Assouline at Liberty (London, UK)

For many people, browsing old-fashioned bookstores or libraries and flicking through various printed publications is a favorite pastime. There's just something magical about spending time among shelves filled with written works. Even in the age of the Kindle or other e-readers, the trusty hardcover still holds its own - and there's nothing quite as coveted as the books brought to us by Assouline.

Overview of the Literary Lounge (top, source: Liberty). A wonderful selection of books in every corner (bottom).

Those who love fashion, art, design or travel may already own at least one publication by Assouline, but if you're not familiar with the publishing house, here's a quick summary: Founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline in Paris, the company (which has since moved its HQ to NYC) is responsible for some of the most collectible luxury books dedicated to a variety of topics ranging from architecture to gastronomy. The fashion industry in particular has had a long love affair with Assouline, who have released books on Dior, Chanel and Pierre Cardin to name a few. Filled with beautiful photography/illustrations and luxuriously bound, these volumes go beyond your average coffee table books and are actual works of art.

Both vintage and new books were on display, accompanied by unique antiques and art.

The Assouline retail spaces are just as beautiful and I still have fond memories of the Parisian boutique, where one could spend several hours just browsing books while lounging in the seating area. Thankfully, London now has its own Assouline haven, housed in Liberty London's Literary Lounge on the ground floor. Over 1000 square feet large, this is Assouline's first flagship in the UK and the ultimate place to go if you want to immerse yourself in the beauty of photography, art or design. Like other Assouline spaces, this one has a huge selection of both new and vintage books. Yet what really makes the store special are the hand-selected antiques, which grace various shelves and tables, while the plush calligraphy carpet provides a very fitting center piece.

Paperweights, stationary and a MCM trunk (left). A magnifying glass helps you browse without having to bend down (right).

From rock to chic: skull stationary and Chanel books.

The Asian inspired corner filled with more vintage books and antique decorations.

Aside from some very tempting titles, such as the American Fashion Cookbook, Windows of Bergdorf Goodman or American Fashion Travel, you'll have a hard time tearing yourself away from some of the gift items. These included everything from stationary and candles, to the very indulgent special-edition Goyard trunk - filled with over a hundred books to kick-start your very own collection.

Tea for two or more (left) and the very extravagant Goyard trunk filled with books (right).

Another view of the main book shelf.

African inspired art (left) and a couple of antique bookends (right).

If you're ever in the area, you should definitely drop by and the good news is that Assouline also has boutiques in NYC, Las Vegas, California, Istanbul and Mexico City... in addition to the Paris location and various global retail partners. If you need an immediate fix though, there's no better place to go than the official online store. But be warned, you may soon end up with your very own Assouline library at home...

More literary delights and a very lovely white portable book case.

Survival Kits (left), satin wrapped and bound editions (center) and a quick look at African Cities (right).

Address: Liberty London, Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 12:00-18:00
Assouline Homepage & Online-Shop

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London In Bloom - Spring Florals

Mount Street Gardens.

Spring has finally sprung - at least here in London. Temperatures are rising, the days are getting longer and the sun is making more frequent appearances. But of course Spring would be nothing without the beauty of blossoming flowers. And because the eight cherry trees in front of my living room window are a constant reminder of how wonderful this time of the year can be, I've been inspired to hunt down more floral delights in the shape of both the real thing and the fashion world's recurring love affair with the flower print.

Are you embracing floral patterns this season? Or would you prefer to just admire the botanical version instead? I know that there are a few pieces below I wouldn't mind owning...

Mulberry flagship window display (Bond Street).

Left: A stunning gown from Central Saint Martins graduate Hermione de Paula. Right: A blossoming tree in East London.

Left: Liberty's flower section. Right: A fun print on a Christopher Kane SS11 dress.

Current season Alexander McQueen (skull) scarves take on a floral twist.

Left: A vibrant dress by Cacharel. Right: Flower power at London's Bankside.

Claude Monet's Water-Lilies (1916), photographed at the Tate Modern.

Left: More flowers in front of Liberty. Right: A beautiful Dries van Noten piece.

Left: A modern take on the floral trend from Thakoon. Right: Jonathan Saunders mixes flowers with graphics.

Liberty's current in-store display, caught in a blur.

Another Jonathan Saunders creation.

Left: One of the many cherry blossoms in front of my window. Right: A gorgeous draped Vivienne Westwood dress featuring pink flowers.

