Travels to the East...

... of London. We are not talking here of a great adventure on the Silk road, on camel backs, but of a simple tube journey to Liverpool Street to reach Spitalfield market, Brick lane and its side streets. Often described as a collection of villages, London does feel very different from one area to another and it is a great luxury to be able to take a mini-holiday in one's own city (of adoption).
First things first
As befits serious shoppers, I and my delightful traveling companion, A., had to start with a coffee break in the most wonderful Verde & Co.

The "Grocers and Italian wharehousemen" as they define themselves gave us wonderful coffee and Bakewell tarts, and we lingered on high stools, surrounded by deliciously tempting provisions.

Food being one of my many passions in life, I am straying from fashion to highly recommend stopping in this deli/cafe,  to enjoy their beautiful mix of fresh foods, well-chosen pantry items and antiques.  The "wharehousemen" were very welcoming and helpful too, serving a delicious cup of caffe latte whilst preparing lunch and taking deliveries of yet more tempting groceries. They are located at 40 Brushfield street, Spitalfields E1, across from Spitafield market.

Tiny fashion

A short walk away takes us to 162 Brick lane, London E1 6RU, a tiny, "hole-in-the-wall" shop dedicated to fashion for the under 5, another departure from the main theme of this blog, but it was hard to resist stepping in. 

Oh Baby London claims to be "Clothing for lucky kids" and I can only agree. Their designs are fun, mischievous and reasonably priced. The T-shirt with a message might have lost its novelty and even appear desperately naff, but I liked the prison-striped playsuit boasting: "I've been inside for 9 months." Very cute and still acceptable on a tiny one! Being out of the baby market myself, I can see great gifts for those who are in that stage of life.  Check out their website.

Grown up fashion

I'll come back in a later post to the theme of fashion for the over 40 with a great shop in Cheshire street, run by Dragana Perisic, a lovely designer who is not afraid to say that she designs for the 35+ market and produces beautiful and inventive timeless clothes and bags.

I have no connection, financial or otherwise with any of the shops and brands featured.

The Jackson Twins

On one of those rainy days that London does so well, what better option but to take refuge in the comfort of a welcoming boutique. Stepping inside The Jacksons's beautifully styled shop at number 5 All Saints road in London's Notting Hill (W11 1HA), soft light and mellow music give an immediate feeling of relief. Bucketing rain, low skies and gloom outside are forgotten in this oasis of calm. The shop's corner location normally allows plenty of light to come in through the two shop-windows, but on a rainy day, it feels like a cocoon of peace and beauty.

The focus of the boutique is the shoes and boots that the Jacksons design but it also features clothes of their own design or from other designers.  Their collection works across the age groups and has plenty to offer a 40+ woman: style, colour, wit, sexy but never slutty. It is not cheap, but worth the price, I think.  http://www.thejacksons.co.uk/

Their shoes that are both comfortable, witty and unique with a focus on colour.  I should also add that they come in half-sizes, a godsend for those of us who fall in between standard sizes. I owned a pair of their Mary Boot in a gorgeous taupe that I wore to destruction. Its low heel and slip on design made them the perfect "running around town" boot. Their new edition of that model (£165) comes in splendid colours and dispenses with the laces that quickly fell apart.

Their tall boots Milly boots are classics - their chic gaucho look is timeless, well-suited to the stormy and rainy season we are entering, perfect with a wide, floaty skirt and a long coat. They are priced down from their usual £260 price at £195.

I love their Union Jack collection, which brings this most iconic of flags at your feet. Cool Britannia might have taken a bit of a battering lately, but the flag still looks good! Their flat version comes at £145 and £155 in patent leather. The high heel comes at £170.

In the same theme, they also have a London bag, featuring both the Union Jack and Big Ben for the fanatical Brit fan.

London Bag, £25.

The boutique features beautiful dresses that I will come back to at a later date. As we are entering winter, I'd like to mention a relatively reasonably priced coat from Saltwater, the Cornwall and London based clothing label:  http://www.saltwater.net/. The Shetland wool princess coat comes at £249 in "grass" and "donkey" colours.

The "donkey" version is accessorised with a scarf from Cash Ca (£45), the delicious knitwear company.  The "grass" version of the coat, hanging in the window of The Jacksons brings some most welcome colour to the dull Autumn days!

The Jacksons shoes are also available from JW Beeton, 68 Ledbury road, W11 2AJ.

I would like to add that i have no connection, financial or otherwise with any of the brands mentioned.

