Wee Birdy

Wee find: 2010 diaries at Shelf

Those clever people over at Shelf in East London seek out the best stuff from around the world, and I've always been particularly enthusiastic about their range of stationery. Their 2010 Japanese and Korean diaries have just arrived in store, so now is a good time to pay their Cheshire Street shop a visit. Prices start at £7.

Shelf
40 Cheshire Street
London E2 6EH
Tel. 020 7739 9444
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Friday afternoon by appointment only
Saturday 1pm-6pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

Wee find: Mine

This is MINE's spring/summer 2010 collection by Katherine Pont, one of the up-and-coming designers at Swanfield (see my post about the pop-up shop below). Featuring exquisite hand-drawn prints and embroidery, it's her most accomplished and cohesive collection to date. Entitled 'Tick Tock Order', it's all very quirky and whimsical, with fantastic attention to detail. Love the very sweet harlequin-bunting trim on the collars and cuffs, as well as the art-deco influence on the hand-drawn prints. 

EDIT: This collection will be out in early 2010 for spring, but you will find Mine's current autumn/winter collection at Swanfield now.

Swanfield (until the end of Oct)
1.2 Kingly Court
London, W1
Tel. 07595640403
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm

Wee find: Cecilia Hammarborg

 

Cecilia Hammarborg is one of the core designers of the London-based Swanfield collective (see my post about the pop-up shop below), and her current winter coat collection, Black River Falls, has just been picked up by Topshop. I do love the feminine swishiness of the Riding Hood and Petrel coats, and they're extremely flattering to wear. Apparently the voluminous Petrel coat is very popular with pregnant women.

 
Blue Riding Hood Coat, £250 and Noir Storm Petrel Coat, £295 by Cecilia Hammarborg.

 Swanfield (until the end of Oct)
1.2 Kingly Court
London, W1
Tel. 07595 64040
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm

 

Shopping in London: Eley Kishimoto's pop-up

I peeped inside Eley Kishimoto’s pop-up shop in Soho’s Kingly Street on Saturday morning, and was delighted to discover not only the current ‘60s jetset-inspired collection (one of my favourites), but a room full of discounted samples downstairs.

You might want to consider putting off your winter coat purchase until you’ve paid the shop a visit – there are some truly great pieces here, as well as some cute frocks and accessories. The best buys, however, are their signature hosiery in eye-popping prints (this season has some lurex mixed in for extra sparkle).

The shop is run by members of the South London design studio, so you will get lots of insider EK news and advice, and you’ll also find some of their Japanese License accessories that have never been seen in the UK before. Look out for their ‘Flash’ print adorning everything from Converse sneakers to umbrellas.

It’s quite accomplished for a pop-up shop, with Eley Kishimoto printed curtains in the dressing room and artwork on the walls. Now if only this shop was a wee bit more permanent, I would be a very happy birdy indeed. It’s officially open until the end of October, but there are whispers that it could be around a little longer.

Eley Kishimoto pop-up shop
8 Kingly Street
London W18 5PQ
Tel. 0207 734 5756
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Until October 31, 2009
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm
Thursday 11am-8pm
Sun Noon-5pm

Click here for more shops in Soho.

Shopping in London: A week of pop-ups

The Wish you Were Here pop-up shop opened in Newburgh Street on Saturday, bringing 12 new independent brands from New York's Lower East Side to London. It's the second leg of the trans-Atlantic shop swap, which saw 14 British brands pop-up in New York back in August.

I don't usually bang on about press goodie bags, but this one was packed with all sorts of American candy, like Jolly Ranchers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, as well as a can of Creaming Soda and a copy of the latest Nylon mag. All my favourites!

The shop is open in London until the end of October, with a month full of special events and parties. Check out my feature for full details (and my favourite picks) in this week's Time Out London magazine.