The World of Manolo @ Liberty (London, UK)

Leave it to Liberty, my favorite London department store, to come up with something special for last week's Fashion's Night Out. Last year they gave us the wonderful Hermès collaboration and this time around, the same space (located where the scarf room is usually housed), was transformed into a Manolo Blahnik pop-up store... though the man himself dislikes that term. The joint venture included Blahnik's own Liberty print designs, which adorned a few limited edition stilettos and a pair of flats. In addition, Liberty created a few more prints based on Blahnik's illustrations - all of which could be found on various other items including notebooks, ties, scarves, totes and even cushions.

Some of the exclusive Manolo Blahnik shoes featuring Liberty prints (images: Liberty).

Three of the new Liberty prints based on Blahnik's illustrations. The actual fabric is for sale as well (images: Liberty).

Though I'm generally not what one would call a Manolo aficionado - many of his shoes are a tad too dainty for my liking - I've always been quite fond of his sketches. And since I rarely need an excuse to visit Liberty, I took the opportunity the check out 'The World of Manolo' in the process. According to the designer, who currently resides in the UK “it’s the first time I’ve done anything like it and I’m a bit terrified, but I’m doing it because I love this building and I’ve been using Liberty prints forever” adding that “I have known about Liberty since I was a young boy. My mother used to order Tana Lawn fabric and make us outfits. The store is so beautiful and its history is so rich. “

View of the retail space (left), the Liberty zebra sporting an exclusive scarf and one of the Manolo for Liberty shoes (right).

The small space on the ground floor had been transformed into what resembled an English garden, with the walls painted in light green and paper cut-outs of leaves and other foliage in the same shade forming archways along the room. The shoes themselves were perched on stands near the walls, like exotic birds. It's the first time any of Blahnik's pieces have been made available outside his UK flagship and while all the exclusive Liberty shoes were prominently displayed, many of the FW10 creations were featured as well, including the coveted Mary Jane heels, the furry Arctic boots or the more classic Serderarby pumps.

Scarves in shelves (left and lower right) and FW10 boots on display (top right).

Cute accessories included cushions, cards and totes. And the famous blue shoe reinvented as a flat for FW10 (lower left. Top right image: Disneyrollergirl).

While plenty of shoppers were going crazy with the shoes, leaving bored boyfriends and husbands behind on the comfortable patchwork couches, most girls (including yours truly) were drawn towards the table near the cash desk which displayed the scarves, scented candles, lavender pouches, wrapping paper, greeting cards, ties, notebooks and umbrellas to name a few - all featuring the adorable illustrated shoe prints. Prices started as low as £5.95 for the handkerchiefs, while items such as the cushions and silk scarves would set you back a little more. All accessories however are definitely a cheaper alternative to the footwear. Come Christmas time, Blahnik will also be curating Liberty's store windows with an emphasis on an 'old-fashioned English feel'.

The accessories table from afar (left) featuring more tempting items, such as the ties and more scarves (lower right image: Disneyrollergirl).

Fur boots, lavender pouches, wrapping paper, cards and more pretty shoes (far right images: Disneyrollergirl).

Those lucky enough to have made it to Liberty's FNO event, where the pop-up-store was first unveiled, had a chance to meet Blahnik in person, who was on hand to sign just about anything. If you're in town next month, you're in luck, since he'll be back in-store (on October 23) to sign copies of his new book 'Manolo's New Shoes'. Even if you don't make it to any event, 'the World of Manolo' will be open for the next three months, so there's still plenty of time to get your hands on one of the cute items or exclusive shoes. And if you're not heading to London anytime soon, fear not - the majority of these pieces are now available from Liberty's online store here.

I couldn't get enough of those accessories... and you can even inhale a Manolo scent thanks to the exclusive candles (lower right image: Disneyrollergirl).

A selection of the accessories such as the scarves (top left, lower center), umbrella, bow tie, lavender pouch, mini cake and even a chocolate shoe (lower right). All images taken from Liberty's online store.

Address: Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 12:00-18:00
Liberty Homepage & Online Shop

Hermès pour Liberty (London, UK)

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their anniversary wishes. I know some would have chosen to attend FNO, but in retrospect, I'm pretty sure Jourdan Dunn or Daisy Lowe would have somehow convinced me to buy an overpriced item I didn't need, so it's all good (in fact, I heard Alice Dellal managed to sell someone a really expensive fur coat at Miu Miu... I wonder if that person regrets it yet...). Instead, I did more guilt-free window-shopping and this time around, my beloved Liberty hosted a pop-up store of its own.