Paris trip - something old and something new

A Londoner for 20 years, visits to Paris elicit a rich mix of emotions. I am both back home and a tourist. I reconnect with my childhood and student days but also realise that Paris is no longer my reference. I understand how the city works, navigate the metro and the neighbourhoods on automatic pilot, but also feel slightly alien. The city brings up memories, buried reactions, the unique pleasures of deep recognition and familiarity, but also the reality that I no longer belong. I left Paris as a student, and have come back over the years as a working woman, a mother, an entirely different person. The pleasure of seeing family and friends is always tinged with nostalgia, the remembrance of the person I was. 


Old and new

My weekend visit afforded me a wonderful combination of discovery and recollection. I had never visited the Bibliotheque Nationale, president Mitterand's hommage to books (and himself). It is set in a completely new neighbourhood, reminiscent of the area around Tate Modern in London, combining glass and steel offices, a new university and interesting new housing with amazing river views on the Seine.


Exploring Le Marais area, I walked past my old gym, Vit'Halles and had a vision of myself in dayglo pink lycra with permed hair panting to the sound of disco music. In my student days, I used to go daily to aerobic classes to make up for the delicacies of rue Montorgueil.  Stohrer's Puits d'Amour (caramelised creme patissiere in pastry) and Houdot's cheeses were notable culprits and remain hard to resist!

http://www.stohrer.fr/

A new perspective 

With regards to fashion, I'd like to question the notion that Paris offers more than London to the 40+ woman.  The Parisian 40+ woman tends to look good, fed on a diet of cigarettes and coffee and a steely determination to keep her weight down. She knows what fits and suits her, but tends to adopt a uniform of winter black trouser suits, cleverly accessorised and picked up by the occasional discreet flash of colour. As a student in LA, I had been shocked and outraged by an American fashionista's judgment on French women: they were boring. I still don't agree, but I now understand what she means: good taste can be a prison.

My guide through le Marais was my wonderfully patient and knowledgeable artist cousin, C.M. We alternated art gallery visits and boutique exploration. On a Saturday afternoon, the shopping streets were teeming with sight-seers and the economic recession seemed far away. From the variety of shops we saw, I'd like to highlight Erotokritos, (99 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003, telephone +33 (0)1 42 78 14 04): http://www.erotokritos.com/home
The Greek cypriot designer, Erotokritos Antoniadis is based in Paris with 2 boutiques and present in London at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. I very much liked his knitwear, beautifully made, quirky but stylish. 

Krystall cardigan, €200

Jaquelle, 3/4 sleeved sweater, €175

Timeless

On the art front, there is so much to see that we barely scratched the surface. I'll just mention a couple of places. A stop at  Karsten Greve's gallery, (5 rue de Belleyme, 75003), gave us the opportunity to see  Lucio Fontana, Soulages and Cy Twombly's works in much more peaceful conditions than we could have experienced in a museum. 


At Yvon Lambert's gallery,  (108 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003, telephone +33(0) 1 42 71 09 33), I thoroughly enjoyed artist David Claerbout's video installation Sunrise, part of the exhibition Locus Solus, http://www.yvon-lambert.com/Locus+Solus-E172.html
I tend to be very critical of video installations, often an excuse for "artists" to bore their audience to death with loops of shaky camera work, a complete ignorance of film making and an insufferable dose of pretension. Not David Claerbout's film Sunrise.  I agree with Shine magazine's review: it "is a masterpiece of timing, camera-work, lighting and sheer artistic ingenuity and grace. The film follows a maid about her morning tasks in a modernist villa. [...] In its final minutes this film transforms itself from a quiet, unassuming view of perfection into an assault of emotion." (http://shinemag.com/2009/07/27/david-claerbout-riverside-sunrise-and-the-american-room/)

Anthropologie - the shop

US chain Anthropologie opens this weekend on Regents street in London, its first outing in Europe after successfully expending in North America from its original Pennsylvania home. I am curious to know how the British public will react and I suspect the store will need to adapt to this market. My experience of visiting the shop in the US, in one of those out of town spreads of upscale big box shops, was one of slight puzzlement. I found that its mix of ethnic chic and cheap trinkets, colourful and eccentric pieces was successful for its home collection but more hit and miss for fashion.

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp

I liked the Fifties inspired aprons (reasonable at £23.83) and tea towels (£11.29),  embroidered with applique motifs to brighten up your kitchen with a wink at the modern domestic goddess. They conjure up visions of cupcakes, decorated jellies and happy friends and children.

Anthropologie is also very good for stationary and cute toys.

