Shopping in London: Repetto 60 Ans

It’s all about tulle, tutus and tortured toes at Dover Street Market right now, and I couldn’t stay away for a second (OK, I made it over there yesterday).

Repetto design by Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garcons.

I was there to check out Repetto’s 60 Ans exhibition, which opened in London on Monday. The iconic French ballet shoe company has just turned 60, and to celebrate they invited 60 sparkling luminaries from the worlds of dance, film, art, fashion and design to customise a pair of ballet shoes.

Bardot ‘Strass Rouge’ – limited and individually numbered by Repetto.

I’m not sure that I saw the entire line-up – perhaps they’re showing different designs over the exhibition period – but highlights included Vanessa Beecroft’s blood-spattered white leather flats (she got murderous with some thick red paint), and a French ballerina’s satin pointe shoes that had been hand-embroidered with a charming pas-de-deux design. By contrast, Carla Bruni’s silver star and moon design looked positively bland.

There’s also a line-up of customised tutus and leotards, including Rei Kawakubo’s flirty and fun French-maid version with a shorter white ‘apron’ frill over a longer black skirt. It also plays with the difference between the classic shorter tutu and the romantic mid-calf version.

Repetto design by Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garcons.

My only (tiny) complaint was that at times it was difficult to discern who actually designed what, as the labels were attached to each shoe and often tucked underneath. And a good sprinkling of “Do not touch” signs made me reluctant to turn them over. I would have loved to have seen the shoes designed by Chloë Sevigny and Kim Gordon.

All designs in 60 Ans will be auctioned in October, with proceeds going to Unesco to fund select educational establishments.

Repetto 60 Ans
Monday 18th August to Saturday 13th September
Dover Street Market
17-18 Dover St,
London W1
Tel: 020 7518 0680

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-6pm
Thursday 11am-7pm

Nearest tube: Green Park

Click here for more shops in Mayfair.
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
All images courtesy of Dover Street Market.

Shopping in London: Beyond the Valley sale

Looks like it will be pop-up shop au-go-go in the Carnaby area over the next couple of weeks. While you're checking out Urban Craft Stars' pop-up shop, don't miss Beyond the Valley's countdown sale on nearby Ganton Street, starting Friday 22 August (just around the corner from the main BTV store). Prices start at £30 and will reduce further by £5 every two days until they're cleared. Most items are one-off or in limited supply. Well worth checking out.

From Friday 22 August to Monday 1 September only
2 Ganton Street
London W1F 7QL

Nearest tube: Oxford Street

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am – 7pm
Sunday 12.30pm – 6pm
(Closed Monday 25 August)
Cash and cheque only

Shopping in London: Urban Craft Stars

As regular Wee Birdy readers will know, I’m a big supporter of local independent designers and the urban craft movement, so I was excited to hear about Urban Craft Stars and their pop-up shop which opens tomorrow for a limited time in Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street.

This London-based design/craft collective, who all met via Etsy, will be selling a range of hand-crafted and vintage items including recycled furniture, organic printed kids’ t-shirts, stationery, leather purses and hand-knitted scarves.

Here are my picks from some of their Etsy shops:

Silver leather zip pouch with bow, US$32, from Peppermint Design’s Etsy shop.

Vintage atlas envelopes, US$12, from Bombus’ Etsy shop.

Vintage fabric cushion cover in blue and white French ticking, US$25, from Little Chook’s Etsy shop.

Other sellers include Urban Knit, My mum's a hippie, and photography by Ryokan Art.

Urban Craft Stars
1.4 Kingly Court
London W1
www.carnaby.co.uk

Nearest tube: Oxford Street

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Open from Saturday 16 August - Sunday 31 August only
Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 11am – 7pm

For more shops in W1, click here.

London shopping: Pedlars

Back in May, one of my favourite UK online shops, Pedlars, opened for business in Notting Hill. Situated just off Portobello Road and next door to Rough Trade, this London newbie offers a superb range of premium vintage homewares and unique British and European design-led products.


Pedlars hails from Banchory, Scotland, where it’s been trading for 11 years primarily as a mail-order company. Not surprisingly, the business really took off when they started trading online four years ago. And now it’s translated beautifully into a real bricks-and-mortar shop, with its nostalgic-meets-modern approach reflected in an eye-catching long orange front counter and over-sized pendant lamps.


One of Pedlars’ major drawcards is its collection of rare vintage Underground signs and iconic Routemaster destination blinds. The one-off pieces of London transport memorabilia are available as framed artworks (from £199 for a Routemaster destination blind) or as expertly-crafted lightboxes (from £285 for a number light box). There’s also an excellent range of framed vintage Underground signs (from £150) and carriage maps (from £225). Specific destinations can be sourced upon request.


