Author Archives: topbird

1. A wee trip to Copenhagen, Part 1

   February 16, 2010 6:00 am 9 Comments

   

   I spent a short but very sweet weekend in Copenhagen last year, which is an exceptionally pretty town with lots of treats for design obsessives. Everything you've heard about it being expensive is sadly very true (no cheapie Georg Jensen/ By Malene Birger/ Arne Jacobsen for me!), but I would have loved to have spent a wee bit longer and explored further afield. Still, I discovered quite a few gems on my travels. Here are some of my highlights…

   Crème de la Crème a la Edgar
   This utterly gorgeous boutique may be for (very fashionable) babies and children, but that didn't stop me from sighing over the incredible styling as well as the eclectic collection of toys and gifts.

   

   

   

   Featuring an excellent (though very pricey) range of own-brand children’s knitwear alongside a selection of niche fashion labels, it’s definitely worth a peep – even if it’s just to catch a glimpse of the vintage wallpaper, floral-print cushions and brilliant ‘70s-style string art.

   

   

   
   Crème de la Crème a la Edgar
   Kompagnistræde 8
   1208 Copenhagen
   Tel. +45 3336 1818

   Noma
   I was just about giddy with excitement when we booked lunch at this
   double-Michelin-starred restaurant, which is renowned for its Nordic
   cuisine and innovative use of local produce.

   

   

   It's been billed as the third best restaurant in the world (behind elBulli and The Fat Duck), but nothing quite prepared me for just how exquisite it all was, from the animal pelts draped over the chairs to the series of ingenious amuse-bouches designed to tickle the senses. A single egg arrived on a bed of steaming straw, followed by crispy pork sprinkled with the prettiest edible flowers and a snowy dusting of powder. Then there was the potted vegetable, which you were invited to pluck from the edible 'soil' in a teracotta pot. It was all rather theatrical and extraordinary.

   

   

   

   I had heard that the three-course lunch menu was quite reasonable at around £30 per head (considering its Michelin-starred status and all), but the wine list was unexpectedly astronomical, with prices starting at around £70 a bottle (the average price was double that). I know this is where restaurants really make their profit, but I was quite scared my dear old dad was going to have a heart attack. Should have stuck to the water. Still, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.
   Noma
   Strandgade 93
   1401 Copenhagen
   Tel. +45 3296 3297

   FN.92 Vintage

   

   

   

   A treasure trove of the finest vintage clothes, FN.92 stocks an
   impressive collection of frocks dating from the 1850s, as well as
   costume jewellery, headpieces and bags.I particularly loved the collection of cotton ‘50s day frocks lined up outside the store. But just one thing: mind the (seemingly innocuous) steps on the way down to the shop (don’t ask).
   FN.92 Vintage
   Larsbjornstræde 6
   1454 Copenhagen
   Tel. +45 3313 2050

   Part 2 coming tomorrow.

2. A wee trip to Copenhagen

   February 15, 2010 6:00 am 12 Comments

   

   Here's a sneak peek of my trip to Copenhagen last year. It was a just a weekend break, but I somehow managed to squeeze in quite a few lovely things. Check back for some of my highlights tomorrow…

   

   

   
   

   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   

3. Birdy pick of the week

   February 14, 2010 6:00 am 3 Comments

   

   

   

   Bird print leggings, US$45, from Malu's Etsy shop. (Thanks to Beyond the Pale for the tip!)

4. Wee find: Free downloadable Valentine’s cards

   February 13, 2010 2:10 pm 2 Comments

   

   Forgotten to sort out Valentine's Day tomorrow? Can't be bothered and/or don't want to buy into the whole commercial nastiness of it all, rah rah rah? If you're so inclined, then you may like to check out these marvellously birdy Valentine's Day designs, courtesy of digital design studio Ollibird. Seriously minimal effort required, too. Thanks to Urban Mums for the super tip.

5. Wee find: Moustache hankies

   February 12, 2010 6:00 am 8 Comments

   

   Here's the latest in the 'tache/beardy trend: moustache hankies. Aren't they genius? I really love the gingham ones, but it's the kind of thing where you need the whole set.

   

   Endless possibilities and fun to be had (imagine whipping one out on the Tube?). From Avril Loreti's Etsy shop.

6. A wee trip to Paris, part 2

   February 11, 2010 6:00 am 13 Comments

   

   Chocolat Debauve & Gallais
   Sulpice Debauve was a pharmacist-turned-chocolate maker for France’s royal family, and he developed a range of chocolate coins for Marie Antoinette – which you can still buy today (Pistoles de Marie Antoinette).

