Courverture & the Garbstore is a rather charming concept store on Notting Hill’s Kensington Park Road, offering a carefully edited selection of womenswear, menswear, homewares, gifts, toys and childrenswear over three enticing levels. Open since April 2008, it brings together Emily Dyson's shop Couverture with Ian Paley’s cult men’s brand the Garbstore.
I was immediately drawn to the back of the store, where rows of super-cute childrenswear labels hang next to shelves of Japanese and Scandinavian wooden toys and beautifully designed treasures. There’s also a rack of fanciable dressing-up clothes sourced from around the world. The kids’ dressing room is also quite at treat, decorated with a vibrant vintage wallpaper.
It’s worth taking the time to explore the racks of clothes up the front of the store, which feature New York designers such as Lyell, Rachel Comey, as well as denim from Jean Shop. There’s also netural cotton jersey pieces by Dutch label Humanoid, knitwear by former Paul & Joe designer April May, and streamlined designs by Indress (think of a grown-up A.P.C.). There’s also a good selection of (Wee Birdy favourite) Belle by Sigerson Morrison shoes.
Head upstairs and you’ll find a light and bright level of more womenswear, as well as hand-picked vintage items and homewares. A cabinet of vintage Sasha dolls – still in their pristine boxes – sits next to Scholten & Baijings’ brightly woven Dutch table linen. It’s all been expertly edited, and although the pieces have been sourced from around the world, they all share a similar mid-century/Scandi aesthetic. Keep an eye out for the magnificent vintage patchwork quilts, as well as Spanish ceramics and Japanese glassware. I love the hand-stitched cushions and throws by Parisian homewares brand Caravane, which use reissued vintage fabrics and have an almost hand-painted feel to them.
Moving downstairs to the basement Garbstore, you’ll find vintage-inspired and Japanese brands exclusive to the UK, such as Bedwin & the Heartbreakers, General Research, Naval Research and Mountain Research. There’s also a wall of Garbstore’s own-brand denim jeans, which boasts 19 different classic styles that were inspired by ‘40s and ‘50s cuts. Look out for Australian’s Rittenhouse t-shirts, as well as Han Kjobenhavn sunglasses. I also found a good selection of vintage tie pins and clips from from £5 (especially hard-to-find clips for skinny ties!). And don’t miss the line-up of vintage Action Men, with prices starting at £45.
Now is a particularly good time to visit, with a store-wide sale on both current and last season’s stock. Or plan a trip on Saturday, when they’ll make further discounts of up to 70 per cent.
UPDATE: Just got news of some of the discounted goodies to expect in store: Belle by Sigerson Morrison ankle strap sandal for £199 (from £299), Rachel Comey chartreuse skirt for £139 (was £349), Ann-Sofie Back crepe fitted blazer for £225 (from £559) and Michelle Lowe-Holder printed silk blazer for £90 (was £229).
Couverture & The Garbstore
188 Kensington Park Road,
London W11 2ES
Tel. 020 7229 2178
Nearest Tubes: Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove
Click here for a Wee Birdy map
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 12 noon-5pm (December only)
Click here for more Wee Birdy shop reviews in Notting Hill.
Looks divine and too tempting!
Posted by: Make Do Style | July 29, 2009 at 09:56 AM
And I was in Notting Hill only yesterday! It looks like I'll have to make a return trip soon ...
Posted by: Fionnuala | July 29, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Damn. I really should seek employment soon and save to go to England to visit these beautiful shops that you keep featuring! x
Posted by: the likkle girl who wurves pwetty things | July 29, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Aha, another shop I would like to live in (as well as buy everything). That wallpaper is fabulous!
Posted by: spudballoo | July 29, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Another elegantly dressed doll in the first frame! Is she from the shop or am I slowly realizing that a gorgeous red-haired doll is your irresistable scouting companion?
Posted by: Miss Cavendish | July 29, 2009 at 03:04 PM
Just wanted to congratulate you on the originality of the shops you find, always makes a good read
Posted by: verygoodservice | July 29, 2009 at 05:42 PM
Thanks for the Nathalie Lete post earlier - made me look properly at her work - very glad to find her!
Posted by: claire loder | July 29, 2009 at 06:31 PM
Oh my goodness - total lust-o-rama at the childrens section - do you have more pictures?
Posted by: kat | July 29, 2009 at 09:42 PM
It's huge! And lovely! So many desirable things in there - a good place to go when there's a birthday coming up - preferably mine!
Posted by: Sam | July 29, 2009 at 11:36 PM
Great post! The vintage wallpaper is lovely, and I love the collection of blue homeware items.
Posted by: Natalie | July 30, 2009 at 12:27 AM
I adore quaint shops like that. Sometimes I wish I could transform my room in such a way that is very pleasing to the senses. How lovely would be to have a room that looks like a shop? Hahaha. Oh man, for the meantime, I should teleport to London. :)
Posted by: gia | July 30, 2009 at 03:57 AM
lovely , lovely , I like the doll manequins best , it sounds a fantastic place . I remember seeing a lovely bird light featured a few years back , sure it was from couveture ...I miss all these top edited , curated shops....next trip to London:)
thanks for a fab glimpse into another world wee birdy
Posted by: jane o sullivan | July 30, 2009 at 04:04 PM
ooh lovely little shop! just to let you know i've been showing you some blog lovage...feel free to drop by and pick up your awards if you so fancy :)
Posted by: claire | July 31, 2009 at 09:22 AM
I just LOVE concept stores ...you can't stop looking around !!
Great post and love the pictures ...
Posted by: Dominica | August 01, 2009 at 07:45 AM
I love shops like that. Essentially they are dedicated to making every aspect of shopping a true pleasure, right up to the tiniest detail! Lovely!
Posted by: Lauren | August 01, 2009 at 09:01 PM
Oh my god... that is one gorgeous shop! I don't see many concept stores here in Sydney!
Lovely lovely lovely!
Posted by: Ria | August 02, 2009 at 08:04 AM
One of my favorite shops in the world! I hope to be able to sell my wares at Couverture someday!
Posted by: chicadecanela | August 02, 2009 at 07:45 PM
uh oh my husband will kill me! we are moving to london and it could be all over if I tell him I found this lovely blog! He'd lose all his money, as if I wasn't bad enough already shopping!
will start taking notes now!
thank you for a great informative blog,
Corrie:)
Posted by: corrie | August 05, 2009 at 02:42 AM
What a great shop. And those Action Men are so much more realistic than the acting in "GI JOE"
(which I had to take Boo to on Friday)
xx
Posted by: hammie | August 09, 2009 at 12:58 AM