Even fashion fiends such as Lindsay Lohan and Helena Christensen can do with some personal styling help once in a while.

When they do, guess who do they turn to? Trendy Topshop.

The British high-street label showed Urban just what its Style Advisor service was about when I visited its flagship store at Oxford Circus in London last November.

Organised by Singapore's Wing Tai Clothing, which distributes the label here, the session was to be a preview of what customers can expect at the brand's South-east Asian flagship, which opened at Ion Orchard on Tuesday.

Launched in 2006, the Style Advisor service has never quite taken off in Singapore as it has in London, where it was launched in 2002.

The 90,000 sq ft Oxford Circus store has more than 30 advisers, two VIP rooms and one Style Advisor room.

Prior to the Ion store - the biggest Topshop outlet here at 7,037 sq ft - the free personal shopper service was available in Singapore at only the Marina Square and VivoCity stores, with one in-house adviser and one Style Advisor room at each location.

Each outlet handles about 100 appointments a month.

Says a Wing Tai spokesman: 'Previously, the fact that we had only two style advisers limited our capacity.

'We are now planning to recruit more than 10 style advisers for the three stores. We also have a private payment area in the Style Advisor room at the new Ion store as part of our efforts to expand and improve the service.'

If my experience in London was anything to go by, you can expect top service.

Ushered into one of two cosy VIP rooms, I was greeted warmly by 24-year-old Gemma Caplan, who was clad in a Minnie Mouse-inspired outfit of red beret, polka-dotted jacket, lace shift dress and black tights - all from Topshop, of course.

The whimsical Scot, who calls the Disney rodent her style icon, has a fashion marketing degree from Leeds University.

While she declined to give details, she revealed that she has worked with A-list celebrity clients. (While shopping after my 11/2-hour session with her, word on the floor was that Christensen, the Danish supermodel, was using the same room that I had been in. Lohan is also said to be a customer when she is in town.)

Caplan wasted no time in getting me to adopt some star style.

She spent about five minutes on basic questions like, 'What's your budget?' and 'Which part of your body are you most comfortable with?' - then the fun began.

While she prefers her customers to wait in the room while she handpicks clothes for them - 'This way they don't influence my decisions' - she was enthusiastic when I asked to tag along.

'Just grab whatever you want to try and pass it to me. That's what we're here for,' she said with a grin, her arms already full of clothes in just 10 minutes.

If not for her, I probably would not have chosen a pair of hot pink, calf-high lace-up boots that I eventually bought and still relish.

'Look, Rihanna and the Sugarbabes bought them too,' she said, showing me pictures of the pop stars with the same shoes in different colours when we were back in the Style Advisor room.

More friendly gal pal than pushy salesgirl, she was even more eager for me to try on garb that I raised my eyebrows at - a deceptively boring-looking blazer and a long jersey dress, a pair of Aztec print tights and a sequinned bra.

'If you want to show off your bra, make sure it's a nice one,' she said with a cheeky grin, although I remained unconvinced about flashing my lingerie in public.

After half an hour, I was back in the room while she wheeled in two racks of clothes after me.

She not only picked out a new wardrobe for me, but also offered useful styling tips.

While I tried on the clothes in a private fitting room, she paired various items together - the sequinned bra with the jersey dress, a tank top with sequinned capris - to show how I could get more out of each look.

When I tottered out in the pink boots, she swooped down to fold down the calf area of the uppers, creating an edgier look that sealed the deal for me.

It is no wonder that in the 2-1/2 years that she has been a style adviser, Caplan says she has had only one customer walk out empty-handed.

As for me, I blew nearly 200 pounds (S$473) on four items including those boots and shiny capris - and I am still kicking myself for not getting that sequinned bra.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.