I am less convinced by Anthropologie's clothing selection. It goes for a quirky style of colourful, often over decorated clothes which can look cute and fun on a 20 year old but could go awfully wrong on a 40+.  Cute eccentric can easily slip into wacky art teacher. I found fabrics and quality rather lacklustre in general for clothes, which is another danger for 40+, as it can look cheap and tawdry. Prices are quite reasonable though, so if something hits your fancy, go for it but don't over do it.

Lolland sweater dress, £117.90

Where it might be worth giving it a try is in its denim collection. They feature a "denim decoder" which looks worthwhile. With a variety of brand,  fits, washes and lengths including a "petite" selection, we are bound to find a model that fits and looks good.

Daughters of the liberation, £61.46

Anthropologie has quite a wide selection of shoes and boots and there again I would be careful about quality. I  like the patent heeled peep-toe lace up, not cheap at £205.70.

All in all, I found the US store I visited great for home accessories and gifts but remained unconvinced by its fashion selection. However, I'd happily go look at their denims and rummage through the railings in case a cute, fun piece captures my imagination.

The joys of vintage

Vintage is a wonderful source of cheap, well-made unique clothing and accessories, which would otherwise be unaffordable. The difference between vintage and second-hand is quite subtle now that some pieces from the Nineties can be found in vintage shops.  Vintage definitely sounds better than second-hand which brings to mind frayed collars and over-stretched sweaters.

For me, vintage was a particularly good source of statement clothes when I was a student in LA and had no money to spend on clothes. I remember a striking bellboy cobalt blue jacket which became the inspiration for a tailor-made suit offered by my husband many years later. My rule with vintage was not to buy anything that would directly touch my skin, so I mainly stuck to jackets and accessories or unworn vintage such as shoes still in their original box. Some of my friends tell me that buying vintage clothes is their secret to being well-dressed at a fraction of the cost of new clothes. For them, it is practically a way of life as they care about beautiful, well-cut clothes, can't afford their prices and opt for vintage - it works for them as they look stylish and amazing. For others, it is only one of many sources of clothes and accessories as they mix and match vintage with new. My friend Claudia, who kindly served as my guide through the Portobello market area that she knows inside out, says: "Don't exceed the prescribed dose!" She guards against the "old wacky artist look" of head to toe vintage.  I see what she means as a Thirties look might be cute and witty on a 16 year old but smack of the freakish bag-lady on a 40+. She tells me that she only buys what she can wash at reasonably high-temperature - she even washes woolens at 30 degrees and uses shampoo as soap as it is suitable for delicate fabrics and gets rid of the musty smell of some vintage clothing. She buys vintage cashmere - better quality than the modern China-made stuff, and particularly likes Edwardian fine cotton blouses which can be worn on a camisole in the summer and nicely hide the tricky upper arm area.

Claudia shared with me her favourite vintage sources from charity shops to high-end boutiques to the market stalls under the canopy at the top of Portobello road.  Charity shops, the brilliant British invention is a great starting point. A well known source is the Oxfam shop at 245 Westbourne Grove , W11 2SE, where a quick trawl through the rails and shelves revealed beautiful glass pearls with a lovely brillante clasp at £12 (sorry for the blurred picture) and a very good Brora cashmere jumper at £30 (from £169 new) - size unknown, which is a hazard of vintage shopping.

Another recommendation is the Fara charity shop, raising money for Romanian abandoned children,  located a number 10 Elgin Crescent, W11 2HX.  The shop has a polished look and a dynamic manager. We picked out shoes in great condition. If you are a size 6, the Ferragamo cantilevered patent wedges can be yours for £65.

Another pair of patent wedges, not quite as striking and by Gucci this time were priced at £40 for a size 4.

Whilst charity shops pre-select and present clothes in an appealing ways at slightly higher prices, the real finds are often on the market stalls. The stall holders under the canopy at the top of Portobello road are usually very knowledgeable and helpful. Under Claudia's guidance, I was thrilled to discover beautiful Jacqmar silk scarves in very good condition for £10 each. The stall holder tells me she sells on ebay under the name of "littlemissimpact" but I could not locate her on the web.  I could not decide between the two I liked best, so I bought both - something you can afford to do with vintage!

