Monki Junkies

>> I'm having to do catch up on my own projects given that fashion month rendered any normal activity on this blog a failure (not FAIL, simply failure….).  Whilst I was anywhere BUT in London, Monki put out four little vids featuring my guide to London because Monki to coincide with the opening of a Monki concession in Selfridges Oxford Street.  This is all depressingly old news given that Monki have now followed up by opening an online store (EU shipping only!) and I'm just rehashing stale information.  Still, the summary of the cute little vids that they have done along with a few more London shopping/eating/doing suggestions are seemingly always welcome, given that I STILL get a shit ton of emails demanding custom shopping tours of London.  My London Shop Map needs a severe overhaul as I'm aware it is oppressively confusing so I've condensed all the places that I visited in these vids as well as a few more into a smaller Google map featuring vintage shops, some boutiques, bookstores and restaurants and cafes.  This would be the CORE list that I'd personally recommend if you have a short time in London and you're willing to get further out of zone one.  It's not fully comprehensive but should give anybody new in London a fairly good launch pad.     

First up…shopping at Strut in late August whilst wearing lots of knits with galloping horses.  I've written about Strut before but can't harp on enough about it as everytime I go in there, the selection is always stellar.  It is designer vintage so it's pricier than most but when you come away with finds like a beautiful silk Hermes trench at a price that is far less than what you'd see in say Paris or Milan, it's well worth the splurge.  I have given slightly more pocket-friendly places on my list though. 

This is my hmmmmmmmm…yummmmmmz face because I'm about to delve into not one but three cupcakes at Violet Cakes.  Yes, it's probably that half the world is over the cupcake but Violet does do exceedingly cakes that don't come in paper cases too.  Plus they have a quiet space upstairs that is perfect for procrastinating.   

We then got bookish at ArtWords.  To be honest, I do do most of my book shopping on Amazon but ArtWords and the secondhand store Black Gulls in East Finchley are still my two remaining London physical book haunts because of their selection.  ArtWords particularly excels in photography tomes.  

Finally, we took a whirlaround Brick Lane.  It has become increasingly crowded and annoying in recent years but I still stay fairly faithful to the area because of a) The Shop on Cheshire Street – still one of the more bargainous vintage shops in London where I can find raw materials for DIYs and b) it's so close to the ever-bustling Redchurch Street/Calvert Street area that you can always go off the lane for an interesting detour. 

I was completely Monki-fied for every video, some of the pieces which are still available right now in the new online store but in addition to zany pieces like a jumper covered in pink pom poms (to match the icing I was chomping on in Violet Cakes of course!), there are sturdier basics that are fairly priced.  Oh and I can be Sherlock Holmes-lite for EUR15… 

Bolla jumper EUR40, Mocki doll EUR10, Circle rings EUR6, Clarissa dress EUR40, Alp leggings EUR30, Raquel shorts EUR35, Johanna shirt EUR40, Nico skirt EUR30, Harriet hat EUR15, Sara sweatshirt EUR35, Lottie jacket EUR50