Trends for Spring! Prepping Bath in Fashion's Spring Catwalk Show

Bath in Fashion illustration by Julie Verhoeven

Since the 18th century Bath has always been a fashionable place but in the past few years the fashion crowds have been making their way back to Bath. This is Bath's 4th season of Bath In Fashion - and each year it gets better and better. There are so many events including Roland Mouret in conversation with Susannah Frankel, Fashion Director of Grazia Magazine, Julie Verhoeven in conversation with Iain R Webb and Sasha Wilkins of LibertyLondonGirl will be discussing numerous fashion-related topics at the Guildhall plus I'll be stying two fashion shows.This week I'm spending a few days in Bath visiting all the high street shops, looking at all the spring collections and seeing what the shops have to offer. One of the things that I quite like about Bath is the shopping. The city centre is compact and walkable plus many of the streets are pedestrian walkways. The highstreet shop in Bath feels a bit more like a boutique, most of the shops offer the same level of merchandise that their flagship (level 1 shops) offer but what makes them unique is the level of customer service you get in Bath. I've grown so accustomed to the indifferent shop assistants in London that good customer service throws me off a bit!The spring/summer collection in LK Bennette seems stonger than last summer. There are more block colours and a good selection of print dresses. Also surprisingly the length of most skirts and dresses sit just above the knee.Coast is moving more into occasionwear - which is how I always thought of Coast. For the more fashion forward customer one would wear the dress in the picture above every day - you could throw a jacket over it and wear it to work but for most people this dress would be considered for a special occasion. I think more shops are trying to focus on what they do best - it's better to be niche than trying to be all things to all people.If you need a break from shopping there are so many tea shops in Bath!Love this kelly green 'Aldgate' bag which quite popular at Radley!Nicholas Wylde has his studio downstairs in his shop and he's known for the Wylde Flower diamond. The diamonds are ethically mined and really quite stunning as there are 32 more facets than a round brilliant stone. He will be showing the Petal Collection at Bath in Fashion Spring/Summer Collection fashion show.Bath caters to all age groups and Rowland, who caters to women over 40, has just recently had a shop refit, giving the store a luxury Ralph Lauren type feel but at a mid-price point.