Boutiques and brands - Lumina and Senas

The anonymity of department store and high-street shopping has its appeals.  On days when you just don't want to talk to another human being, when you just want to browse, try on clothes without enduring the fake encouragements of a commission-based sales assistant or the haughty neglect of the bored teenager on duty, department stores and high-street shops are just the ticket. Go in, grab an armful of clothes, head for the changing rooms and make a fool of yourself without witnesses or attention. That approach suits me for the usually undignified mission of finding a new swimsuit or new underwear. For such duties, I tend to head for Selfridges and go home with something reasonably suitable and even affordable when I go during the sales. Whilst their shop windows are amazing, Selfridges' website is rather confusing but here it is: http://www.selfridges.com/index.cfm?page=1153
I used to enjoy nipping to Harvey Nichols and mostly Liberty to check out the new styles and try them out without interference, but those shopping trips are becoming rarer, although I still pay them a visit during the sales.

I realise that most of what I buy, beyond basics, now comes from boutiques. I enjoy boutique shopping for a variety of reasons, from personal service and keenly priced pieces to the opportunity of finding more original styles. It is usually in boutiques that I discover new and interesting designers whilst department stores tend to stick to big names and big prices. Since I have no interest in wearing "the" iconic piece of the minute, I like the feeling of unearthing a new creator - new to me at least.  That is what happened recently when I stepped inside Lumina, a tiny boutique in a small street behind High-Street Kensington.  A sign posted to the door had caught my eye, boldly stating to target "non-followers of fashion", a rare endeavour in our age focused on the "new and improved" rather than the timeless. Set-up a year ago, it is run by Janis who explained that their buyer tends to source their stock from Italy, Spain and Germany and revolve around timeless classics. With an emphasis on quality, natural fibres and durability, they are definitely at the more classic end of the fashion scale. Whilst I am probably more adventurous in my own choices, I picked out a brand that I liked: Senas. A German brand which started with natural-fibre scarves, they now offer a full range of clothing in muted colours but interesting cuts modeled on their website by grown-women, including a model with grey hair and womanly proportions. http://www.senas-mo.de/senatex_en/senatex_en.htm
The clothes have clever details such as small elasticated strips at the waist of a skirt, offering comfort without ruining the sharp tayloring.

In tough economic times, boutiques also tend to try harder, give their customers individual attention and more honest feedback as they understand the value of return business better than anonymous chains with uncommitted staff with high-turnover.
I should mention that I have no connection, financial or otherwise with either Lumina nor Senas!

Uniqlo, king of basics.

We all need basics, the clothes we throw on in the morning when there is nothing special ahead, but also the bits which can be paired up with more interesting pieces and complement an outfit. I find that Uniqlo makes those to perfection: www.uniqlo.co.uk. The parent company, Fast Retailing, owners of Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse Tamtam amongst others, established the brand in Japan and Asia, then moved to the New York and London and is now opening its new flagship store in Paris to compete with other global high street fashion brands such as Zara or H&M. When they opened their first shop in London in 2001, I must admit that I did not see the point of it: another retailer of cheap boring clothes. From the shop window, I thought the shop and the line looked shabby and completely uninteresting. I did not even set foot in the shop. A few years later, my opinion was completely changed!

Despite Uniqlo's advertising and "style book" featuring the usual barely adult models, at least, they reflect a range of ethnicity. In fact, whilst I don't feel they are targeting my age group, I don't mind as Uniqlo make the kind of simple, well-cut and well-priced clothes that make your life easy. Their range of colours is not for the fainthearted and tends to favour bright tones but, to be fair, they also carry neutrals. You feel like a bit of canary yellow would brighten your day, here is it: the V-neck jumper that you can wear with jeans as well as with a black slacks. At the moment they are hawking their Extra Fine Merino sweaters which look good with a smart T-shirt underneath or a white shirt. Their winter cashmere sweaters, just under £50 also work a treat. Their HeatTech line is excellent too - fun thermal underwear if that can be imagined. www.uniqlo.co.uk/catalogue/women/heattech

 Another good find this season is their flannel shirts which come in quite a range of colours and tartan patterns. They can work really well with jeans and boots for a grown-up cowgirl look, perfect for the weekend.

I also find their light cotton T-shirts very good value, excellent quality as shape, colour and softness don't change after multiple washes.

Quality seems to be taken very seriously by Uniqlo as I understand they have strict quality control throughout all the stages of production. They also take Corporate Social Responsibility matters very seriously http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/csr/ Whilst I am always suspicious of great CSR announcements and glossy brochures designed for PR purposes, Fast Retailing seem to have a well-thought through and sophisticated approach. If it is anything to go by, their staff are efficient and helpful, generally with a smile.  By the way, I don't have any connections with Uniqlo or own any Fast Retailing shares, this article only reflects my personal opinion!