Moving house is not a very glamorous task, what with all the packing, sorting and cleaning there is to be done, so heading to a Bristol Fashion Week show provided a welcome (and rather stylish) break from it all. On a sunny Thursday I headed over to Cribbs Causeway to catch one of the South West’s biggest fashion events. Made in Chelsea is a guilty pleasure for me, so it was quite fun to see Lucy Watson in person, if only from quite a few rows back – she presented the show along with Lorraine stylist Mark Heyes.

I soon discovered how difficult it is to take good photos at a fashion show – you have to be really quick if you want to catch the models mid-pose and not just as a blurry figure disappearing back down the runway.

One of the standout collections from the show for me featured monochrome outfits from John Lewis. I’ve long been a fan of monochrome because I am, quite frankly, pretty lazy – you don’t have to think too much about putting a black-and-white outfit together or spend ages getting ready, and you can add a little bit of colour without deliberating over whether it goes with everything else. I particularly loved the bamboo print dress from Whistles and the Damsel in a dress checked number, but I would happily have worn all the outfits in this segment (apart from the bikini – I don’t think the world is ready for that, although the model looked absolutely amazing).

I was also a fan of the 70s boho looks, although I doubt I’ll be ditching my skinnies and donning flares any time soon – too many bad memories of my awkward 13-year-old self wearing flares with flowers stenciled up the side. Yuk. Also, remember wearing them in the rain? They’d get all heavy, bedraggled and torn up – not really a good look. It’s a shame, as they are quite flattering with heels, but they are just too much of a blast from the past for me. Wow, I feel old.

I wasn’t so sure about the bold brights from John Lewis. While I like bright colours, I wouldn’t necessarily want to wear several in one outfit – it would look way too over the top on my petite frame (although it would definitely get me noticed in a crowd, and maybe served a bit quicker at the bar). Tall ladies could totally get away with it though. The florals collection wasn’t particularly inspiring for me either, but only because florals come back every spring and summer – I don’t really think they count as a trend anymore, although I still of course think you can’t beat a floral dress in the summer (worn while enjoying a glass of Pimm’s, natch).

Gap’s collection really appealed to me, probably because it featured monochrome (again) with a cheerful pop of yellow. In fact, it encapsulated quite a few of the trends featured on the catwalk in one – monochrome, brights and denim.

Overall, it was a really entertaining show and gave a great insight into the trends in the shops at the moment. I liked that the models didn’t just strut down the catwalk all blue-steel and moody, but did a bit of dancing (and, dare I say it, smiling) too, and the soundtrack was full of bouncy summery tunes (you can find the playlist here).

If you’re in Bristol and fancy head to a show, there are still tickets available for tomorrow – best be speedy though as I doubt there will be for long.