The three F's!

There is nothing that excites me more than taking to the streets of London in search of the three F's!...fashion, flagship stores and fabulous concepts (something which online shopping will never provide). I was delighted then, when I encountered all three on my latest shopping expedition… 

To kick start my trip I headed to London's prestigious Duke Street, where the brand new, uber cool Duke St. Emporium resides. This new concept store is part of the Jigsaw group and includes a range of Jigsaw clothing alongside a smattering of premium brands from The Shop at Bluebird (Jigsaw’s Chelsea boutique).

The store offers a truly unique shopping experience which I simply adore! You can start off with a coffee at their in-store café (operated by Fernandez and Wells), admire a collection of art, books and installations, browse beauty products which are displayed throughout the store on mid-century furniture, and discover interesting features as you wander through the calm, contemporary and carefully curated interior.

If you have not already been My Darlings, I definitely recommend it. You never know, you may also catch me and my mannequin mates hanging out…surely that alone is a good enough reason to visit? 

 

 

My next stop was a few minutes walk to the new flagship Warehouse store on Oxford street, inspired by the converted warehouses in New York's Meatpacking District. I have to say the design team have done a grand job bringing the concept to life. The mix of exposed brick walls, concrete flooring and mannequins produced from raw fibreglass create an authentic industrial vibe. The shopping experience was a pleasure and hassle free. I comfortably tried on clothes in a spacious fitting lounge filled with scented candles, and I didn’t even have to walk to a till to purchase my new items, as staff were armed with transactional IPads, how terribly modern!

Going a little further afield, my wonderful driver, Mark whizzed me along to Knightsbridge....where I shopped till I dropped – to my articulated knees! Newly opened on the Brompton Road, Karen Millens three-leveled flagship store is complete with a design atelier in the basement where tailor-made garments are produced to order. Large groupings of raw fibreglass mannequins displayed on wooden cubes create a bold impactful statement, drawing customers into the store. The store is jam packed with the brands whole range of clothing, shoes and accessories, but feels spacious, and oozes sophistication with a modern, elegantly refined touch. Hats off to the store designers and Visual team!

Shopping bags a plenty and ball joint ankles feeling weary,  I headed back to mannequin towers, where I later got to thinking about these three brands, and what they have in common.
Their heritage is British based, they each offer a unique feature within their stores, enticing customers with their modern shopping approach and their visual merchandising kit is produced by proportion>london 

Perhaps it's time to say bye-bye to online shopping, step out from behind the screen and get pounding the pavements once again. After all, nothing quite beats the raised pulse and sheer exhilaration of shopping instore...!