Les Senteurs

If, like me, you get a bit bored of fashion house perfumes (a thoroughly mixed bag) and celebrity scent (which usually smell like sweets), Les Senteurs is a great place to head. This artisan perfumery offers a fantastic selection of classic, timeless fragrances that smell deep, complex, luxurious and sophisticated. Located in the heart of Victoria, just off Sloane Square, Les Senteurs is an upmarket perfumery. A family run business set up by husband and wife team Betty and Michael Hawksley in 1984, this store offer a huge range of perfumes with an equally diverse price range (starting at a very reasonable £25, they sour to an eye-watering £180+).

 Specialising in imported, high quality, and typically French perfumes, often from impendent perfume houses, Les Senteurs offer forgotten classics from brands such as Creed and Caron, alongside modern, niche fragrances. They stock a full range of each scent families – oriental, green, citrus, leather, floral, fruity, chypre, woody and aquatic – with handy colour coding for each perfume, so you can get a vague approximation on the type of scent it will be.

 Les Senteurs have a good online store, which offers a sample service where they will send you vial of each scent that you are interested in. Vial’s cost £5, no matter what priced scent you wish to try, and you get a good quantity of perfume, enough of a month of constant usage, so you can really asses the scent. Excellent for when trying something new, or when buying perfume as a gift. The in-store service is by far the best option though if you can get to London easily. Les Senteurs offer an excellent personal service, with knowledgeable and patient staff, and an ideal environment to experiment and discover in.

http://lessenteurs.web-epos.com/

Kate Sheridan

Kate Sheridan has been a creator and purveyor of whimsical accessories since 2001. First there was Sheridan and Minns, a joint venture with friend and textile designer Helen Minns; then there was What Katie Did Next, a collection exclusively for Topshop; and now there is simply an eponymous label, which has been running since 2004. Sheridan’s work has consistently received high praise from fashion publications and buyers in all her creative incarnations, with her work has most recent appeared in The Observer, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Grazia and Cosmopolitan.

Sheridan’s work is at times slightly offbeat, but there is always a strong foundation of tradition and luxury in each item. The shape of every individual bag, purse or wallet, typically takes inspiration from vintage styles, with classic purse shapes including brass wiring and clips.

Nature is a clear passion for Sheridan, which is transferred to many of her accessories pieces. Beautiful ink patterns often adorn her creations, with wolves, birds, berries and flowers a typical focus, looking a little like a snippet of an ornate Arthur Rackham illustration. Her work is certainly not girlie, however, it simply appeals to the more tender, genial side that we all have. Indeed, much of her new collection for A/W 2011 is quite androgynous. There are lots of navies, tans and blacks, constructed in utilitarian cotton twill and sometimes decorated with understated Aztec prints. Any man with a bit of style would be hard pushed to dislike her new wallets.

Kate Sheridan’s current collection is available online, at numerous boutique stores across London, as well as in Harvey Nichols and Urban Outfitters stores across the country. The leather items can be a bit dear, but her fabric bags are very reasonably priced, and you can get excellent bargains, either during her online sale, or there is a discount stall at Spitalfields Market on Sunday’s.

http://www.katesheridan.com/index.html

Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi is one of the hippest and innovative record labels active in the UK today. Set up in London in 1998, Moshi Moshi specialise in sourcing and nurturing alternative, experimental indie music, with enough humour and lightheartedness to be accessible and enough intelligence and depth to be creative. Much of the label’s focus is on discovering and developing new talent, and then introducing them to major commercial markets. In the past the label have broken Friendly Fires, Bloc Party and Florence and the Machine, releasing their debut singles, and sometimes debut albums, as well as supporting all the preparatory work for such significant artist, including developing image and artwork, supporting tours and such. The label also distribute for a lot of key US indie artists, especially those from the Brooklyn scene, including The Drums and Au Revoir Simone.