Other unique gems include unused ‘60s Hovis bread tins (£28.50 – they make perfect herb planters), handmade wooden toy battleships (£3 – they’re from a 1940s English fairground attraction), industrial-style Welsh pendant lamps (from £42.50), and vintage Smiths Wall clocks (from £95). There’s also a range of typographical stock including large painted wooden letters (on sale now for £17.95) and vintage printers blocks (from £7.50), adding to the extensive selection of indoor and outdoor homewares, fashion, stationery, games, toys and music.


It’s one of the best new shops to open in London (surely a shoe-in for inclusion on future “best of” shopping lists?) and the place to head for a unique gift or an authentic vintage London souvenir.


Pedlars
128 Talbot Road
London W11 1JA
Tel: 0207 727 7799

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm

Nearest tube: Ladbroke Grove

London shopping: Ryantown

It's no secret that I adore Rob Ryan. I mean, what’s not to love? The man is as much obsessed with bird, flower and plant motifs as I am, and his extraordinary paper-cutting talents are constantly called upon for creative collaborations by the likes of Paul Smith, Liberty and Vogue.

Dress for UK Vogue.

So when I got the fluro-pink birdy invitation to the opening of his very first shop on Columbia Road recently, I was there in a (tiny sparrow’s) heartbeat. Ryantown isn’t hard to miss, with its jaunty new lick of turquoise-blue paint and gleeful cursive signage. Inside, the bijou shop has the air of a gallery space, with an eye-catching floor-to-ceiling tile mural and Ryan’s artwork dotted around the walls.



Now, keep in mind that a mid-week evening soiree on Columbia Road bears little resemblance to the heaving begonia-laden crowds who flock to the street for the famous Flower Markets every Sunday. So I took full advantage of the distinct lack of people and peonies for a closer inspection of Ryan’s new wares.



Taking pride of place above the mantle are rows of Ryan’s hand screen-printed tiles, which are fired nearby in his studio’s kiln. At £24, these miniature artworks are ultra-affordable, and have already attracted a loyal following of shoppers on Etsy. Displayed together in a palette of muted brights, it’s hard to resist these perfect little pieces of Ryanisms. At the other end of the scale are Ryan’s limited edition prints from £350 and incredible paper artworks from £2000 (unframed).


But I was keen to suss out Ryan’s new products, and spied a range of laser-cut wooden keys-to-my-heart at £16 and rolls of chunky tape featuring a blue and white neighbourhood tableau at £10. I know that nobody needs a decorative roll of tape for £10, but wait until you clap eyes on these little beauties and see if you can resist their demand to be picked up and lovingly stuck to brown paper packages and the like.

There’s also a brand new range of exclusive t-shirts, some gorgeous paper-cut cards at a very reasonable £2.50, and signed copies of Ryan’s book, This is for You, at £12. You can also pick up the Clothkits make-your-own Rob Ryan skirt for £46.




I’m told that more stock is on its way, with a rather enticing promise of new pieces rolling in every week. For instance, a range of one-off ceramic platters and vases will be regularly added to the shop, and new “height rulers for human beings”– great for kids’ rooms – will be arriving in-store soon. A wee birdy also told me about an upcoming stool in collaboration with furniture designer Michael Marriott. Busy times for Mister Rob – and I’ll definitely be coming back on Sundays for more (battling the begonias and all).


Ryantown
126 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Email: ryantownshop@googlemail.com
Check out Ryantown's shop blog.

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm-4pm
Sunday 9am-4pm

Nearest tubes: Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green

For more shops in East London, click here.

Time Out London Shopping Awards

When it comes to shopping in London, the expert team at Time Out have an eagle’s eye approach to uncovering new and unexplored gems, from fashion stylists’ secret haunts (like the cheap costume jewellery stall in Dalston) to the only shop in London that stocks the entire Sylvanian Families back catalogue.


Last week Time Out's shopping section went online, with a comprehensive archive of some of their best-ever stories, including “London’s top 20 thrift stores”, “London’s essential services”, and “London’s best museum shops”.

And right now, they're busy canvassing votes for the 2008 Shopping Awards. There’s a wide array of categories and lots of independent retailers to choose from. For me, Broadway Market wins hands-down for “best place to lose yourself for an afternoon” (but only because I can only ever tackle Dover Street Market in the morning, accompanied by a good cup of coffee and a slice of Rose Bakery carrot cake). Vote for your favourite London shops here.