   

   
   

   

   This beautiful old shop has been selling chocolates for 200 years, and features marble columns and wood-panelled walls.
   Chocolat Debauve & Gallais
   30 Rue des Saints-Peres
   Paris
   Métro: Saint-Germain des pres
   Opening hours:
   Monday to Saturday 9.30am-7pm

   A.P.C. Surplus
   Bypass the tourists milling around the bottom of the hill leading up to the Sacre-Coer and walk around to Rue André Del Sarte , where you’ll find A.P.C’s outlet shop.

   

   Well worth a visit if you’re an A.P.C. fan, with 50 per cent discount off last season’s collections.
   20 Rue André Del SartE
   75018 Paris
   Métro:Chateau Rouge

   Creperie Josselin
   Walk past all the other creperies jostling for attention on this street and head straight to Josselin, considered to be the best of its kind in Paris.

   

   

   

   It’s relatively cheap and the buckwheat galettes are very filling, but you could also go simple and sweet with the house chocolate crepe.
   Creperie Josselin
   67 Rue du Montparnasse
   75014 Paris (14th Arr.)
   Tel. 01 43 35 26 68

   Cafe de Flore
   Another Sarte and de Beauvoir haunt, another way to watch the world go by from plush red leather seating and splendid Art Deco surroundings.

   

   Yes, it’s a wee bit touristy, but the Club Sandwich is really good (although not particularly existential).
   Cafe de Flore
   172 bd. Saint-Germain,
   Paris (6th Arr.)
   Métro: St-Germain-des-Prés

   Shakespeare & Company
   I hadn’t visited this wee gem of a bookshop for many years, so it was lovely to rediscover it and enjoy its rather authentic bohemian atmosphere.

   

   

   It’s always very busy, but there are lots of little nooks for reading (or, uh, napping), as well as a great view of Notre Dame from the upstairs windows.
   Shakespeare & Co
   37 rue de la Bûcherie
   75005 Paris
   Tel. 01 43 25 40 93
   Opening hours:
   Monday to Saturday 10am-11pm
   Sunday 11am-11pm

   Left Bank booksellers
   I usually don’t pay much attention to the booksellers and their distinctive dark green boxes lining the Left Bank of the Seine, but I couldn’t help lingering on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

   

   

   Sitting alongside crappy print reproductions were some really incredible vintage magazines, although they are priced for tourists. Good for browsing, perhaps, rather than buying.

7. A wee trip to Paris, part 1

   February 10, 2010 6:00 am 18 Comments

   

   I spent a glorious weekend in Paris towards the end of last year. In the past I've tended to gravitate towards Le Marais, but this time around I explored more of Saint Germain and the Left Bank. It was by no means a comprehensive tour (I preferred lingering in cafes and strolling down sun-dappled boulevards) but I thought you might be interested in some of these wee gems…

   Deyrolle
   Admittedly Deyrolle may not be everyone's cup of tea (in fact, you may find dead animals dead creepy), but I spent a good couple of hours completely submerged in the sheer beauty of this historic shop. Downstairs looks like any other bourgeois gardening/interiors store, with a rather lovely collection of enamel pots and handsome tools. In fact, the only hint of the spectacle that awaits upstairs is the odd taxidermied animal in the window, or the deer wearing an apron.

   

   I had heard a little bit about Deyrolle's impressive collection of taxidermied animals, mounted insects, shells and minerals, but I was still completely gobsmacked as I discovered what can be best described as a Darwinian collection of natural history at the top of the stairs.

   

   

   

   

   Row upon row of brightly coloured birds fill the dark-wooded Victorian cabinets, and the most beautiful butterflies are laid out in 19th century display cases. It's like walking into a natural history museum – except every bug, bear and butterfly is for sale.

   

   

   

   I was fascinated by the humungous black rhinoceros beetles, stick insects and scorpions, but couldn't draw myself away from the glass trays of butterflies in astonishingly vivid hues of irridescent turquoise.

