Tag Archives: Liberty of London

Christmas Travel Gifts

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Travel focused gift giving to take you around the world in style…

 

Nars makeup always has lots on offer in limited edition Christmas sets. Their palettes are always great for travel as they offer easy options on the go. But this year, I’m excited about the luxurious mini lip velvets with a a set of three glamorous colours, great for travel.

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French luggage brand Lipault make lightweight luggage with fashion forward styling. Their latest in shop collection Miss Plume is a metallic hued trolley cabin bag, which is practical as well as tres chic. The green one is especially pretty.

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Luxury English leather goods Pickett have an elegant way to travel with your iPad. A soft leather iPad envelope in five fashionable colours to choose from.

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Want camera quality photos on your Instagram or stuck between wanting to use your smartphone or a proper camera, then the Canon M5 is a useful alternative. Smaller and lighter than a full on camera kit, but bigger and better than a point and shoot or smartphone, this camera with lens takes quality photos that can be uploaded onto your smartphone via an app and used on social media. All while keeping files for formal printing.

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If you are like me and sleep better with a humidifier, then Fancii mini portable humidifier is a lifesaver. Small and easy to carry, it requires only a plastic water bottle, and can be run on batteries or a USB connection so no need to fuss with world wide electric adapters.

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Satin pillowcases are not only luxurious but practical as it keeps both hair from going flat and the face from waking up with pillow indentations. Liberty London offers an elegant kit of satin pillow case and eye mask in one of their legendary fabric prints. Packed in its own travel bag makes it easy for taking a bit of home comfort with you and waking up looking fabulous.

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Christmastime in London

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If you fancy a bit of Christmas spirit along with a bit of shopping, skip New York and indulge in the quintessential Christmas experience in London. Elegant lights all over the city and festive cheer make for the authentic holiday experience everyone searches for. 

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Trafalgar Square

Where to feast:

Rules London’s oldest restaurant is also one of its finest. Red velvet banquets and dark wood paneling evoke the feeling of an elite private home’s sitting room. Deer antlers and estate paintings only heighten the ambiance of a bygone formal era. While it is known for serving game in season, most of the menu is a very traditional English selection with Beef and Yorkshire pudding, Steak and Kidney Pie, and Dover Sole on offer. And at Christmas time this fashionable establishment really decks the halls from head to toe. Swags of pine, a whimsical Santa’s hat on a deer’s antlers, it is like having Christmas in Downton Abbey. A festive delight.

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Dining room at Rules

Where to Tea:

The English Tea Room at Brown’s Most tea’s are formal affairs but at the comfortably stylish Brown’s hotel it is a most relaxing event. Comfortable chairs by the fireplace, or cozy sofas in the sitting room, you feel like you are in a posh friend’s sitting room having tea and the service is flawless. Their ‘Festive Tea’ even includes seasonal mini mince pies, and if you really want to indulge add a glass of champagne. Tis the season to celebrate after all…

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Delightful treats, scones, and mince pies at The English Tearoom

Where to be Spiritual:

St. Batholomew’s the Great One of the only City churches to have survived all wars, it is a massive yet impressive church from the Middle Ages that feels almost as if time stood still. Their church services are a real treat done completely by candlelight.

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St. Bartholomew the Great

Where to Shop:

Fortnum & Mason Without a doubt the best tea selection in Britain in the original and best food halls. Pick up a real Christmas pudding and traditional mincemeat.

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Staircase at Fortnum & Mason

Hatchard’s One of London’s oldest book shops it retains its original Dickensian looking space with wooden framed windows and curved glass. Creaky wooden staircases lead to an exceptional selection of books.

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Front window at Hatchard’s

Liberty One of a kind, there is no department store quite like this iconic shop. From their famed Scarf Hall to their extensive gift selection of products made from their famous fabrics, you are bound to find great presents here.

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Christmas window display at Liberty

Where to Drink:

Martini bar at The Connaught Find glitter and glow at the uber stylish bar at The Connaught Hotel. Serving the best martini’s in the city, right from a trolly made at your table while you watch. If that is not your thing try something delicious from their varied cocktail menu. Cheers!

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Classic Martini at the bar at The Connaught

Happy Christmas!

Cocktail Talk: Pack a Scarf

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Packing for a trip while trying to balance out style and practicality is always a nightmare. One does want to look good abroad but at the same time be ready for any situation? I tend to pack a neutral black heavy wardrobe in my attempt to be chic but when I arrive into a fashion conscious city like Milan or Paris I still the need to adapt my look and bring it up a notch. And here is where I take a cue for stylish European women, especially the always effortlessly chic Parisian woman of having a scarf. Classic, always in fashion, lightweight to pack, and brightens up an outfit -not to mention it offers a bit of pizazz to a traveller’s wardrobe in a flash.

There is an amusing scene in the movie “Le Divorce” where Glenn Close’s character points out that while the French language is sparse on vocabulary, yet many different words to describe a scarf -all to the backdrop of scenes of tres chic women ‘throwing’ on their bright, flowing scarves. Voila! Instant fashion. It just goes to show how important a scarf is to a seriously fashionable woman’s wardrobe.

When I travel I usually try to bring two different scarves with me, with the plan of picking up one or two more in my shopping explorations. One I definitely wear on the plane, as again, effortless style, cleans up my look a bit, and it helps to keep me warm on freezing cold planes. It does go a long way to making me feel comfortable in flight and can many times quite literally become a security blanket in both style and keeping me cozy. I then pack the second and try to make it totally different in weight and colour scheme to give me more options on my trip. Also important to keep in mind is how to wear a scarf, so it helps to learn different ways to tie a scarf as that too can take one scarf and give you several choice of looks. Then hit Hermes, Etro, and the scarf department in Le Bon Marche for new ones! A new scarf from a fashionable city will make you feel a bit more in vogue not to mention its a great souvenir.

Stylish Scarves:

Hermes – The Mecca of the classic silk scarf. French women believe every girl should have one in their wardrobe and save up or hit the summer sales to acquire one. Good advice.

Etro – King of paisley, and the most luxurious printed cashmere scarves you will ever find.

Venetia Studium – This Venice based boutique is renowned for its Fortuney inspired pleated scarves. In a candy shop of colour variety in both silk and crushed velvet. This is ‘Boho Chic’ at its most luxurious.

Faliero Sarti – For tissue paper thin, flowing scarves with a more modern twist.

Franco Ferrari -Also offers large, flowing scarves, along with an array of cozy jewel toned cashmere scarves to dress up your cold months.

The accessory department in Le Bon Marche in Paris – Has a fun collection in all styles and price ranges.

Liberty of London – Probably the most impressive scarf ‘hall’ in the world. An extensive collection featuring the top and trendy designers alongside their own iconic brand of floral printed scarves. If you had only one place to go for scarves, this is your best bet.

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