Church of Birch

My London shopping guide…

As busy as I’ve been in the UK, I always manage to squeeze in a few hours of hunting and gathering.  Here are my recommendations for some great spots to check out.

Milk Concept Boutique 

 http://www.milkconceptboutique.com/

A Shoreditch treasure with an amazing selection of wild and wonderful objet’s d’art etc,… Their Fornasetti collection made me drool buckets.  I splurged on a couple plates and some bean bag lamps. (yeah not too travel friendly) The best part however was the lovely staff:)



Present
http://present-london.com/

Even though it’s mostly a men’s clothing store, this lovely shoreditch stop has a great selection of goodies from leather goods, mags, home bits, Aesop products and my fave, Cire Trudon Candles:)  My boyfriend bought me the NASA collaboration one that smells of the moon…ha! 
They also have an incredible coffee bar serving Square Mile, served up by a Swedish Barista champion! 







Kokon To Zai
http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

This amazing shop on Goldborne road was a perfect hybrid of some of my favorite things ever.
The soundtrack= DISCO
The clothes= BLACK (ok there were colors further back too)
The vibe= Boho goth with morrocan rugs, quilts, antique taxidermy, candles, marble penis paperweights:)), wooden skulls, porceline & other bizarre and wonderful trinkets…




Rellik
http://www.relliklondon.co.uk/

This is the closest thing I can find in London to my beloved Torso Vintages in San Fransisco. The selection, though smaller and undoubtedly more modest than Torso(not to mention the missing family affair element)still manages to be on point.  A great place to find vintage Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Celine, Dior, Comme Des Garcons etc,.. I couldn’t resist a blk victorian straw hat and a pair of witchy Westwood platforms!  

Lock & Co.
http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/

Quite possibly my favorite hat shop in the world!  Lock & Co opened up shop in 1674 and has been ‘crowning’ the likes of the royals ever since as well as providing fine creations for anyone in search of not just a quality hat but a quality experience.  A definite must for anyone who is a hat freak.  Not that I would know….






Hostem
http://www.hostem.co.uk/

A newly opened East London treasure, Hostem, though again mostly a men’s shop, it’s well worth checking out for the elegantly curated collection. Their painfully good selection of Visvim successfully tortured my boyfriend for the following 4 hours.


If you’re on the west side check out Music and Goods Exchange in Notting Hill. They have a large and wonderful selection of vinyl as well as neighboring shops Retro Woman that always has really great vintage designer finds etc,..
http://www.mveshops.co.uk


Last but not least, if you happen to win the lottery, go to my favorite of all favorites…
Dover Street Market
http://www.doverstreetmarket.com/