LFW – the Regent Street travel diary

Straight from New York, we’re hopping back to the UK for London Fashion Week and my home from home, Regent Street.  It’s easy to see why I love this part of London so much – one street with everything you could possibly need makes it virtually impossible to get lost and, I mean, just look at her – she’s a stunner.  Our friends at home joke that we live in ‘the bubble’ (the few blocks we rarely leave Monday through Friday) and it would be fair to say that this is my adopted London bubble.

So I’ve done a little round up of my top tips and spots and am about to bombard you with an epic photo diary of my highlights!  Maybe make a cuppa…

 

There are quite a few hotel options and I’ve been lucky enough to stay in a few of them over the years, all great by the way, but this time I stayed at Le Méridien Piccadilly and she’s an absolute winner.  Let’s review the evidence: she’s gorgeous in every single way from the lobby to the bedrooms to the views over Regent St (you have to ask for a view of the street) to the pool and spa and the best, best bit is location.  Let’s just say that if you walk 1 minute out the door you’re going to bump into the likes of Burberry, Piccadilly Circus tube station (should you ever want to leave) and the epicentre of London Fashion Week.  The tiny eclairs are worth a nod too – not necessarily for breakfast but when you’re on holiday that’s totally ok…

And if you know me you’ll know that I’m a fan of the shopping too… oh the shopping.  I’d be here all day if I listed all the stores I visited so I’ll just mention a few of my absolute favourites – Burberry (because, you know, it’s London and it’s iconic and it will blow your mind whether you can afford anything inside or not), the J.Crew flagship store (because it’s full of stripes and denim and shoooooes and all the good things – may have brought home a neon yellow umbrella), Hunter (I was dying over those windows every time I walked past…), Banana Republic (you already know my feelings on Banana…), the hugest & Other Stories (nuff said), Coach and Furla for all those baaaaags and basically all the high street favourites too – you know the drill – H&M, Topshop, Reiss, Russell & Bromley, Gap, Anthropologie… I could go on and on and on.  I picked out a capsule LFW wardrobe and the only issue was narrowing it down – can’t wait to show you tomorrow!

If you’re after some beautification then Kiko is the new(ish) kid on the block and definitely worth a stop but, faced with a day of shows, I made a stop at the one and only… Burberry.

 

Military Red lipstick is my new go to.  No two ways about it.

I want to tell you that it’s all about getting LFW ready but really I’m more about the recovery!  London days are pretty full on and your body’s going to need some help.  From pedicures, to blow dries and facials, Regent Street has you sorted.  My top choices include a pedicure at Cafe Royal’s Akasha, blow dry at DryBy and a facial at the Organic Pharmacy.  It’s like you know you shouldn’t wear heels all day but, hey, it’s fashion week and that’s just the cross you have to bear.  So that pedicure is bliss.  Right at the end of the day, when your feet are crying, go there.

Now… let’s eat.  Oh my gosh you guys, let’s just say there’s zero chance of a fashion week diet when you hit Regent Street.  It would have been rude not to try as many as possible wouldn’t it?  Here are my favs…

Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen – try the Lady Regent cocktail because, you know, Regent Street and it’s sublime…  everything was perfectly instagrammable and tasted amazing.  And then there was the ice-cream bar.  You know when you’re so full you can’t fit another drop?  And then someone says, ‘We have an ice-cream bar’?  Yep, that happened.

Hawksmoor – steak tartare followed by steak?  The steak is that good.  Lobster mac and cheese though… that’s up there too.  This place is something of an institution amongst my friends and I can see why.

  

Ristoranto Frescobaldi – If you’re the kind of lady who lunches then this is the place for you, full stop.  The menu is to die for – by this point I needed to eat light so I basically ordered all the carpaccio (beef and fish) which was divine and that little plate of joy right there is a beetroot salad. Total winner.  The wine menu is extensive to say the least due to the owner’s connections to vineyards but what really is most delightful (for it is truly delightful, it’s the only word for it) is the end.  That moment when you ask for the bill and along it comes… with a sweet tooth’s dream.  Tiny meringue kisses and saucer meringues and all kinds of sweeties.  I’ll say it again, delightful.

 

Piccolino – Italian food at it’s finest and on the super sweet Heddon Street which is pedestrianized and just tucked off the main street away from the crowds (and in our case, on day 4, the downpour – it’s not fashion week without a downpour after all).  I have this thing with burrata and they had burrata so Piccolino and I were good friends straight off the bat.  Nancy said, ‘I don’t really get burrata – it’s like mozzarella filled with cream’ – hello?  It’s like mozzarella filled with cream!  What’s not to love?  A big bowl of pasta and courgette fritti were the ultimate comfort food on the rainiest day and suffice to say the tiramisu didn’t even see the camera…

  

Aqua Kyoto – I saved the best for last.  The menu is VAST.  So it’s best to start with a cocktail so help you make your choices.  But if you’re feeling lazy, as we were, chef Paul will lend a hand.  After chatting with him for 5 minutes about molecular experiments and some pretty extreme ingredient sourcing we were excited about the food.  And we were right to be excited.  I can’t possibly begin to tell you how incredible all those little dishes tasted but a lot of them were cooked right there at the table and every single one was a Treat (with a capital T).

 

 

If you haven’t spent hours and hours in the restaurant (as we did – last to leave?  Oops) then you have to check out the roof terrace for drinks.  I’ve been there before and the views over the city are insane.  Trust me.

I know what you’re thinking… 4 days and all that food.  Yep.  It happened.  Nope, I’m not sorry.  Regent Street has such a special place in my heart and I always feel really at home there – the only place in London where I truly have my bearings.  It was such a pleasure to be able to collaborate this fashion week and I urge you to visit too.  From Regent Street, goodnight.x

Photos by me, Nancy and a few by Tamara

This post is sponsored by Regent Street.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did creating it.  Thanks for your support.