The six Hermès pour Liberty scarves (images: Liberty).

Hermès scarves are as typically Parisian as the Liberty print is associated with London, so it was only a matter of time before these two brands teamed up to create a collection of six scarves featuring the signature Hermès 'Ex Libris' motif on Liberty's traditional Tara Lawns cottons. The scarves and three different special-edition Hermès-Liberty ties were designed by Bali Barrett, the Creative Director of Hermès Silk. To celebrate this union, Liberty created a pop-up store in their scarf section, remodeled to resemble an oversized dressing up box. Here, customers can not just browse the selection, which also includes Hermès' regular range of FW09 scarves and twillys, but also attend events ranging from scarf tying workshops to photo-styling sessions.

The amazing window display.

Because Liberty happens to be one of my favorite department stores in the world, I didn't really need an excuse to pay it a visit and I had actually forgotten all about this collaboration until I approached the beautiful Tudor building and saw the very orange store windows. Liberty is renowned for having some of the best shop windows, but I was still stunned by how they had managed to painstakingly recreate a miniature version of the department store using orange cardboard and paper. All of this was surrounded by Hermès boxes of course. These even hung by the entrance leading directly to the pop-up store area.

The entrance to the pop-up store. Hermès packages everywhere...

I hadn't really planned on spending much time here or even featuring it on the blog until I took a peek in the store. But the staff had done an amazing job transforming the scarf area into an Hermès paradise. Scarves and twillys could be found on almost every wall, tied to orange ropes attached to a soft padded background. Cute wooden mannequin heads modeling the pieces were placed throughout the store as well.

Views of the scarf wall, cash desk and tie displays.

Tables in the middle of the store were made to look like dressing room tables, complete with mirrors and soft benches, allowing you to take a seat and try on the creations yourself. There was a lot of attention to detail, ranging from the giant Martini glasses containing some of the silk ribbons to the carpet featuring the iconic Hermès horseshoes.

The scarf tables...

Open Hermès boxes attached to the walls served as cubbyholes for ties or displayed small mirrors, but the thing I loved the most of course were the props. I actually missed some of them the first time round and only noticed these on my way out, so if you go, pay extra attention to the items against the walls. The most obvious one was the famous Liberty zebra who usually 'lives' in the scarf room anyway but was decked out in traditional Hermès silk for the occasion. The less noticeable pieces were made of Hermès boxes replicating telescopes, cameras and other devices. Looking through these, you'd see moving or fixed images of zebras and horse-carriages. Very cute. In fact, if these had been for sale, I probably would have snapped them up.

I need that zebra...

The reworked spinning hat box showed moving horse carriages.

The view in this box revealed zebras walking into a miniature Liberty store.

Close-up of the scarf mannequin (left) and a camera prop (right).

Last but not least, if you go towards the main area on the ground floor housing the regular Liberty line, you'll see a magnificent arrangement of Hermès pour Liberty scarves suspended from the top-floor ceiling. Right below this, another circular table filled with such scarves can be found.

The store is by no means huge, but you can probably spend quite a bit of time here and I'd head to Liberty regardless of whether you want to catch this or not. I've rarely seen so much effort put into a pop-up store - seeing as they're not permanent, props and decor are usually kept to a minimum. The pop-up will be open until October 18 so you still have plenty of time. If you're not in London but want to get your hands on one of these scarves - all of them are still available via Liberty's online store.

Scarves hanging by the ceiling in the main section and another display underneath it.

Address: Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 12:00-18:00
Liberty Homepage & Online Shop

Liberty of London Boutique (London, UK)

I was recently browsing the A.P.C. collection with a friend, when she turned to me upon sighting the current season's floral dresses and asked "does the Liberty-print have anything to do with that London department store?". The question didn't bother me - I'm guessing a lot of people don't know, but the answer of course is a big YES. For some, Liberty might just be another department store - personally it's my favorite in the U.K., because of the building's architecture, great staff and good range of products. For many, it's also the company that gave us today's most popular print pattern.

How an East Anglian village inspired one of this season's prints. Click to enlarge (image: Liberty).

