Tuesday 29 December 2009

Black Winter Boots




Happy Christmas! The first few days after Christmas is a great time to shop, both online and offline. I found this pair of last-season's Gucinari zip-up leather boots at GBP34.99 (more than 50% off the usual price of GBP79.95). I'm hoping this will be perfect for the rainy/snowy January-February months.


Sunday 20 December 2009

Italian Ties


This is a long overdue post. On vacation in Rome two weeks ago, I found Sciunnach (http://www.sciunnach.com/en/), a family-run, handmade tie and scarf shop on Piazza della Minerva, just behind the Pantheon. I love handmade Italian ties and was impressed with the stitching and finishing of the ties I saw at Sciunnach. I bought four ties at 20 Euros each.






Monday 30 November 2009

Melty Kiss


I love raclette and all manner of melted cheese! And was fortunate enough to have been invited by Manu and SY to their home in North London for a raclette birthday dinner.











M and SY have a Tefal Raclette Grill (a similar one sold by Home&Cook). They ordered their raclette from a French products mail order, but you can find good quality raclette quite easily at Borough Market. I would accompany this dish with a good salad and the best ham in the world - the Joselito Gran Reserva Bellota acorn-fed ibérico ham, available at Brindisa.















It's a clever way to entertain, lots of fun and interaction, and your guests will never be able to blame you if anything gets overcooked.

Saturday 28 November 2009

For your shoes only - Part II

Challenge - a cluttered narrow stairway




Solution - a stylish vertical shoe rack




Investment - Euros 180, plus a bit of lifting action on and off Eurostar.

Wednesday 25 November 2009

For your shoes only








I've always been eyeing this stylish vertical shoe rack from Perigot, and their flagship store is just a stone's throw from InterContinental Paris Le Grand (16 Blvd Capucines). It's a really clever, space-saving design for up to 10 pairs of shoes... great for small London flats. I bought the red 10-pairs version for Euros180 and lugged it back to the hotel. It's now standing in my hotel room (pix below). I've been told there will be no problems getting it through security onto Eurostar. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Tuesday 24 November 2009

When Paris feels like Paris


Just arrived in Paris today and will be attending InterContinental Paris Le Grand's Fashion Christmas Trees launch tonight. I think it's a great idea... fashion students from the Duperre institute are invited to create festive trees based on the theme 'A Light Christmas'. And in a few hours, 15 top fashion designers will be here to judge the winning creations. Joining me on this special Paris treat are three fashion editors from the UK. I'm sure I'll be gaining a few good practical luxury tips over the next couple of days from these ladies in the know. Stay tuned for updates and snapshots from tonight's launch party.
Photo gallery from the launch party - click here

Sunday 22 November 2009

Hangover-free Sunday morning

No hangover on a Sunday morning... that's the best feeling in the world. So I thought I'd share two of my recent wine-related purchases.


1) Set of four Stölzle 'revolution power' red wine glasses. On the Stölzle US online shop, a set of six classic burgundy wine glasses retails for US$64.99. I bought my set of four glasses (unspecified in their website) from TKMaxx UK for £9.99.


2) Pair of Oggi stainless steel vacuum bottle stoppers from Daffy's NYC (355 Madison Ave) for US$9.99 (usually US$14.99).

Salut!

Saturday 21 November 2009

The world's longest scarf - John Varvatos Star USA



Early November purchase. From a mixed brands sample sale in NYC, opposite 261 Fifth Avenue. Unfortunately I do not have the full address, nor shop name. JV scarves normally go for US$198 (if this link -http://bit.ly/66NLwV - is any indication). I got mine for US$98... that's one hundred bucks off!

Two ties, and then some

I had lunch in Sloane Square with a colleague, who insists I am someone she depends on to find out what's happening in the world of quality buys - for less. That got me thinking - why not start a blog to share what I have discovered...

After lunch, she went for a spa treatment and I went about checking out the shops along Kings Road. I found a really cool gift (full price) for another colleague... from Design House Stockholm (http://www.designhousestockholm.com/; 205 Kings Road, London SW3 5ED). To stop myself from letting the cat out of the bag, I shall tell you what I bought from this shop in a few days (after I have presented the gift to her).

But on to the real deal. I found myself making my way back to King Street on Hammersmith, near where I live. Walking into TKMaxx (http://www.tkmaxx.com/; 57 King Street, London W6 9HW) was probably my highlight for this weekend. Here's what I found and bought:

A purple 'liberty print' tie by Baumler (usually £25 - purchased for £9.99)
A black polka dotted tie by William Hunt of Savile Row (usually £85 - purchased for £12.99)
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A range of personal grooming products, including:
Cerruti Pour Homme Apres Rasage (usually £26.99 - purchased for £9.99)
Savon de Marseilles Ylang Noir Pur liquid soap (usually £14.50 - purchased for £5.99)
Taylor of Old Bond Street Shaving Cream (usually £5.99 - purchased for £3.99)
The Real Shaving Co Hair & Body Wash (usually £4.99 - purchased for £2.99)
Pecksniff's Citrus Shower Gel (usually £15.00 - purchased for £2.99)




Starting from scratch

It's a rainy Saturday evening and I'm at home in London watching X Factor, facebooking and tweeting. I spent the afternoon at my local TK Maxx (known as TJ Maxx in the US) and netted quite a few practical luxury bargains. This prompted me to start a blog on the practical, useful, borderline luxury items I've been able to find at a discount. I like nice shoes, suits, bags, ties, furniture, accessories... and I do not believe in paying full price. I hope you will enjoy my practical luxury retail discoveries. :)