Like any good indie label, Moshi Moshi take the presentation of their releases very seriously, and focus a significant amount of effort onto offering high quality, astute artwork with each item, whether single or album. They also work on offering new ways for consumers to buy their music, challenging and innovating the traditional music industry model. Two ways in particular that the label does this is through their AAA Subscriptions Club and their Singles Club concept. The subscriptions club focuses on offering all Moshi Moshi releases in any given year (which usually equates to at least two dozen releases) for the princely sum of £30. They also release a new single each month by a key Moshi Moshi artist, which is available for digital download or as a 7” single. These marketing methods benefit consumers, artists and the label itself, and demonstrate new ways the music industry can work and make a profit.

Moshi Moshi are currently supporting Slow Club, CasioKids, Trophy Wife, The Wave Pictures, Idiot Glee and Hot Club de Paris amongst many other exciting new artists. They really are a veritable sonic gold mine of exciting new music, so if you want any easy way to keep your finger on the emerging music pulse, I suggest you subscribe to their AAA club pretty sharpish.

http://www.moshimoshimusic.com

Beyond the Valley

 Beyond the Valley is an incredibly artistic, high-end boutique and gallery space just off Carnaby Street in the heart of Soho. Heralded as “the space for new designers”, this concept store pushes the boundaries and conventions of art and clothing. In store and online the company offers clothing, jewellery, furniture, fine art and graphic design for sale, but there is also an in store galley space for new and emerging artists.

Beyond the Valley has become renowned for sourcing fresh, new artistic talent and innovative diverse pieces. The boutique was set up by Jo Jackson, Kate Harwood, Kristjana S. Williams, three ex Central St. Martin’s students who set up the store in 2005 after becoming disillusioned and unable to secure permanent, professional design work. The studio/boutique developed as a showcase for emerging artists and designers, and since its inception, the girls, through Beyond the Valley have curated a number of exhibitions, set up guerrilla stores, and at one point created an exclusive collection for Topshop. The brand has since become a favourite of the likes of Roisin Murphy and Lily Cole.

As well as stocking high-end fashion brands such as Anglomania for Vivienne Westwood, Melissa and Fabrica, Beyond the Valley also have an eponymous label. Their own label this season falls into a pre-Raphaelite/neo-classical style, with plenty of rich, deep colours, deep patterns, golds, blacks and embellishments. In general though, Beyond the Valley has a specific aesthetic, filled with whimsical, artistic photo-prints, plenty of chiffon and silk, with a generally grandiose, innovative and unique approach.

Beyond the Valley offer luxurious pieces, which for the most part are not cheap, although you can get some fantastic bargains in the sale. Their pieces are ideal for special occasions, key pieces and treats. I personally bought a dressing gown from them recently in the summer sale for £100, reduced from £250. A large expense, perhaps, but the dressing gown is 100% silk – proper silk too, not synthetic, and it is something I will wear most days for 10 years plus. Most importantly though, it has a beautiful 3D photo print of a forest, and even comes equipped with 3D glasses. If art and aesthetics are important to you, Beyond the Valley offers a wonderful box of treats.

http://www.beyondthevalleystore.com/

The Grand Café

The Grand Café is allegedly the oldest coffee house in England. The establishment is said to have featured in Samuel Pepys’ diary, and records show the oxford site has featured a coffee house since the 1650s. This luxurious teahouse, bar and café has become an Oxford establishment, frequented by tourist and students alike. The café is even said to have been a regular favourite of Chelsea Clinton when she was studying at Oxford, with Bill reputed making the odd appearance.

 The Grand Café specialises in cream tea and high tea, both of which are full of traditional English tea staples such as scones, finger sandwiches, lashings of loose-leaf tea, ground coffee and the odd spot of champagne. They also serve lunch, offering a range of English and Italian inspired sandwiches, salads, seafood dishes and free-range meat pies. In the evening the café makes a final transformation into an opulent cocktail bar, with good quality cocktails, liqueurs, beers and fine wines.

