Attend : 'Fish & Chips', Prague

Fish and Chips, 21 Dlouha Street, Prague

 After a long weekend break in Prague, I stumbled upon a restaurant that was a pure case of right time, right place - there was nothing I fancied more on that Sunday afternoon than a good old English Fish & Chips.

 Quintessentially British in design, a rarity in the gothic architecture of Prague, this simple, stylish and modern Fish & Chip shop was both a 'take away' and a sit down restaurant.
 The simple design was paired with a simple menu, made modern with the additional serving of mini bottles of Veuve Clicquot.  

 The cod was perfect in beer batter, the chips were just the right 'chippy' chips - Gourmet Fish & Chips! The interiors had quirky takes on all things traditionally fish and chips - newspaper wallpaper, red phone boxes, soho writing and quirky 'Save Water - Drink Champagne' slogans.

 The dining area was reminiscent of London tube tiles with 60's pop art and an opulent glass chandelier centre piece. The swinging glass doors opened directly onto the street, ready for some people watching...

 Fish and Chips,
 21 Dlouha Stret, Prague
 Facebook page : Fish and Chips

Observe: Alice Gabb Illustration

Alice Gabb stationary at Broadway Market

I visited Broadway Market in London's East End, it reminds me of how Portobello Road used to be - emerging craft stalls, delicious food stuffs and a great atmosphere.
 One of the stalls that stood out was Alice Gabb's stationary stall - continuing my love of re-vitalizing the art of letter writing (see Louis Vuitton's Stationary Room post)

 Alice states that her work is inspired by her love of language, British Regalia and vintage curiosities. She designs fine stationary, to try and encourage people to write more letters.
 The stationary line includes 'fine envelopes for splendid correspondence' and features hand screened monoprints of antique cartouches and frames.

 Alice is at Broadway Market every Saturday, and is also stocked at Anthropologie on Regent Street and Kings Road in London.

 Alice Gabb Illustration - Website
 Alice Gabb - Shop
 Broadway Market, London, E8 - Website

Attend : Corinthia Hotel

Champagne Afternoon Tea : The Corinthia Hotel, London

 It's been a while since I've been for afternoon tea, and tea at The Corinthia hotel has been top of the must visit list for some time. So on a bitterly cold March afternoon, it seemed the ideal time to indulge in some treat therapy.

 The Corinthia hotel opened to much fanfare in 2011. The building originally opened as The Metropole hotel in 1885, and the facade retains much of its original grand hotel charm.
 Afternoon tea is served in the opulent central lobby, a light and airy space with huge hanging glass chandelier.

 The Corinthia hotel afternoon tea offers a great selection of teas, many from Tea Palace - I had 'Afternoon at The Palace' - a tea with a refreshing, light aromatic taste and the perfect accompaniment to sweet afternoon treats.

 
 The selection of cakes are served on a tall 3 tier freestanding platter. My particular favorite was the chocolate sponge roll filled with dark chocolate ganache topped with a sugar rose petal. The oversized salted caramel macaron was amazing, dipped in chocolate and finished with flaked almonds.

 Afternoon tea was delicious, it's in a very grand and smart setting, yet with an overall feel of relaxation within a very calming environment. I'd love to go back in the summer and take afternoon tea in the outdoor central atrium court.

 The Corinthia Hotel
 10 Whitehall Place,
 London
 SW1A 2BD

Attend : Milestone Hotel

Champagne Afternoon Tea : The Milestone Hotel, Kensington

 I can't think of a better way to spend a post Christmas afternoon than taking a relaxing festive afternoon tea.
 Whilst everyone else was out battling to the sales to do yet more shopping, I took in the quintessentially English interiors of 'The Park Lounge' at The Milestone Hotel on Kensington Court.

 The Grade II listed building dates back to circa 1880, and the hotel today is named after the original cast iron milestone that still stands in it's original position beside the establishment.

 
The festive champagne afternoon tea menu kept all the important tradition of finger sandwiches but served with a festive twist;

 Mini squares of Christmas cake, and miniature mince pies were served alongside freshly baked scones, only bought to your table at request to ensure they were freshly baked, served with clotted cream and homemade jam.
   Finger sandwiches included a new take on a classic; round cut chicken sandwich rolled in chopped almonds.

 I loved the wooden paneled interiors of this hotel, the beautiful vintage caricatures adorning the walls. The restaurant, Chenestons, looked amazing and I'd love to go back and dine in the adjoining oratory area.

 The Milestone is like finding a hidden gem of tradition amongst all the ultra slick modern hotels in London. Located opposite Kensington Palace it feels stepped in history and definitely opulently English.

 The Milestone Hotel : Website
 1 Kensington Court
 London
 W8 5DL

Louis Vuitton's Writing Room

Writing Collection : Louis Vuitton

After re-inventing the art of travel, Louis Vuitton have turned their hand to re-vitalizing the art of writing, a refreshing change in this current technology obsessed day. The label announced a new writing collection inspired by literary greats and their own heritage of trunk closures.
 I'm obsessed by this Louis Vuitton envelope with embossed detailing:

In the Louis Vuitton writing collection, notebooks and paper products feature alongside luxury pens & pencils, including small trunks to hold your writing equipment.
 The collection launches at Louis Vuitton's writing room : 'Le Cabinet d'Ecriture Louis Vuitton', a pop up shop at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, France on December 13 2012.

