Brrrr. Morning flight. Who knows that getting the bags in -10 would be so daunting! While patiently waiting for the driver to park in front of the airport, the possibilities for what to do during the flight were endless. Note for the future- never, ever eat frozen sushi at the Warsaw airport.
Even bringing Vogue for the flight turned out to be a half wasted idea… Instead of analysing trends and thinking up of the million posts I should have created while my laptop was in repair, I just blissfully fell asleep. Must have been pretty tired to sleep through two crying babies two seats in front of me. Arrived in London wishing for a bath and a quick look around the shops to stretch my legs. Three hours later, and that’s exactly what I got! Lucky enough to have a patient individual who didn’t mind my shop fever (at least not that much as to stop me), I rummaged about in most of the shops I could find. Who knew that I would be trotting around with my trusted camera and a batch of magazines for the next nine days…
From this moment on, London became a kaleidoscope- always doing something and going places allowed me to get all the fashion parts of London that I always felt left too much to the imagination. Much to local surprise, each building has a history and most have remained unchanged for one hundred years at least. The wonderful part in London is that it is so diverse- I managed to get a chance to taste the first rate Japanese food in the centre of London, as well as sampling the Krispy Kremes on the next corner.
Westfields is a fantastic shopping centre, but I think, n this case, it is more for leisure than just pure fashion potential. Both Selfridges (with their fantastic assortment of shoes which I found to be astounding, from the pastel plastic Kurt Geiger to the sparkly Louboutins and the neon sandals from Stella McCartney) and Harrods are very fashion orientated, with Harrods putting more effort in combining their shopping haven to suit the most exuberant of needs. The interior architecture of Harrods is also worth talking about- their enormous Egyptian stairway and customised decor of each hall focus the attention of the tourists not only on the amazing collections but also on each room they are in. Selfridges seems less crowded, and their singular decorations (such as the neon cupids and hearts on the ceiling of their shoe galleries) say more that enough about how seriously they take their fashion pieces. I highly recommend Harrods for the best macaroons in London- light and airy almond cakes in a huge variety of different colours and tastes, from chocolate to caramel to pistachio… Their french eighteenth-century inspiration provides the seating area in their ‘tea room’, which could make any girl feel like a courted princess!
Westfields? Done. Selfridges? Done. Harrods? Done. Oxford Street, Regent Street…? Done. Liberty…? Do not get my started on Liberty…. From the enticing Edwardian building with its wooden panels to the slightly artistic decorations and the falling-drop chandeliers going through four floors, there was nothing there that even I could stick on to as being unattractive. It did not help either that they had all the current S/S 2012 collections stacked lovingly on rails, ordered under each designer. From Christopher Kane to Peter Pilotto to Alexander McQueen to DVF to Marni, there wasn’t a collection they didn’t have. If not for the prices, I would make Liberty bankrupt with pleasure. I must say that these S/S 2012 collections have hit every spot for their designs and materials. Everything is just a little bit out of classic- a few of the designers have begun to experiment with this collection, mostly with their innovative materials. Liberty also have a variety of products in store- not only fashion pieces but customised stationary, vintage jewels, carpets and chocolate too! Ever had some sugared almonds from Charbonnel de Walker? No? Then now is the time to run to Liberty to get some.
Even after such a number of photos, the shopping and sightseeing, the sumptuous dinners and the two theatre shows… There is still plenty more of London that I want to discover.
STYLION 