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Spend a Weekend Amid High Fashion and Ageless Elegance in Mayfair

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Spend a Weekend Amid High Fashion and Ageless Elegance in Mayfair 32 LUXE LONDON: A STYLISTA’S GUIDE Spend a weekend amid high fashion and ageless elegance in Mayfair. BY DAWN GIBSON Photo Credits: Dawn Gibson, Pawel Libera/London and Partners (VISITLONDON.COM), Burlington Arcade, Grosvenor House Suites by Jumeirah Living, Chanel, The Ritz. Afternoon tea at The Ritz. Exploring exquisite Victorian It’s quite the perfect day, isn’t it? When Samuel Johnson boutiques, every bow-front window a lavish showcase of famously quipped that, when a man is tired of London, he artfully arranged jewellery and accessories. You stroll along as is tired of life, surely he must have been thinking about the a driver roars past in a lime green Lamborghini, catching your city’s leafy, exclusive neighbourhood of Mayfair. Shoulder eye with sheer audacity, followed by a chauffeur in a stately, to shoulder with nearby Knightsbridge as one of London’s vintage Rolls, coasting at a more sedate pace. Admire the top luxury addresses, Mayfair is custom-made for a stylish streetscape as you wander, not quite aimlessly, dipping in and weekend away, topping up your wardrobe with new season out of some of the world’s best designer stores. must-haves and finding a few quirky hidden gems. TRAVEL / 33 WHERE TO SHOP Bordered by the world-famous stretches and Manolo Blahnik. of Piccadilly, Oxford and Regent Streets, Once you emerge blinking into the as well as the grandeur of Hyde Park, sunlight, set off on Old Bond Street, from there are few locations to rival Mayfair for the corner of Piccadilly, to experience an luxury retail therapy. open air gallery of luxury, the wares of If you have already visited many of international designer after international the landmark stores nearby – Harrods, designer, interspersed with the very Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty of best of British, starting with the flagship London – then it’s time for a self-guided London store of Alexander McQueen at walking tour to take in everything from Number 4. Saunter next door to Dolce the most prestigious international design & Gabbana, then cross the road to dip houses to quirky little specialist boutiques. into Cartier and Valentino. Keep walking Let’s begin in the heart of Mayfair at the and you will find the likes of Gucci, Saint stunningly gorgeous Burlington Arcade, Laurent, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany & Co, a covered promenade of small exclusive Chanel (which has both a fine jewellery shops that was one of the first shopping store and an apparel store on New Bond arcades in England, when it opened Street), Asprey, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton in 1819. Running behind Bond Street Maison, Hermès, Burberry, Miu Miu and from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens, Jimmy Choo. The window displays are so every frontage is a visual ode to the art artistically designed, it is worth the walk– of window shopping. You can’t help but even if you don’t buy as much as a scarf. be captivated by beautiful stores such as Another expedition that warrants the Penhaligon’s–a London fragrance house shoe leather is along Mount Street from established in 1870, a treasure trove for Park Lane, where you will pass by Marc classy gift ideas–and the Vintage Watch Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, Balenciaga Company, which has a collection of some and Céline, before reaching The of the rarest vintage Rolexes in the world. Connaught, an iconic Edwardian hotel There’s high-end jewellery, fashion and and the perfect spot for a well-earned accessories–including Chanel, La Perla coffee break. 34 WHERE TO STAY Mayfair has London’s largest start from £795, excluding VAT). The one concentration of five star hotels, several bedroom suite we booked was incredibly of which are so famous that they need spacious and included a fully-equipped no introduction – the likes of The Ritz, designer kitchen (there was even a Claridge’s, The Dorchester and The Nespresso machine), a large dining table, Connaught are as much a part of London a comfy lounge and a high-tech bathroom– heritage as Buckingham Palace. If you complete with roomy tub and underfloor want to live it up in style, and possibly spot heating. After a few days, it felt so much a celebrity or three, these are the places to like home that I found myself leaning out stay. of one of the windows and pretending that However, there are many other lesser- it was (I am sure I am not the first). known Mayfair hotels which whisper Another drawcard is the bespoke sophistication. Be prepared, of course, services. The hotel has a close relationship to pay a premium for ‘location, location, with the head concierges at Harrods and location’. Selfridges, helpful if you want to enjoy a During our luxury shopping weekend, personal shopping experience or source we stayed at Grosvenor House Suites by a hard-to-find item. For example, a super Jumeirah Living, a gorgeously-appointed VIP guest recently requested a very property on the corner of Park Lane and specific python skin Chanel bag to surprise Mount Street overlooking Hyde Park – it his fiancée with on New Year’s Eve, and simply could not have a better situation the Grosvenor came up trumps with less (www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/ than a day’s notice. Impressive. london/grosvenor-house-suites). Also, the hotel keeps a list of private Coming under the umbrella of the personal shoppers, whose services can be Jumeirah Group, which also includes recommended on request. Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab, Grosvenor Other top picks include The Chesterfield House Suites combines top-quality Mayfair, an opulent Regency-style hotel boutique accommodation with the flavour with the air of a private gentlemen’s club of a chic, upmarket townhouse. This is (www.chesterfieldmayfair.com) and Hotel noticeable as soon as you walk into one 41, a delightful boutique property opposite of the roomy suites, which range from Buckingham Palace with stunning black studios to five bedroom penthouses (rates and white decor (www.41hotel.com). TRAVEL / 35 AND MORE SHOPPING… If you want some expert tips before founded by Lucinda Cook after more flashing your bank card, consider taking than a decade of styling experience for a guided retail tour. London Shopping magazines such as British and American Tours (londonshoppingtours.co.uk) offer Vogue. a range of experiences to suit different However, regardless of whether you budgets, from a group tour centred take a tour or simply amble along at your on the Oxford Street area, including own pace, Mayfair is guaranteed to give Mayfair, Piccadilly and Marylebone, to you a heady dose of retail temptation. personalised tours that can go anywhere At the very least, you will pick up some you like and may include exclusive access extremely stylish souvenirs, as well as to sample and VIP sales. gifts for grateful friends, but don’t be too Bespoke shopping tours and stylist surprised if you end up going home with sessions are also offered by The Fashion enough booty for a whole new look. Better Service (www.thefashionservice.com), warn your bank manager in advance..
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