When we spied artist/writer/musician Massimo Giacon's version of the Nativity for Alessi, it ticked all the right boxes for the Italian company's knack for producing innovative design with a fun aesthetic. The porcelain modular manger comes complete with a wee ox, donkey, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus (sporting quite a spiffy quiff).
Massimo Giacon & Alessi's Nativity, US$105, from A+R store.
Want a different spin on your Christmas decos this year? Just take a look at these little beauties. Yule love 'em (sorry, couldn't resist):
Christmas biscuit baubles tin, £38.50, from Biscuiteers. These delightful biscuit baubles are made using Biscuiteer’s own Christmas spice recipe, and come ready for you to hang on the tree. Or send your sweet-toothed mate a special edible biscuit card, for £8.50. Photos courtesy of www.bigfish.co.uk.
“All I Want For Christmas is a Grade II Listed Country Residence” decoupaged bauble, signed and numbered, £10 per bauble, by Samantha Allan for The Shop Floor Project.
“Chimera” bauble, £16.50 each, by Reiko Kaneko for The Shop Floor Project.
Fabric Christmas baubles by Gorgeous, £5 each, from Not on the High Street.
And for a very nerdy Christmas...
Atari-Ouch-Joystick (original hand-sewn felt ornament), US$10, from Peachpop’s Etsy store*.
Star Wars felt ornaments, US$60 for a set of 12, from Blackrose1151’s Etsy shop*.
*Please note that Etsy's items are often one-offs, but always contact the shop's owner if they are not currently in stock.
With Christmas just 20 sleeps away, there are a host of late night shopping events coming up for London readers.
I took a friend along to “Sparkling Thursdays” night at Selfridges a couple of weeks ago, and we had a rollicking good time scoffing Lindt balls, downing free glasses of champagne whilst checking out all the limited edition holiday ranges (I love Dior’s shimmering new eye palette) and having makeovers. We also scored some cool freebies from Korres. Too much fun. The next Sparkling Thursdays night is on Thursday 6 December and Thursday 13 December at the Oxford Street store from 4pm to 9pm. Click here for more information.
Selfridges
400 Oxford St
London
W1A 2LR
Nearest tube: Bond Street.
Otherwise, head to East London for two of the coolest street shopping nights.
Columbia Road’s shops are normally only open on Sundays for the Flower Market, but they're opening for special late shopping nights on Wednesday 12 December and Wednesday 19 December, from 5pm to 9pm. There will be carols, mulled wine, Santa and mince pies.
While you're there, keep an eye out for my fave Columbia Road shops like Treacle (at no. 110-112) for the sweetest and sparkliest cupcakes, Vintage Heaven (at no. 148) for fabulous vintage finds, Supernice Limited (at no.106) for Blik wall decals, Openhouse (at no. 152) for furniture and accessories for the house and garden, Angela Flanders Perfumes (at no. 96) for bespoke fragrance, Bob and Blossom (at no. 14) for gorgeous children’s toys and clothing and Fred Bare (at no. 118) for cool hats.
Got to www.columbiaroad.co.uk for more information.
Nearest tube: Old Street, Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green.
And nearby on Cheshire Street (just off Brick Lane), the stores are getting festive tomorrow night, Thursday 6 December from 6pm to 9pm. Read all about my fave Cheshire Street stores here. Head to Dragana Perisic for some festive mulled wine, as well as 20 per cent off all full-priced items.
Go to www.cheshirestreet.co.uk for more information.
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street.
VVRouleaux is London’s legendary emporium of ribbons, trimmings and braids, and oh, so much more. It’s the kind of place that instantly makes you bug-eyed with excitement, recalling childhood days of coveting ribbons, buttons and other “fancy” bits and bobs to add to your most precious and treasured collection.
But it’s the grown-ups who flock to this beautiful bazaar of inspiration for specialist ribbons sourced from all over the world, like Japanese organdie and French wire-edged taffetas in every shade imaginable.
In fact the large light-filled entry-level room in the Marylebone store is literally a Pantone book come to life, with reels of ribbons in every size, pattern and colour. No wonder brides make a bee-line to the store for that exact shade of caramel to work their bridesmaids’ sashes back to the reception chair tie-backs.
Speaking of brides, there are double-sided velvet ribbons which make perfect belts and sashes, as well as double-sided Japanese satin ribbons. And downstairs, there’s a fabulous collection of vintage bridal accessories, including hand-made veils, headpieces, hats and birds (birds!) from the late 1950s.
