Window shopping for dreamers
RETROSPECTIVE HARVEY NICHOLS
| just spent a quarter of my annual salary in Harvey Nicks — and it was worth every penny. Here I am, strutting down Princes Street in all my catwalk glory (hair professionally corfed and three stone lighter), wearing an incredibly chic but casual Alexander McQueen black top ($225». a trendy pair of Joseph bootleg jeans ta snip at $399). and all wrapped up in a sexy and stylish Yves Saint Laurent coat (less of a bargain at a cool 521450). Not forgetting the fantastically Original Lulu Guiness bag (2160). tailor-made to finish off my absolutely fabulous ensemble.
Reality check: I am actually standing in Harvey Nick's food court clutching two bars of the store's own brand chocolate (£31.95). plucking up the courage to ask for them in separate bags (one for my old mum and one for my good self).
Welcome to the oddly enjoyable world of Harvey
Off-beat and e I“!
. . . and a haven for kids
Nicks. decked out with Moschino's Cheap and Chic collection Ian irony if ever there was one) which teeters jUSi the right Side of extravagant tat. a gaudy pink Pringle assortment bizarrely situated next to the classic style of Burberry. and 80s neon pink and green strip lights illuminating mannequins donned in what looks suspicrously like Gaps autumn collection.
Granted. for all the emporium's doormen and designer gear, it doesn't have the exclusive feel of the Italian Centre in Glasgow or L'Eclaireur in Paris. but that's no bad thing. While the elite and affluent 40-plus young professional clientele can browse With a View to buy. the rest of us can happily window shop and dream of finding ourselves a rich man, who might just be daft enough to let us spend $150 on that must-have Paul Smith denim racket. (Anna lvlillar)
I 30—34 St Andrew Sgt/are. Edinburgh. 0/81 524 8388.
BOUTIOUE DARLING Baby, it’s you
The bubblegum-pink exterior of Glasgow's new West End boutique. Darling. would not have looked Out of place down London's Kings Road in the late 70s. Inside. it's all leopard print throws. purple netting, red plastic shelves and an old record player spinning Joan Baez
Other little eccentricities are evrdent in the odd opening hours. hand-written carrier bags and the army of bamboo screens that replace a conventional fitting—room. 'We just want to make a bit of a living and have a laugh.‘ says partner Deborah Plott. a retired actor who played Jude in High Road. 'We're real Shopaholics and were sick of haying nowhere to buy new clothes in this area.‘
Her Italian partner Sabrina Lucci returns to the continent frequently for more stock. Buying also takes place in London and Los Angeles. creating an elf—beat product range at affordable prices. The kitsch-cum-cute children's section is a haven for the discerning toddler with a penchant for sequinned tops. combat gear and butterfly-print welly boots. (Louise Prendergastl I b‘ Chance/tor Street. Glasgow. Sun 7—5pm; Mon 8 Tue noen~2pni; Wed noon—2pm 8 4—6pm; T/iu noon—2pm 8. 4—7pm; Fri noon—5pm; Sat 1 lain—(5pm.
Shoptalk
Spend, spend, spend. . .
I ‘MAKE LOVE NOT war’, ‘love is the answer’ . . . such aphorisms from the 603 have long fallen out of common parlance, but Habitat, a child of that era, is bringing it all back. Rebranding itself with a ditsy little heart-in- the-home symbol, it hopes to communicate ‘the essence of the Habitat brand spirit’; that is, ‘the brand that helps you to create a home that is always more beautiful and more personal, 8 home with which you are in love.’ Branding with love - very crossover.
I FOR THE VERTICALLY challenged. help is at hand with a new device — the heightening shoe. No more tottering around on heels or stumbling over big wedges, these wonder- shoes. developed by the Chinese footwear innovators Prentum, are truly a marvel. Well, that's what they said. Their website is worth checking out for amusement value anyway: wwwprentumcom.
I AND WITH YET more shoe innovation, Reebok is launching an equally handy product: the folding shoe. 22m has gone into researching this essential that will be launched as the Travel Trainer. Apparently it can be rolled into a tiny ball to the size of a ‘rolled-up sock’ so you don’t have them clumping at the bottom of your bag.
I AT SOME POINT IN your life, gents, you're probably going to have to purchase a suit. Maybe you already have one. and maybe you even like it. But there's
Shopping
no denying that they’re damn expensive - especially if you're after a designer brand. TK Maxx, the designer-seconds/end of range discount store is offering up to 60% off its suits from 19 September. Don’t be proud: get in there.
I ACCORDING TO a new and highly reputable survey conducted by, ooh, electrical goods retailers Dixons, women are more turned on by men’s gadgets than by designer fashion. What sort of gadgets are specified, but presumany they're electrical and can be bought at Dixons. Though lads, giftwise we don't recommend the teasmald . . .
I WATCH OUT IKEA. a Scandinavian rival is on its way. BoConcept, the Danish contemporary furniture retailer, is set to open a store in Glasgow's Princes Square complex. Its ethos is much more quality than quantity and designs can be personally adapted to suit customers' needs. 80 no more flat pack assemblies. then. For the discerning homemaker this should open many doors. Go to www.boconcept.co.uk to find out more.
I AUTUMN HERALDS the new season, full of lovely wool, suede, denim, cord and sheer black for evenings. It’s time to
cover the flesh in a whole wetter of fabrics and none better, we reckon, than those of Mango's. its new autumn range is a treat, and an affordable one at that.
19 Sap—3 Oct 2002 TN. LII? 113