 The food at The Grand Café is not extravagantly upmarket, but it does offer a nice snippet of luxury, and is certainly nice when you fancy a posh little treat. The prices might be a little over the odds, but the whole point of visiting The Grand Café is that it is an occasion. The café itself is beautifully laid out, with marbled pillars, filigree and gold leaf adorning every surface. There is a grandiose art deco feel about the place, which is ultimately what make it a stylish, lavish, and coolly aloof independent treasure, and a nice stop-off on a day trip to Oxford.

http://www.thegrandcafe.co.uk/

Love From Hetty and Dave

Love from Hetty and Dave are purveyors of handcrafted jewellery and accessories. Founded by Zoe Larkins in 2003, Hetty and Dave create hand-stitched pieces from leather and textiles, which have a very cute, very kitsch 1950s vibe. Hetty and Dave jewellery has featured in a number of craft books, as well as The Guardian, The Observer, and The Metro, and were at one time a personal favourite of the late, great Amy Winehouse. 

 

Hetty and Dave are perhaps most famous for their love heart broaches. As well as being available in a variety of patterns and with a variety of slogans for both the romantic and cynically inclined, Hetty and Dave also offer a personalisation service where they will tailor the heart to be emblazoned with the words or name of your choosing. Other items available are typically focused around very sentimental English themes - of nature and of eccentric, old school emblems. The likes of mice, acorns, owls, and strawberries, as well as horseshoes, medals and crowns are regular sources of inspiration, as well as guest appearances from more alternative themes, such as a recent headband featuring day-glo skulls in celebration of Mexico’s day of the dead.

Hetty and Dave create wonderfully craft-based jewellery with true a pleasant homemade vibe. The company also focus on a lovely collective approach to creativity, offering advice via the company blog on how to make your own apron, or how to make a skirt from an old vintage tablecloth. Larkins has recently set up the official Hetty and Dave shop/workshop in sunny Bournemouth, but the range can also be found online via their website.

http://www.lovefromhettyanddave.co.uk/

Laduree

Whilst Laduree are not strictly a UK based company, they are independent, and have a number of outlets across London for us British to access. The company have three patisseries/tea salons in the capital, one based in the Burlington Arcade just off Piccadilly, one in Harrods, and of course their newly opened premises in Covent Garden. Laduree are starting to take pockets of the UK by storm, and it’s easy to understand why, with their intricate, luxurious and very, very French style of desserts and patisseries.

Laduree was established in 1862 in a prestigious area of Paris, and quickly attracted the custom of Parisian high-society. Initially purely a patisserie, Laduree evolved into a tea salon, which offered a sit-down, restaurant-type feel to afternoon tea and cakes. Laduree salons now feature in each of their outlets, which are luxuriously adorned with plush velvets, opulent silks, golden brocades and gilding, all in a classically Parisian palette of rich navys, pale pinks, absinth greens and deep blacks. This aesthetic theme has continued on from the literal walls of each Laduree location to the packaging of their cakes, available in gorgeous boxes and cases you’ll be desperate to find a use for long after you have scoffed all your cakes away.

Laduree take traditional French cake and pastry recipes and elaborates on them greatly, to create diverse, extravagant, exciting and experimental new culinary inventions. Typical concoctions include pain au chocolat with chocolate and pistachio cream, a chocolate mini-gateaux with morello cherry jam and gold leaf whisps, rose raspberry, violet and caramel-mango profiteroles, and Laduree Saint-Honores – towers of puff pastry with fruit, cream, chocolate, nuts and a flavoured sugar-glaze.

Laduree are best known however for their sandwich macaroons, which were actually invented by the company back in the 1800s. The simple base macaroon recipe of ground almonds, eggs and sugar with a ganache filling is livened-up by their huge diversity of flavours. As a simple taster, they currently have flavours of cherry kirsch and chocolate, mint and strawberry, lily of the valley, orange blossom, rose and orange and granny smith apple, amongst numerous others on their shelves. What was a simple treat is instantly made into a rich indulgence.

