London: Exploring New Shops

Elena Bowes puts on her walking shoes to report from the southwest's newest hot spots.

If you visit London this spring, leave the stilettos at home. You'll need good walking shoes to explore all the new shops in the city's southwest. Start in Chelsea, at Biondi (55B Old Church St.; 011-44-20-7349- 1111), the capital's first boutique selling tailor-made swimwear. Clients create one-of-a-kind suits by choosing from an array of fabrics and ornaments, including Swarovski crystals. Biondi designer Jenny Murphy also makes house calls in town.

The mother-daughter team of Selina and Fee Craig just opened Lotus London (11 Pont St.; 011-44-20-7235-3550), a girlie mini department store, in Knightsbridge. Lotus stocks its own label--best known for handmade silk chiffon and cotton caftans adorned with semiprecious stones--along with Zandra Rhodes, Tocca, See by Chloé, Blue Cult jeans and other brands. You can also purchase gifts, like door signs that read TAKING A BUBBLE BATH and GONE SHOE SHOPPING, bringing Eloise to mind. Not new but home to fabulous new wedges made in collaboration with Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo and featuring a bold evil-eye fabric is Allegra Hicks (28 Cadogan Pl.; 011-44-20-7235-8989), around the corner.

Now that you've done the fun and funky, it's time to get serious, with Carole Bamford's two new Chelsea ventures. Bamford (169 Draycott Ave.; 011-44-20-7589-8729) carries beautifully made clothes in neutral tones. Don't miss the hand-printed silk chiffon blouses, tailored summer jackets in soft leather, and cashmere ballet wraps. And for once, men need not feel left out, thanks to Bamford & Sons (31 Sloane Sq.; 011-44-20-7881-8010), which mixes cashmere knits, linen blazers, safari jackets and canvas weekend bags with cool boys' toys: you'll find vintage watches and a replica of the motorcycle Steve McQueen rode in the 1963 film The Great Escape.

If all this retail therapy has given you an appetite, take a break at Harrods, where venerable French tearoom Ladurée has opened its first branch outside Paris (Hans Crescent; 011-44-20-7730-1234). The café, which is famous for its macaroons and delectable pastries, also serves light meals.

With body restored, head to WoBo (west of Bond), the catchy new term for the area around regenerated Albemarle Street. The thoroughfare has gotten so dolled up that a short time ago, the Tiffany & Co. store added an Albemarle Street entrance. Two boutiques for the home are must-visits. Linley (No. 46; 011-44-20-7290-1410), royal carpenter David Linley's second London establishment, emphasizes small items: a lead-crystal caviar set and a Parmesan and nutmeg grater in stainless steel and walnut, for example. Paul Smith's passion for furniture and whimsical objects is evident at his latest, No. 9 Albemarle Street (011-44-20-7493-4565). The ever-changing displays--the fashion designer sources many of the pieces during his travels--recently included a late-1960s conversation sofa conceived and made by Yves Marthelot, a 1950s Italian desk lamp, an early-19th-century French hatbox and Spanish vases.

Speaking of personal picks, the Tate Britain (Millbank; 011-44-20- 7887-8888; tate.org.uk) now has bespoke self-guided "mood" tours. If the dreary English weather is getting you down, cheer up with the "Rainy Day" collection of sunny paintings, such as J.M.W. Turner's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage--Italy. Those preferring gloom will appreciate Francis Danby's grim Deluge and William Blake's Plutus, from Illustrations to Dante's Divine Comedy, high spots in the "Happily Depressed" collection. Also delightfully dark are two of the selections in "I've Just Split Up": The Lady of Shalott (by John William Waterhouse) and Ophelia (as depicted by John Everett Millais).

From tailor-made bikinis to customized museum visits, London is giving a whole new meaning to the term "bespoke" this spring.

Find this article at: http://www.townandcountrytravelmag.com/travel-tips/expert-advice/Letter-from-London-0306