: “It’s great to see shoppers having a fun day out with friends and family and tracking down some fabulous summer purchases at the same time.
“We hope that the gift cards will help them treat themselves or their loved ones to another stylish purchase, or a meal in one of our fantastic restaurants, in the near future.”