Laduree’s X-factor is found in the combination of excellent, quality baking, a huge variety of innovative flavour combinations, the literal beauty of the cakes and the sumptuous surrounding you can eat them in. A Laduree take away is the perfect treat for yourself, or a special person/special occasion. A box of macaroons starts from £11, and you can buy individual patisseries from £3.95. A trip to the tea salon is a guaranteed winner for a special date, especially for a lady you want to spoil, or really make a real impression on. 

http://www.laduree.fr/

Tatty Devine

Tatty Devine make bold, artistic jewellery with lashing of wit and whimsy. Their signature items are typically made out of brightly coloured acrylic plastic, but many of collections also feature pieces made out of textile, wood, leather, metals and veneers. All Tatty Devine jewellery is handmade in the UK, and their full collection is available online, as well as at their two shops in Covent Garden and Brick Lane. They make a whole host of broaches, earrings, necklaces, rings, belts and hair accessories.

Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine created Tatty Devine in 1999, and since then their brand has developed a huge cult following in both the art and fashion worlds. As well as having collections developed specifically for the Tate Modern and the V&A museum, the company has featured in Vogue, and TD also get involved in London Fashion Week every year. The girls also develop special projects with artists and bands, from Camera Obscura and Belle & Sebastian to Antony Gormley (the artist behind The Angel of the North).

Tatty Devine release two seasonal collections a year, and their Autumn/Winter range has just been released. Entitled “Come Foraging”, this season is very nature based, and is full of acorns, berries, leaves, foxes and owls, with reds, ambers, mustards, golds and deep ivy greens as the colour palette. TD also have a permanent collection available, which features more general themes such as bows, anchors, plectrums, dinosaurs and various birds such a magpies and swallows. The brand are also famous for their “Name Necklaces” – bespoke items which can be tailored exactly for the name or words you want, with five different font choices, 28 different colours, four attachable charms, and chains available in gold, black or silver. The name necklaces have become very popular with celebrities, with Jamilia, Girls Aloud and Kelly Osborne all seen sporting their own in the past.

Tatty Devine’s jewellery offers a beautiful slice of art and luxury, with special and everyday piece so cool they will always stay in fashion. As well as jewellery, the company also offer clothing from time to time, and often have crafts from other independents, including cards, magazines and badges. Tatty Devine also have the release of their first book coming up, which focuses on how to make your own jewellery. The book is due for release on 6^th October 2011, and will certainly be going on my wish list, along with a whole host of their new season’s collection.

http://www.tattydevine.com/

Rough Trade East

The Rough Trade story should be fairly familiar to those even vaguely interested by the independent music industry, but as a quick recap: the first Rough Trade shop was opened in Notting Hill in 1976 by Geoff Travis selling imported US music. The shop quickly became the home of Rough Trade Records, established in 1978, signing the likes of The Smiths, The Slits, and Scritti Politti amongst many others. Although the label and the store spilt into separate entities in 1982, both Rough Trade incarnations have remained closely linked, and the Rough Trade name has now become synonymous with all that is good in UK indie music culture.

My first experience of Rough Trade was in the spring of 2007 at Rough Trade West, just off Portobello Road a few months before Rough Trade East first opened for business, and I must say, I was initially not particularly impressed with the experience. I was obviously familiar with the Rough Trade name, but found the experience of this cramped, tiny store, filled with vinyl and aging music snobs a bit of a turn off. A few months later however I checked out the newly opened Rough Trade East and fell in love. For me, RTE is the perfect music shop experience, bar none.

This 5000 square foot haven of independent sounds has quite literally everything any music lover could ask for and more, creating a marvellous vibe which encourages graze and unearth new things. This is a more personal, more idiosyncratic form of organic musical experience, rather than overt, simplistic consumerism. Whilst the store still stocks DVDs and chart CDs, it also offers obscure imports, and fantastically innovative new concepts, such as the album badge (a badge based picture of the album cover, with a chip inside that contains the whole album to listen to in MP3 form).

