Oh yikes, Christmas is only four days away and the cut-off for most online deliveries has pretty much passed. This article in the Evening Standard made me chuckle as I’m such a grumbler about the inconvenience of online shopping, it just isn’t quite there for me yet. So if you still have shopping to do, there’s no option than to hit the stores. And this is where Chanel Burlington Arcade comes in.
Burlington Arcade is quite the prettiest shopping arcade in London. There’s been a bit of a rebranding of it lately, it’s become more of a mini Bond Street, with luxury newcomers such as Barrie knitwear and Maison Michel (both owned by Chanel) moving in, and last Friday’s opening of the latest Chanel beauty boutique. (more…)
If you loved the glimpse of the Artist Residence Hotel I shot in recently (with Vanessa Jackman), here’s everything you need to know about it. Located in London’s genteel Pimlico, it’s the third in a trio of homely residences that feel more like a home away from home than a glam-but-impersonal hotel. The original Artist Residence was born in Brighton in 2008, followed three years later by Penzance. What they share is a mix of heritage-y reclaimed furnishings and fittings with artworks from up and coming talent and a laid back ambience. (more…)
Should you ever arrive in London for a short staycation, you’d be advised to disembark at Victoria mainline station then follow the blue line, helpfully taped to the floor. It leads to the rather unglamorous passport office on Belgrave Road at which point you veer off course for another five minutes, along Eccleston Square towards Cambridge Street. And there you’ll arrive at a secret little nook of delight – AKA the Artist Residence Hotel.
This is the route our model Maddy took, arriving in a typical London torrential downpour to the comfort of the Grand Suite, where we had commandeered the bed, chairs and bathroom for my latest Disneyrollergirl fashion shoot. The hotel is the third in the Artist Residence chain of boutique stay-overs and its period rooms are a masterclass in eccentric but luxurious London charm. They’re furnished with reclaimed gems from some of London’s best secret sources, juxtaposed with contemporary artworks from art fairs and independent galleries. To make you feel really at home there’s the downstairs cocktail lounge, all velvet sofas, rustic logs and table football, and the 64 Degrees restaurant (think proper cooked breakfasts and inventive tapas-style sharing plates).
And although it’s not immediately obvious, the location is in fact, the height of fashion, a stone’s thrown from the London HQs of Burberry, Tom Ford and Jimmy Choo. Position yourself just so by Ebury Bridge, and you’re afforded an unexpected vista of Battersea Power Station.
Allow us to take you on a little tour – just follow the blue line…
CREDITS
Photography: Vanessa Jackman
Words: Navaz Batliwalla
Styling: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl.net
Hair: Patrick Forini using Bed head by TIGI
Make-up: Emma Broom
Model: Maddy Elmer at Storm
With thanks to the team at Artist Residence London, 52 Cambridge Street, SW1V 4QQ
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Late last year, I spent a freeeezing morning filming this great video with NeochaEDGE – one of a series of three, produced to launch eBay Xiu in China. The videos, ‘Style Xiu’, followed a Chinese stylist, designer and blogger on their travels to London, Paris and New York, discovering style and fashion across the globe.
As a regular contributor to eBay UK’s Style Collective blog, this video features me being interviewed by the charming stylist and author, A Quiqui, in which we discuss London style, vintage finds and the joys of eBay shopping (obvs), surrounded by the creative chaos of Spitalfield’s excellent Thursday vintage market. My favourite thing about this video though, is the beautiful photography of London’s landmarks and scenery. Enjoy…