   

   

   

   

   Choosing your bugs to mount is an exciting (and extremely satisfying) experience, akin to a child in a sweet shop, except you're pointing to exotic insects, not sherbet fountains. Your choice of butterflies and insects are mounted on a special display case, and prices for individual insects start at a few Euros. It's a wondrous place to browse, and kids will be equally fascinated.
   Deyrolle
   46 rue du Bac
   75007 Paris
   Tel. 01 42 22 30 07
   Métro: Rue du Bac

   Les Deux Magots

   

   

   

   I know, it's a bit touristy these days but I couldn't pass up the
   chance to have a latte in Sartre, de Beauvoir and Wilde's old hang-out.
   Except I didn't have coffee, I went for the hot chocolate instead. And it was rich, luscious and quite simply The Best Hot Chocolate Ever. Nice old tiles, too.
   Les Deux Magots
   6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés
   75006 Paris
   Tel. 01 45 48 55 25
   Métro: St-Germain-des-Prés

   Pierre Herme

   

   

   

   Pierre Herme is everything that Laduree is not: modern, minimalist and a wee bit sexy. With not a hint of gilt in sight. But we're still talking about macaroons here, and Monsieur Herme's are very lovely indeed with big bold colours and delicate flavours. A perfect take-away treat to enjoy in the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg.
   Pierre Herme
   72 rue Bonaparte
   75006 Paris
   Tel. 01 43 54 47 77
   Métro: Saint-Sulpice
   Opening hours:
   Monday to Friday 10am-7pm
   Saturday 10am-7:30pm
   Sunday 10am-7pm
   

   Part 2 coming tomorrow.
   

8. What to take home: London Street Speak shoppers

   February 9, 2010 6:00 am 3 Comments

   

   Here, dear reader, is me ambling along Columbia Road Flower Market on a recent wintry Sunday morning with my trusty market shopping bag.

   
   I rather like it because it's big and sturdy, and features all manner of food-related London street signs, like Poultry, Bread Street and Ham Yard. And it's just £8 from The London Company.

   In the meantime, if you're after a last minute Valentine's gift, consider the Great Ormond Street Hospital's Kiss it Better appeal. The London Company are donating £2 from every sale of their Street Speak "Love Lane" mug to the charity. From 20 January 20 until 20 May, you can visit www.thelondoncompany.net and enter code GOSH10 to receive free chocolates and guaranteed delivery of the mug.

   For more information on Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Kiss it Better appeal, visit www.gosh.org/kissitbetter.

9. Birdy pick of the week

   February 8, 2010 6:00 am 8 Comments

   

   Loving this super-sweet Guess Who-ooo Valentine's Day card, £3.25, from Wee Birdy sponsor Hello!Lucky. Check out their other retro-inspired designs, which are new this year…

   

   

   

10. Wee find: free downloadable DIY Valentine

    February 7, 2010 6:00 am 4 Comments

    

    Loving this very sweet DIY downloadable Valentine project by Papermash, using old-fashioned red and white stripey straws. Crafty and romantic – ohh!

11. Wee find: Tatty Devine’s new lacy designs

    February 6, 2010 6:00 am 3 Comments

    

    Tatty Devine's turned to old-school romance and girlish charm for spring this year with their 'Sundae Best' collection.

    

    

    The lacy scalloped edges lend themselves beautifully to a range of necklaces, rings, cuffs and headpieces, and you can just about picture Tatty's lovely girls reaching across the jam-smeared paper doily for the very last crumbs of the Victorian Sponge.

    

    The heart-shaped ring is excellent value at £15, and would make a rather lovely Valentine's Day gift, but I'm also quite taken by the cupid's arrow brooch, £27. Gotta love those Tatty girls, they get it right all the time.

12. Sneak peek: Liberty of London for Target

    February 5, 2010 6:47 pm 20 Comments

    
    It has to be the cross-Atlantic collaboration of my dreams: Liberty and US mega-store Target have joined forces for the very first time to deliver those divine heritage prints to the masses. 

     

    Kitschy 60s-style Liberty prints are splashed across a range of super-affordable wares – from bicycles and piggy banks to stationery and flip flops. However, the strength of the collection really lies in the marvellous melamine kitchen and picnicware, like the cheery £25 cake stand and £5 cereal bowls, and the china tea pot is also rather lovely.
     

    

    UK shoppers will be able to snap up pieces online from Liberty's website from 12 March, whilst Londoners can shop the collection instore at Liberty's Carnaby Street shop space from 29 March, which will coincide with an international ad campaign boasting photography by Tim Walker. (Can you just imagine? Dreamy colour-saturated flower-power Liberty prints emblazoned across London's buses and tube stations. Ohhhh…) 
    
     

13. Wee find: Cute as a button card

    8:00 am 5 Comments

    

    Loving this clever giant button card by new Wee Birdy sponsor Present & Correct, which makes a great alternative to the hearts-and-flowers Valentine's Day options. The card is debossed (ooh, tactile!) and the design is based on an old vintage button.

    

    

    And for the perfect accompanying gift? Try a button brooch from Tatty Devine.