Inside the shop there is a plethora of services to nurture and encourage musical exploration and a pleasant general experience. Rough Trade East contains a fair-trade café, a snug seating area, a tech booth and electronics store filled with interesting desks and effects units, listening stands with Rough Trade in store information on each release, a book and magazine section, an old fashioned photo booth which gives you four unique picture for only £3, and a huge section of vinyl and CDs. They even have in-store gigs on a regular basis, with a well set-up stage, dedicated techie and 200 person capacity.

A visit to Rough Trade East is always an enjoyable experience, which for me can last hours. There are so many levels to RTE that make it work so well – the sheer amount of services on offer, the knowledgeable and friendly staff, the hippest of locations and the history of the company. The shop does have a bias toward post-punk, alternative and underground music, so it might not cater as well for urban music junkies, though there is a moderately good collection of all music genres to be found within its four walls. The music is cheap as well – when I last visited the store during their sale a month ago I came away with four CDs for under a tenner! I purchased music I would have never stumbled across on i-tunes, and paid a lot less than what I would if I had. 

You can buy or download items from Rough Trade online, but it is the experience of visiting Rough Trade East that is key here. If you consider yourself any type of muso whatsoever then get yourself down to Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London. E1 6QL., and discover how good a music shop can be.

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/

Dahlia

Dahlia create clothing for women based on a nostalgic spirit for traditional attire. Clearly influenced by a vintage aesthetic, Dahlia base their sartorial collections on that special area where classic British tailoring meet eccentric eclecticism, and the result is sweet, quirky, yet understated items that have a tailored edge, and will look good in a any wardrobe for years to come.

 

Sisters Tracey and Leigh created the Dahlia fashion line in 2000, who first showcased their collections at Portobello Road and Spitalfields markets. A few years later their boutique store open in London down a little alley off Carnaby Street, and since then their clothes have experienced continuing popularity, being regularly featured in the pages of Look and Grazia magazines.

Dahlia are known for the girlish, playful style of their clothing, which is conveyed in both the fabric and the cuts they choose. The light-hearted vibe of their spring/summer 2011 collection demonstrated this perfectly, with plenty of heart, flower and nautical prints, emblazed on short-skirted dresses and playsuits. Dahlia do summer clothes perfectly, with their dainty shapes, soft peaches and creams and light poly-cotton fabric blends. They also do utterly fantastic winter clothing however. Their palette dives suitably deeper, focusing typically on navy, red and mustard, with demure, structured dresses made from heavier fabrics.

In winter though, the brand really comes into its own with the design of their coats. Every year Dahlia release quite an extensive coat collection, with a number of different designs, each one focusing on a mash of general classic tailoring concepts and quirky modern twists. The cut of Dahlia’s winter coats are always interesting and unusual, unlike anything found on the high street, yet each item is completely wearable. In edition, they are often very practical coats, typically with hoods and plenty of concealed padding, to keep you warm and dry in winter whilst still looking fantastic.

To get the true Dahlia experience you best get yourself to their boutique at 8, Fouberts Place, London. W1F 7PD. Their staff are really friendly and helpful, and you can get 10% off if you are a student. For simplicities sake, however, you can find a large collection of their clothes in the boutique section of Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Circus, and some of their clothes are also stocked by ASOS.com. They have yet to release their full autumn/winter range yet, but I myself am definitely saving up for a new coat from them this autumn.

http://www.dahliafashion.co.uk/

The Village Green

The Village Green make self professed “quintessentially British clothing” for both men and women, which is perfect for our moderately mild summer days and cold, sombre winter nights. The owners of The Village Green were vintage clothing retailers for 20 years prior to opening their new store, and all of their collections have had a strong flavour of traditional attire, though beneficially sans the danger of pit stains and the smell of mothballs.

Each item of clothing by The Village Green has a new-classic vibe – modern, fresh and multi-dimensional, but with a twist of the good old-fashioned debonair. Their recent summer collection saw a muted palette focusing on navy, cranberry red and power pink, placed on classic slacks, preppy blazers and chunky knits. This is clothing that will stay in fashion for years, whilst continuing to maintain that vital tight edge.