Eye spy: Tatty Devine & Rob Ryan

Here's a first look at one of the limited edition pieces from the Tatty Devine & Rob Ryan jewellery collaboration. I'm loving the chains of inscribed black tears, which appear to tell a Rob-esque sentimental tale. Can't wait to see the rest of the collection.

The jewellery and a selection of Rob's unique paper cuts will be showing in an exhibition at Tatty Devine's Brick Lane shop.

25th April - 21st June 2008
Open 11am - 6pm daily
Tatty Devine
236 Brick Lane
London E2

What to take home Wednesday: Claridge's candles

If the ultimate souvenir serves to remind your senses of an authentic (and specific) sense of place, then you’d be hard pressed to do better than Claridge’s eponymous Black & White collection.

In fact, in The Goddess Guide (a Wee Birdy favourite), author Giselle Scanlon says she “can’t leave Mayfair without visiting Claridge’s to pick up a bottle of their signature musky bath oil – in its elegant Art Deco bottle, with the lid shaped like the hotel’s bathroom taps.”


The collection’s black and white packaging reflects the classic glamour of this historic London institution, as well as the foyer’s grand marble floor.

I especially love the candle’s evocative floral top notes of Turkish rose and Indian jasmine, with warm, woody-Oriental undertones of Russian wild coriander and agarwood bark. The entire Black & White collection is available exclusively from Claridge’s Flowers & Gifts stall (just inside the Ballroom entrance).


Claridge’s Black & White Candle, £32 (250g)
Claridge’s Travel candle set, £18.50 (2 x 50g)

Claridge's
Brook Street
Mayfair
London W1K 4HR
Tel: 020 7629 1508

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Nearest tube: Bond Street

(p.s. for the ultimate in bathroom luxury, make sure you check out the Ladies just to the right of the front entrance.)

Photography by Paul Raeside, courtesy of Claridge's.

Top Bird loves: H&M's tribute to Marimekko

Oh joy! H&M has just revealed its killer 70-piece tribute collection to Marimekko, due to arrive in stores on April 10. Initial verdict? Marimekko fans will be deliriously happy with the signature big, bold splashes of colour and wild prints, not to mention the extremely affordable prices (e.g. 3-button apron dress £30.65; tunic top £11.45; sun hat £11.45; scarf £15.30; and one-piece swimsuit £23).


At the same time, it's an ultra-wearable collection in mostly cottons and jerseys with an appealing throw-on-and-go element. (I love that part about summer fashion.) The punchy palette features dynamic combinations like red and pink; olive and orange; red and turquoise; and red, white and black.

Here's what I may consider doing something dire for on April 10:







Take a look at the tees from the men's collection:




And the super-cute kids' line-up comes with a co-ordinating teddy:





So, what do you think?

London shopping: MarMarCo

As regular Wee Birdies may already know, I’m rather fond of shopping on Cheshire Street. It’s rarely crowded, not far from where I live, and it offers the best line-up of independent boutiques in London. MarMarCo is one of its wee gems. This small shop at number 16 specialises in contemporary homewares and gifts, mainly of European and British design.



There’s also a whole lot of Scandi-love going on here, thanks to Danish co-owner Marianne Lumholdt. Pick up Danish goodies such as undyed felt slippers (£47.50), Kähler striped ceramic vases (£19.50-£49.50) and Randers water-resistant leather gloves (£37.50). I dig the delicate hand-made porcelain jewellery by Louise Kragh and the collection of baby clothes by Danish label Holly’s Baby (socks for £4 and onesies for £20).



The shop is particularly good at offering a wide range of items that tick all the right boxes in terms of beautiful design at good price points. And I’m never disappointed when I'm on a mission for finding The Perfect Gift. Right now I’ve got my eye on the modish spherical birdfeeder (£34.95), multi-pin candlesticks (which give the illusion of candles floating on air, Hogwarts-style, £27), and the surreal gold and silver plant-like spoons (from £13).




It also stocks an excellent range of Vynil Domestic’s decorative wall stickers (from £25) and laser-cut mirrors (from £45). Other highlights include the Bolivian Fairtrade Cashlama throws, scarves and shawls (from £75), Höganäs Keramik’s range of dinnerware (for the prettiest coloured glazes) and Cecilie Manz pendant lamps (£98). Oh, and did I mention that Sarah Jessica Parker is also a fan?



Mar Mar Co
16 Cheshire Street
London E2 6EH
Tel. 020 7729 1494

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Friday and Saturday 1pm - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm
(Other times by appointment)

Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
For more shops in East London, click here.