Ribbons aside, there’s a glorious range of silk, organza and velvet roses in a myriad of fashion shades, as well as a vast collection of fancy feathers. Apparently the shop does a roaring trade in June and July during racing and wedding season.
Don’t miss the tables crammed with vintage pieces like hand-crocheted butterflies and clusters of velvet violets (I spied the same violets behind a glass cabinet at the Golden Age of Couture exhibition at the V&A). I particularly love the selection of vintage French earrings and hair combs as well as the double-sided velvet belts with vintage buckles (from £14.95), delicate feather brooches (from £12.95) and bird decorations (from £3.95).
Downstairs is haberdashery heaven, dedicated to heavier furnishings like acrylic and glass tassles in traditional and modern colours, as well as vintage braids, faux-fur trims, cotton lace trims, and leather and suede ribbons for fashion and furnishing. I found a bunch of Chanel-style braids that would make chic suit edging. There’s also an extensive range of wax cords in all shades, which was raided by the wardrobe department from Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
From October onwards, the store introduces its Christmas collection, with tree ornaments, wreaths, garlands and berries for decorating the home.
For more inspiration, buy a copy of owner/creative director Annabel Lewis’ new book, Ribbons & Trims, for £20.
VVRouleaux
www.vvrouleaux.com
LONDON
102 Marylebone Lane
London W1U 2QD
Tel: 020 7224 5179
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday (excluding Weds) 9.30am-6pm
Wednesday 10.30am-6pm
Nearest tube: Bond Street and Baker Street
For more shops in W1, click here.
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
54 Sloane Square
Cliveden Place
London
SW1W 8AX
Tel: 020 7730 3125
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday (excluding Weds) 9.30am-6pm
Wednesday 10.30am-6.30pm
Nearest tube: Sloan Square
For more shops in SW1, click here.
Forgive me for indulging my passion for all things ornithological, but following a year where birds emerged as a major decorating trend, the interest hasn't let up for the festive season. So without further ado, here's a wee birdy or two for your tree. I've sourced these various feathered folk from London shops and my fave online stores. See the bottom of the post for stockist details.
Bird decorations, £29.95, for a set of eight, from Dotcomgiftshop.
Large tin bird, £13.58, from VVRouleaux.
Multi-coloured glass parrots hanging decorations, £8.95 for a set of three, from Dotcomgiftshop.
Swarovski owl decoration, £16.95, from The Conran Shop. Tel. 020 7589 7401
Robin Christmas tree decoration by Vivi, £7.75, from Not on the High Street.
Gold sequin bird, £3 for a set of three, from Woolworths.
Gold glitter wire bird, £2, from John Lewis.
Personalised handpainted fine china bauble in robin design, £9.95, from GettingPersonal.co.uk.
And I'll just sneak in a few fave birdy cards, as well:
Elle and the Snow Dove Postcards, US$16 for a set of 8, from BelleandBoo’s Etsy shop.
Pear Tree cards, US$10 for a set of four, from BlueSnailPaper’s Etsy shop.
Season’s Greetings cards, US$6 for a set of four, from EnfinLaVoila’s Etsy shop.
Top bird tip: if you click on the link to an Etsy product and it has sold out (they tend to do this quickly as they are one-offs), make sure you click on the link to the actual shop as they will often have the exact item listed again.
London stockists:
VVRouleaux
54 Sloane Square
Cliveden Place
London SW1W 8AX
Tel: 020 7730 3125
VVRouleaux
102 Marylebone Lane
London W1U 2QD
Tel: 020 7224 5179
The Conran Shop Chelsea
Michelin House
81 Fulham road
London SW3 6RD
Tel: 020 7589 7401
The Conran Shop Marylebone
55 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5HS
Tel: 020 7723 2223
John Lewis
Oxford Street
London W1A 1EX
John Lewis
Brent Cross Shopping Centre
London
NW4 3FL
Check out the endearing new Christmas range from Queen of Twee Prints, Cath Kidston. I'm totally loving the cheery holly print in Kidston's signature colour palette.
Holly print cake tin, £8, from Cath Kidston.
Holly print napkins, £15, from Cath Kidston.
Holly print double oven glove, £10, from Cath Kidston.
Holly print apron, £18, from Cath Kidston.
Wool sheep decorations (including the requisite black sheep of the family), £16.50 for a set of five, from Cath Kidston.
Enamel Christmas badge, £4.50, from Cath Kidston.