 

Prices at The Village Green can be a little over the odds, but all items are made out of quality fabrics (typically pure wool or cotton), are perfectly made, and will last decades with care. The old adage “buy cheap by twice” really stands up here, plus its very easy to get some excellent deals from these guys at sales time. 

The Village Green’s main boutique can be found in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, and a selection of their clothing can be easily found in the boutique section in Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Circus. You can also order some items online through both The Village Green and Topshop/Topman websites.

http://www.thevillagegreenlondon.com/

Oh Comely

Oh Comely is a fantastic independent magazine that has been in circulation for just over a year. The vibe of the magazine is one of subtly, creativity, beauty, curiosity and intrigue, and the whole magazine is executed with these ideas in mind. Every two months the Oh Comely team release a new issue filled with hip, quirky, and visually divine content that entertains, encourages and informs in a wonderfully friendly and positive manner.

Recent issues have included instructions on how to make your own shoes from scratch, recipes for homemade marshmallows and Turkish delight and instructions on how you make you own pinhole camera (which I recently completed, though we’ll have to see how the pictures turn out still!). They feature lots of work by illustrators and photographers, interviews with musicians such as Emmy The Great, Frank Turner and Beach House, fashion pages full of independent designers and kooky high street finds, and insightful, though-provoking articles and essays.

 

It is fair to say that the magazine is predominantly aimed a women and creative activities that women will enjoy. And I must say, I really is nice to see a magazine predominantly for women that encourages creativity, artistry and beauty rather than gossip, or quasi self-fulfilment through clothes and anti-aging creams. Don’t get me wrong – I love Vogue, but you know what they say about variety. And whilst Oh Comely is essentially aimed at women a fair amount of the time, there are plenty of items in every issue for men to enjoy too, providing the man in question has an interest in exploits such as indie music, photography, and interviews with interesting people. The craft section even had an item recently on making your own boat – what’s not to love?!

Oh Comely is released bi-monthly and cost £4.00 per issue. It is available online through their website, and is also available at most WHSmith stores and select boutique stores and newsagents. You can also get a yearly subscription, which gives you six issues for £20. I would highly recommended getting a subscription once you have check out the magazine for yourself – having Oh Comely drop through my door every other month is like having a mini treasure chest of creativity and ideas to enjoy and explore, and I really look forward to its arrival.

  

http://www.ohcomely.co.uk/

Mix Bar

 This gorgeous little bar is one of Reading’s best-kept secrets. Located just to the east of the Oracle Riverside, the beautiful Mix Bar is awash with ambient lighting, cool, classy décor, chandeliers, gold sofas, and orchids aplenty. The bar has a great set of DJs and the music isn’t so loud that you cannot talk to your friends. The ambience is relaxed (very relaxed for Reading) and the bar tenders are friendly and affable in a way that is perfectly genuine and not forced.

The key thing about the Mix Bar though is that it is quite literally the best place to get a cocktail in Reading, bar none. The drinks are little bit on the steep side, at around £6.50 they are about £1.50 - £2.00 more expensive than your average cocktail, but my god are they worth it. Each cocktail is individually made and takes up to five minutes to complete. They use fresh fruit and freshly squeezed juice alongside the finest and tastiest spirits you can get, using Grey Goose, Finlandia and Bombay Sapphire instead of Smirnoff, Bells and your usual generic spirits. 

 It is not just the quality of the ingredients in the Mix Bar’s cocktails that is laudable however; the way the construct their cocktails is truly inspired, with rich, complex medleys of tastes and aromas. As an example, two of my current favourites of theirs are “Around the Garden Fizz”, made up of Grey Goose pear vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh mint, peach bitters and champagne, and their classic dry Martini, with vodka or gin, dry vermouth and orange bitters and a couple of olives. There is such an effort and consideration put into every drink, and it is a tasty treat I try to give myself every time I go into Reading for a night out. 

 If you are local to reading and you have not been to this bar yet shame on you – do try to check it out. It can get quite full, so you might have to either arrive early or be patient. But believe me, the drinks are worth the wait.

http://www.mix-bar.com/