Louis Vuitton : Website

Attend : Maison Louis Vuitton Launch

Louis Vuitton : Men's made to order shoe service launch

On Thursday night, I attended the launch party of Louis Vuitton's made to order shoe service.

Exclusively available at the London flagship store, 'Maison Louis Vuitton' on New Bond Street, this bespoke shoe service offers up an incredible 3,000 variations of personalized shoes - ensuring every detail from shape, to leather, to finishing can be chosen by the customer.

 The newly unveiled bespoke shoe room also allowed customers to complete their look, with a belt made to order in the exact same finish as the chosen shoe.

 The Maison laid on an incredible night, with displays from Louis Vuitton's own artisans. A highlight was meeting one of only two craftsmen who individually hand stitch Louis Vuitton's soles using the traditional Goodyear, Norwegian and Blake methods.

 Another artisan showed how individual coats of colour are applied layer upon layer to the leather, creating that rich, deep colour and sheen.

 Of course, being Louis Vuitton, the Dom Perignon champagne was free flowing. The accessories area was turned into a fully stocked bar mixing classic cocktails.
 Martinis were served by a suave bartender from Baroque at The Playboy Club, perfectly shaken and finished with a twist of lemon.

 I also managed to get my hands on the new Electric Ankle boot in calf, a black shiny, buckle and lace up boot that I've been lusting after for a while now - I'm really looking forward to wearing these...

 Other highlights included shoe shiners from Burlington Arcade who were on hand to polish up guests shoes, expert packers were available to demonstrate how to pack the perfect trunk. A true night of pampering for all guests, including the dogs. (I didn't manage to get a photograph of the pearl necklace wearing Pug!)

Maison Louis Vuitton
17-20 New Bond Street
London
W1S 2RB

French Manors

Chateau de Montreuil

Hotel & restaurant in historical town

 'Chateau de Montreuil' is a charming hotel and restaurant in Montreuil Sur Mer.
 Once the country retreat of the Rothschild family, this manor house now combines English charm with Fine French dining, all within a stones throw of the Channel Tunnel.
 Take lunch outside on the terrace, next to the small pool, with views down the lawn towards another majestic french manor full of faded grandeur.
 After a relaxing lunch of typically gourmet French food  - you can take a stroll around the town ramparts and visit some of the interesting vintage shops scattered around town.

Chateau de Montreuil
4, Chaussee des Capucins,
62170 Montreuil
France
http://www.chateaudemontreuil.com/

Pulse : London 2012

 Pulse at Earls Court, London showcases new design product in Home, Gift, Fashion, Accessories & Wellbeing. They also have a 'Launchpad' area for new and upcoming product designers.
 Two brands that caught my eye:

Tori Murphy

Woven & Made in England 

 

 Tori uses 100% Merino wool to create woven fabric based on her fine art designs. The fabric is woven in Lancashire, washed & finished in the Yorkshire Dales, and finally made into product in Nottingham.
 I particularly love the throws - in giant hand drawn linear checks, they are absolute British luxury. The touch of these hand finished throws is sublime, the quality of hand finishing and age old British craftsmanship is apparent throughout.

 Tori Murphy
 www.torimurphy.com
 info@torimurphy.com

 Chase and Wonder

 Fine design with British personality

 

 I was drawn to the Chase and Wonder stand by a fine art print stating: 'A man who lives within his means lacks imagination' - a great Oscar Wilde quote.

 Chase and Wonder's mission is to bring fine design with British personality back into peoples homes - they do this by producing high quality hand pulled screen prints, cushions and other home accessories alongside a range of stationary - all made in Britain. 

  

  

Chase and Wonder's new A/W 2012 collection features beautifully handcrafted stationary:

My two standout pieces are:

 Hand Letter Pressed 'A Gentleman's Writing Set' : Absolutely luxurious hand pressed writing paper and envelopes in a hand crafted wooden box. True Gent's British sophistication.

 'Sophisticated Animals Card Set' Boxed Assortment of 6 hand screen printed cards " Featuring lovingly illustrated whimsical animal portraits on greetings cards, all presented in a hand crafted wooden box.

All proudly made in Britain...

Chase and Wonder

www.chaseandwonder.com

Louis Vuitton Cup - 2012 collection

Some new loafers for the collection...

Maison Louis Vuitton, Bond Street, London.

Whilst in India last week, I received a call from our lady at 'Maison Louis Vuitton' - she was about to receive some new shoes that she knew we would love (major LV loafer obsession - which I'll cover at some point!)
 On Saturday, we popped in to see her and find out what it was all about:

 In a nutshell, The Louis Vuitton cup is a yachting competition connected to The America's Cup. The Louis Vuitton is used as the selection for the challenger to The America's Cup.
 Louis Vuitton release a capsule collection in association with this competition - it's seen as Vuitton's sports line, is inspired by yachting, and produces modern interpretations of classics. 

 The said shoes that our lady knew we would be interested in are seen below from their press release:

Blue with white stitch trim, laces, and sole.

White with blue stitch trim and laces & white sole.

 So, we've duly made our appointment for Thursday, (the day before their general release on Friday 1st June) hopefully up in the 'Apartment' with some Champagne...
 I hope they look as amazing in real life as the press shots do.