Wee Birdy

London shopping: Content Beauty/Wellbeing

Oh Marylebone, how I do love thee? Let me count the ways.* Actually, I’ve already waxed lyrical several times over some of the ways – via some of the best independent shops in London that call Marylebone home. And here’s another one to add to that list: Content Beauty/Wellbeing (quite a timely addition being Organic Fortnight and all, making a visit to Imelda Burke’s luxury eco beauty boutique all the more relevant).

Content Beauty/Wellbeing is the first of its kind in London, with a carefully edited selection of certified organic skincare and make-up gracing its certified sustainable wooden shelves. You can rest assured there’s not a smidgen of synthetic nasties in here, with Imelda paying more than lipservice to her ecological commitment. Not only does she choose each brand for their superior organic properties, but she also thoroughly investigates their eco-credentials through each stage of production.

It’s impressive stuff, and so is the boutique itself, with cupboard doors made from recycled vending machine coffee cups, and vintage powder compacts serving as door handles. It’s a curiously inviting modern space, where the minimalist sexy black walls (organic paint, natch) merge with a collage of found objects, old-fashioned botanical illustrations, Victorian postcards and pressed flowers. I also love the collection of Imelda’s vintage hand mirrors from the 20s and 50s, which are hung on the wall next to the Jane Iredale make-up counter. Such a lovely way to admire your new look.

 

Then there’s the 1920s photo album/sketch book which Imelda found at a market and uses as the store’s mailing list book. Flick through the pages of customers’ details and you’ll find the odd page with an endearing drawing or painting by the original owner.
 

As for the products themselves, well, they’re the heroes standing in all their premium organic glory. Here you’ll find niche British organic skincare brands like ila (the Face Oil for Glowing Radiance has a cult following), Laidbare and Inlight joining international brands such as Dr Hauschka, Suki, and Dr Alkaitis. Top picks include Saaf Organic Pure Face Cleanser (£24.99) Dr Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel (£36), and Organic Apoteke Rasayana Rejuvenating Serum (£49.95). More credit-crunch friendly picks include Laidbare’s Grapefruit Seed Body Wash (£12), Henry Tianus Pore Purifier (£8.50) and Butter London’s formaldehyde-free nail varnishes (£10).

 
Check out the website for online shopping and more info about the treatment room downstairs which offers excellent Dr Alkaitis facials (as Jess G. from Cult Beauty said, it’s the only place in London to get them).

* With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who is actually a former resident of Marylebone (at 50 Wimpole Street) and married Robert Browning at St Marylebone Parish Church.

Content Beauty/Wellbeing
14 Bulstrode Street
London W1U 2JG
Tel. 020 3075 1006

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

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 10.30am - 6pm

Click here for more shops in Marylebone.

London shopping: KJ's Laundry

Another outstanding gem on Marylebone Lane, KJ’s Laundry boasts a covetable mix of up-and-coming as well as established designers sourced from around the globe.

This year they added two more jewels to their shiny crown, in the form of Time Out London’s Shopping Award for Best Local Boutique, and ‘Best Boutique’ in the inaugural London Fashion Awards, which is supported by the British Fashion Council.

For me, it’s the place to head if I’m after a good frock that no-one else will be wearing – keep an eye out for designs by New York’s Richard Ruiz and Alice Ritter, as well as London’s Suzannah and Pink Soda.  Then there’s Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania label, feminine and chic pieces by Cacharel, and some sleek Scandi design by Sweden’s Filippa K.

Top row: Susannah; Bottom row: Pink Soda

It’s also nice to see a good representation of Australian designers, including accessories by Ginger & Smart, basic essentials for layering by Metalicus, sharp tailoring by Carl Kapp, pretty-meets-quirky pieces by Alice McCall and hand-finished fabrics by Lee Matthews.

I really like the girlish retro-inspired and ultra-wearable pieces by French label Eurythmic, an off-shoot of Paul & Joe, and the new trench coats by Canadian label Mackage. Think classic with an edge.

The front cabinet houses a delectable range of gold and silver jewellery, including a delicate sand dollar necklace by Catherine Weitzmann (£40), gold feather necklace by Alex Monroe (£79), and coral necklace by Tracey Matthews (£70).

Left: Alex Monroe's feather necklace; right: Tracey Matthews' coral necklace

There’s also a small assortment of homewares and bits and bobs, including Becky Oldfield’s reworked vintage Union Jack cushions (£55) – swoon! The online shop is also well worth a click.

KJ’s Laundry
74 Marylebone Lane
London W1
Tel. 020 7486 78551

Nearest tube: Bond Street

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 10am – 7pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm

Click here for more shops in Marylebone Lane.

All images courtesy of KJ's Laundry.

London shopping: Tracey Neuls

Today we’re heading back to Marylebone Lane and the bijou boutique at number 29 which is home to Tracey Neuls and her eponymous collection of shoes.

I’ve often walked past the window and marvelled at the Canadian designer’s unconventional approach to visual merchandising. Here, shoes are displayed like an installation, hanging in rows from the ceiling.

The artsy connection doesn’t end there. The shoes really are “pieces” and reflect the designer’s taste for the theatrical. Her premium Tracey Neuls label is beautifully hand-crafted in Italy with extraordinary attention to detail. But unlike a pretentious hands-off gallery, these elegant shoes are utterly wearable, with lots of low hand-carved conical wooden heels and flats (joyous news for this arthritic ol’ birdy!).

The current Tracey Neuls summer collection (on its way out and on sale with 30 per cent off) features lots of patent leather in ripe, juicy colours like apple green, sky blue and cherry, with distinctive girlish and vintage-inspired details including contrast piping, oversized buttons, duplicate buckles and peep-toes.

Her other label, TN_29, is made in Portugal and showcases a more muted, neutral palette with a less “produced” quality. I love the soft leather tie-front sandals in tan and black.

Apart from shoes, there’s a selection of tights and soft, slouchy leather bags in black, red and grey with covetable circular wooden handles. Neuls is also the only English stockist for German designer Girl and the Gorilla’s range of delicate crocheted headbands (£40), cotton crocheted gloves (£75) and wrist bands.

There’s also a changing line-up of artists taking residence on the shop’s walls, reinforcing the notion of shop-come-gallery.

Overseas readers will be pleased to hear they can purchase online, with the new Autumn/Winter collection hitting the website soon. Stay tuned…

Tracey Neuls
29 Marylebone Lane, London
United Kingdom, W1U 2NQ
Tel: 0207 935 0039

Nearest tube: Bond Street

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 11am – 6.30pm
Monday and Sunday 12 noon – 5pm

For more shops in Marylebone, click here.
For more shops in West London, 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.