While the Liberty archive consists of hundreds and thousands of different fabric designs - the company was founded in 1875, so you can imagine how large their back-catalogue must be - every season the Art Fabric design team will come up with new patterns which are based on architecture, nature and research conducted on everyone from children to sports commentators. The fabric can then be bought by consumers to create anything they need, whether it's pillow cases or skirts.

Left: Kate Moss for Topshop, wearing Poppy and Lilabell. Right: swatches of the Topshop Liberty-prints (images: Topshop).

Most recently the Liberty-print has graced Nike shoes, Cacharel's current collection and a few A.P.C. items not to mention Kate Moss' Topshop collaboration. Such is Kate's love for these prints, she decided to borrow from three classic Liberty designs to create Kate Nouveau, Poppy and Lilabell (named after her daughter). "Whilst researching the spring range we looked at loads of old prints and most of my favorites originated from the Liberty archive" says Moss. The next brand to feature the popular prints will be Theory, who are set to launch a more western-themed collection this Fall.

From top left: Cacharel, A.P.C., Theory, Nike and Topshop's Kate Nouveau

(images: Liberty)

But the true master of the Liberty-print is of course Liberty itself, who in 2005 launched its own luxury clothing, accessories and home decor brand. 'Liberty of London' draws on Liberty's heritage and operates under the creative direction of Tamara Salman (formerly of Romeo Gigli and Prada). Last year, the first standalone Liberty of London boutique opened on Sloane Street, which caters to nothing but the flowery print. I was intrigued by the idea, but never got the chance to visit until this year.

Liberty likes to call this boutique a 'concept store' though essentially it is a two-storey shop that sells nothing but clothing and accessories. If you are color-shy or have an aversion to anything patterned, this probably isn't the place for you. Upon entering the luxurious interior of the store - imagine lots of gold walls and crystal chandeliers - I was greeted by bright vivid hues everywhere. I love the Liberty-print and think it's a timeless design, but nothing prepared me for the colorful pattern overload. While the Liberty department store has the items somewhat spread out, seeing the pieces in such a confined space gave me the impression I had just walked right into a rainbow.

Left: Current season Cacharel. Right: Liberty of London bags

I was happy to see that the boutique also stocked items by other brands. The first rack held a nice selection of the current Cacharel range, but the main attractions are the Liberty of London pieces. A three meter long 'scarf bar' graced most of the right side of the store with various shawls and silk scarves in every color imaginable. Bags and purses occupied the shelves behind it, some made of leather and surprisingly pattern-free, others made of canvas displaying the iconic print.

The 'scarf bar'

Further along, I found a table filled with items I never knew I needed but immediately wanted: Liberty-printed eye masks, cosmetics bags, jewelry cases, stationary, silk house slippers and satin pouches filled with scented lavender. Very girly but not as kitschy as you might imagine. In the opposite corner, glass cases displayed some nice jewelry - some were silver and more low-key, others featured bright floral designs.

Boy, do I regret not getting that eye mask... Right: necklaces featuring bugs and flowers

The back area showcased the brand's own clothing range which is slightly more expensive. Most of the dresses and tops are made of silk, but you'll also find some cashmere cardigans or fine knit tops. The most recent addition to the line are swimsuits and bikinis in the most perfect summery colors and designs.

Liberty of London's own collection of clothing

Men should head to the top floor, where they'll find an assortment of ties, bags, shirts and anything else a guy might need. The menswear line is much more subtle compared to the ladies, so if you're a gal who's not embracing florals fully, you might want to pick out a souvenir from this collection instead.

Menswear on the top floor (image: Liberty)

One thing I do have to note is that the Liberty-print is also part of the interior design, but doesn't actually compete with the products. The stucco ceilings and black and white glass-beaded wall decorations all featured the prints, but these actually complimented the items instead of distracting from them.

If you're a Liberty-print fan, this store is a must. It's conveniently located a few steps away from Harvey Nichols so you'll probably end up in the neighborhood anyway. If you're wary about seeing too many patterned pieces, I would suggest you head to the Liberty department store, which is equally (if not more) impressive and houses a large number of other high-end designer pieces as well. And if you're sitting at home with a sudden urge to buy a Liberty-printed anything, I'd recommend you visit their online shop which sells the majority of their collection, in addition to items by other brands.

(individual images: Liberty)

Address: 197 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9QX
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-19:00
Liberty Homepage & Online Shop