HOW TO SWEEP A GIRL OFF HER FEET ON HER BIRTHDAY- London calling!
A client called “I would like to whisk her away to London for the weekend and arrange a surprise – something she won`t expect.”
Flights were booked and a week before our appointment in London, I received a list of her favourite things and their address in London – The Soho Hotel. Our appointment would be on the day of her birthday. “She loves cupcakes” – I arranged for a delicious selection to be delivered from the Hummingbird Bakery with the invitation for our surprise personal shopping tour the next morning.
In advance, I selected the stores for our shopping tour, reserved key pieces at boutiques which had limited stock and organised a table at Vintage Salt so that her partner could whisk her away for lunch.
Everything was ready!
On Saturday morning after a cup of English tea and discussion about our plan of action, we set off across the city by cab. First stop: Mulberry.
I`d heard that the ‘tessie satchel’ and small ‘freya’ were on her wish list. We tried a number of the pre-selected pieces but the black studded satchel won a place in her wardrobe – something small, a little edgier than her ‘Alexa’ bag.
A quick stop to try on sunglasses in Valentino – without success, and then across the road to… Joseph.
This multibrand boutique also stocks extravagant collections from labels such as Balmain and Alaia, however we were on the search for day-to-day knitwear. Joseph`s collection of modern silk and cashmere jumpers, in various shades and cuts proved a great success.
Next stop – shoes! Comfy and stylish – Hogan`s flagship store has a lot of styles on offer and as she has petit feet (size 35) shoes are not always easy to find. Luckily Hogan has a great selection in smaller sizes and suddenly, the amount of shopping bags doubled!
The last stop was Selfridge, we flagged down a cab and headed back towards Oxford Street. We couldn`t visit without going through their shoe department. If you haven`t been, it’s a must! Another `must` was the beauty department for some products you cannot find in Zurich like Bumble and Bumble. After this, it was time for a break.
We escaped the throngs of shoppers and headed for the roof-top bar where her partner was waiting in Vintage Salt with a bottle of Champagne. The perfect end to the perfect surprise!