Cath Kidston
www.cathkidston.co.uk
Click here for store locations
Cath Kidston - Covent Garden
28-32 Shelton Street
London WC2H 9JE
Telephone: 020 7836 4803
Nearest tube: Covent Garden
Cath Kidston - Chelsea
12 Cale Street
London SW3 3QV
Telephone: 020 7584 3232
Nearest tube: Sloan Square and South Kensington
Cath Kidston - Kings Road
322 Kings Road
London SW3 5UH
Telephone: 020 20 7351 7335
Nearest tube: Sloan Square
Cath Kidston - Fulham
668 Fulham Road
London SW6 5RX
Telephone: -20 7731 6531
Nearest tube: Parsons Green
Cath Kidston - Marylebone
51 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5HW
Telephone: 020 7935 6555
Nearest tube: Baker Street
As you can tell, I have a huge soft spot for beautiful Christmas decorations, which, like most things, I entirely blame on my mum (sorry, mum!). She has the biggest and most eclectic collection of decorations, all picked up from her travels and lovingly cared for over the past 40-odd years. When I was a little girl, I loved the moment when she would disappear into the recesses of a dark closet and proudly emerge with a pile of dusty boxes with "Christmas decos" scrawled on the side. It was all very exciting - even in Australia's 30 degree December heat.
Here's my round-up of the 2007 Christmas collections from London stores, starting with the beauties at The Conran Shop:
Squirrel decoration, £10.95, from The Conran Shop www.conranshop.co.uk (020 7589 7401).
Swarovski poodle decoration, £24.95, from The Conran Shop www.conranshop.co.uk (020 7589 7401).
Swarovski mushroom decoration, £10.95, from The Conran Shop www.conranshop.co.uk (020 7589 7401).
I love the graphic icicle designs and the magenta colour palette on this year's Habitat line-up, which include:
Brush/flocked bauble, £3.50 for a pack of three, from Habitat.
Brush/painted bauble, £3.50 for a pack of three, from Habitat.
Engel embossed angel, £14, from Habitat.
And the V&A Museum can always be counted on for a selection of well-designed decorations:
Jewelled ruby snowflake decoration, £7, from the V&A shop.
Green jewelled star flower decoration, £3.50, from the V&A shop
Orange little cardigan decoration, £4.50, from the V&A shop.
And they've also great an excellent selection of Christmas art cards:
1950s bauble cards, £6 for a set of 10, from the V&A shop.
Bicycle ride Christmas cards, £4 for a set of 10, from the V&A shop.
Beatrix Potter Christmas cards, £6 for a set of 10, from the V&A shop.
The Conran Shop Chelsea
www.conranshop.co.uk
Michelin House
81 Fulham road
London SW3 6RD
Tel 020 7589 7401
Nearest tube: South Kensington
Habitat
www.habitat.co.uk
The V&A Shop
www.vandashop.com
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel: 020 7942 2000
Nearest tube: South Kensington
It’s December 1 and the Christmas season has officially begun, even though London stores got a head start with Santas and snowflakes in October. Still, I’m the biggest sucker when it comes to all things festive, and when London’s streets turned on their twinkling lights recently, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Sure, it all smacks with commercialism and thinly veiled advertisements, but the display at Oxford Street Debenhams literally made me catch my breath (hmmm … or perhaps that was the particularly bracing air that night ):
And I’m a major of fan of the fabulous paper chain decorations on Carnaby Street:
My vote for the prettiest Christmas shop goes to Liberty, which is decked out as a magical winter wonderland. I almost cried when I walked in and glimpsed the canopy of fairy lights strung across the old timber beams (told ya I'm the biggest sucker). The snowy owls, squirrels and life-size deer decorations are a particular highlight (can you imagine walking out the door with one of those under your arm?).
The gift shop’s elaborate display of rainbow-coloured sweets, treats and chocolates stacked in tall jars on endless rows of tables is surely the stuff the sugar plum fairy’s dreams are made of. Just look at this chocolate cottage from Brighton chocolatier Choccy Woccy Doodah:
Liberty also has a beautiful collection of exclusive decorations for your tree this year:
Gisela Graham resin Scottie dog decoration, £3.25, from Liberty.
Gisela Graham pale silver glitter reindeer decoration, £2.95, from Liberty.
Gisela Graham iridescent crystal drop decoration, £3.95, from Liberty.
Liberty
www.liberty.co.uk
Regent Street
London
W1B 5AH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7734 1234
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 11am-9pm
Saturday: 10am-8pm
Sunday:12pm-6pm
Nearest tubes: Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus
