Style
Finlay & Co glasses are all handmade in the Italian Alps using Mazzucchelli acetate and Carl Zeiss lenses, and with spectacles starting at £100 (prescription lenses from £50) and sunnies starting at £120, you get a lot of craftsmanship for your money. They have a curated selection of frames from 14 independent brands, including Grey Ant, Cutler & Gross, Prism and Kaleos, as well as their own collection of specs and sunnies. And if you need help picking the perfect pair, the in-store specialists are a dab hand at helping you find the right ones for your face shape, and most styles are unisex so it’s even easier to choose. They also offer in-store eye tests using the latest equipment, which is absolutely amazing – compared to Boots, it’s like a stag do in Amsterdam.
SAMPLE SALE | SMYTHSON OF BOND STREET
If you’re in need of a new bag, wallet or diary, whether as a gift for someone else or a little treat for yourself, then get down to Mayfair as Smythson is hosting its first ever sample sale at The Music Room. The luxury leather goods brand is knocking up to 75% OFF men’s and women’s pieces and books, so you can nab yourself some accessories at a snip of the retail price.
Both cash and card, including Amex, are accepted but it’s only on for two days so don’t hang about!
For the latest stories, exclusive offers and competitions, get us in your inbox.
Mon 25th March 2019, 11am – 8pm
Tues 26th March 2019, 8am – 8pm
The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London, W1K 5LF
smythson.com
The fact that agnes b. dressed David Bowie for 25 years should tell you all you need to know about her clothes. Both the menswear and womenswear ranges feature signature French stripes, printed tees and effortlessly cool classics.
BEAUBIEN
Beaubien offers a carefully curated edit of Japanese, Scandi and US labels like Our Legacy, Sunspel, Buddy and Libertine-Libertine. And like the name suggests, everything here is beautiful and good – what else could you need?
PHM SAINTS PERES
This concept store stocks the likes of Comme de Garcons, Norse Projects and Pierre Hardy as well as some very cool coffee table books and grooming products. If you like mixing sportswear with designer gear, this is the store for you.
BLEU DE PANAME
The collections that Bleu De Paname turn out are inspired by workwear and urban life, so you’ll find lots of luxe basics and no-nonsense designs. The guys behind the brand are very hot on production techniques too so these clothes are built to last.
ROYALCHEESE
Royalcheese has been delivering the freshest threads to the people of Paris since 1998. They carry the likes of Carhatt, Edwin, Portuguese Flannels, Alpha Industries, Patagonia, Universal Works and Sandqvist.
BALIBARIS
Balibaris is the place to go for menswear classics that have been given an upgrade thanks to premium materials like Japanese cotton and virgin wool. Movies are a big part of the identity of the store – they’ve done a line of themed tees – and they often project old movies onto one wall of the shop.
Hub is our go-to spot for new womenswear in Stoke Newington. They stock some of our favourite brands – including YMC, Wood Wood, Our Legacy, Ganni and Mads Nørgaard – so it’s hard not to splurge here, but we all deserve a treat every now and then, right?
Search & Rescue is one of our fave shops in Stokey to poke about. Whether you’re looking for presents or bits to fill your home, Search & Rescue has you covered – they literally do everything from ceramics to skincare.
If we could dress head to toe in threads from Goodhood we would – they stock all our fave brands including Wood Wood, Vans, Aries, Nanushka, YMC and Norse Projects. And once your wardrobe is full, it’s worth popping downstairs to check out their homeware selection, including Hay, Ferm Living and Cold Picnic, and pick up some Aesop goodies OBVS.
Couverture & The Garbstore focuses on niche independent labels, collaborations and emerging talent. Stocking menswear, womenswear and homeware, expect to find pieces from Norse Projects, Rejina Pyo, Brain Dead, YMC, Sideline, Kana, No Chemicals and more.
Kensal Rise’s Verandah is a real treasure trove, stocking everything from children’s toys to candles to African laundry baskets. They pride themselves on stocking beautiful and unusual items, so if you’re in need of a present, this is the place.
Blue Rinse is always absolutely packed with stock, so if you’re into vintage it’s well worth having a dig around. They also have their own line, Re-Made In England, which is made out of surplus fabric and unusable clothes, so can pick up items that are a little more trend-led without having to head to the high street. Some of the stock can be overpriced, but they do have regular samples if you really want to bag a bargain.
Packed with all manner of colourful stationary, accessories, gifts and homeware, Oklahoma prides itself on its eclectic product selection. If you’re kitting out your flat, hit this palace up for those finishing touches, although you’ll probs end up leaving with things you don’t actually need but suddenly can’t live without.
Afflecks is quite simply a Manchester icon. Whether you’re after fancy dress, a new tattoo, a packet of fudge, a piercing, some vinyl, Star Wars memorabilia, you can find it in Afflecks…it sells virtually everything under the sun. There’s A LOT to explore, so set aside a chunk of time and go get lost in there.
If you’re after menswear in Manchester, Oi Polloi should be your first stop. The local institution stocks strictly the coolest brands, from Beams Plus to Our Legacy to Universal Works, and if you’re just window shopping, they’ve always got good graphics going on.
Cow has always been one of the better vintage stores in Manchester, even when it was located behind the buses in Piccadilly Gardens, but it makes much more sense in its new Northern Quarter home. Whilst they have their own design team reworking items for their own range, most of the clothes at Cow are second-hand and they’ve actually organised them in a way that makes sense…easy browsing should not be underestimated. And if you can’t find anything on the rails, the interiors, courtesy of Peter Masters, are defo worth a look.