🇬🇧 THE GROUPCHAT: an irl field guide to (shopping) london's chic, rare, and interesting <3
SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING
This post features the elusive (international) hot girl, which is a collective concept/identity birthed here on trademarked. Read more about this universe here, and I’ve included an excerpt if you need a refresher:
POV: Global, chic, and impossible to pin down — Elusive (International) Hot Girls are everywhere yet nowhere, and exist as an archetypical muse whose influence largely flies under culture’s radar.
BUT WHO IS SHE, REALLY: She’s sharply intelligent, enigmatic (with a dizzying hot girl aura), and impossible to pin down. She always has the best stuff, and is widely compelling because she communicates with a strong sense of self. While she may appear to be “undefined” to others, she’s incredibly well-known to herself… Everyone’s favorite question to ask her is “wait, are you in town?”
Hello from the delta lounge!!!!! I’ve bounced around 3 timezones over the past 10 days and have thus lost all concept of The Days of The Week…… AKA my ideal state LMFAO. Anyway, since we’ve last chatted I’ve returned from London, and it’s time we do a PROPER debrief. Above all, you should know that there’s nothing that makes me feel more alive than shopping when I’m in a city where i DONT pay rent. Like it feels like you’re getting away with something both devious and divine….
First, we have ARBITRAGE wherein the price of the same thing might be slightly undervalued based on SALES (looking at U Saks PB x NOLA)/ the local currency x exchange rates. Like im sorry.. the rush of inputting “xxx EUR in USD” into google???? Knowing you’ll ALSO get VAT back???? It alllll needs to be studied.
Secondly, shopping elsewhere is entirely sociological. I know we talk a lot about Bourdieu, but it’s FASCINATING to analyze what’s on the shelves in different places and map that back to what it all says about the state of consumers (and consumption). This has always been my favorite game to play, particularly in (non-US) grocery stores when I was little, but has since matured to the buy at London’s Browns vs NYC’s The Webster……. alas.
ALL TO SAY — I fckn love (irl) shopping. Which we all know, but it must be overstated. As such, my entire trip to London was spent… shopping LOL. I also feel the need to point out that there’s a marked difference between shopping and BUYING (something that I think needs to be taught to the younger kids) — shopping for me is a sport that requires strategy, tact, politics + relationship building/management, and targeted execution. Just because you have the cash does not mean you BUY for the sake of it!!!! Discernment!!!! Which is whyyyy buying for me is just a reflection of energy x output — when the stars align, I buy. When they don’t, I forgo. BUT, I always end the day thrilled because….. I LOVE SHOPPING.
I’m now going to shuuuuuuuut it up so we can move on to the MAIN EVENT — buckle up;
🇬🇧 A MADNESS & A BADNESS INNIT 🇬🇧
oops — I just remembered that our last (shopping) letter was me chaos packing pre-london, and I’d love to bring you some resolution — I am proud of every outfit that I wore!!!! therefore !!!!!! my methods remain.. impeccable. This is what I ended up wearing to the airport:
Stop 1: Studio Nicholson, Marylebone🥛
OK STUDIO NICHOLSON I was noooooot familiar with your game!!!!!!! Def a brand that I’ve loved from afar, but I haven’t had max opportunity to interact with IRL. Anyway, I stumbled upon this perfect, white crinkled lab-coat-core overcoat and felt physically ILL. Sooooo chic and felt like the step sibling to Zoe Kravitz street style.
I’d wear it to drink an aperol spritz at Audley’s in Mayfair, but if I’m in NYC — I’d pair w/ my cooler-than-U phoebe philo sunnies for a lunch at altro… where I’d crane my neck to see if Elle Fanning or Lorde are in whilst eating a risky bowl of lunchtime pomodoro (🥼)….. knowing this coat empowered the audacity to live like a cohort of my EIHGs who… double as stay at home daughters :D.
Also these wide legged, cropped INDIGO jeans are veeeery GP in amagansett — I’d personally pair with a jelly flip flop (or these — on sale!) and a ribbed white tank with perhaps a billowy white linen or pink/charvet adjacent button down (ideally stolen from ur partner’s closet LOL) layered overtop. For the finals, I’d throw on some hot girl statement necklaces (e.g., the omnipresent) + chunky silver cuffs, paracords, etc….. ENJOY !!!!
Also, this is officially the only SN store I’ll be going to in London….. mainly because i’ve been told on good authority that this is the location Zendaya and Tom Holland shop at REGULARLY (apparently it’s one of tom’s favorite brands🥹), but also because I met a very chic TM reader there!!!! you all truly have the best taste — ILY!!!!!!!!!
Stop 2: Perfumer H, Mayfair 🌱
Perfumer H is an EIHG beloved, oft-gatekept fragrance house by British perfumer, Lyn Harris. It’s bizarre how they have scaled so much yet have remained so stealth, but their stuff is truly as good as all of my friends have bragged it is.
I already have their marmalade home spray (fills the room w/ a burnt, jammy variety of rosemary, citrus/orange, lavender), but forced my (EIHG) BFF to pop into store so I could finally smell the entire line. WOW?!?! I didn’t think I’d be compelled to buy a perfume as I’ve been riding the intoxicating high of Cassandra Grey’s madame grey, but then Perfumer H’s incense water found me and I knew I was hOME. It’s this hazy yet clean blend of bergamot, geranium, lavender, sandalwood, and my FAVE — frankincense. Spiritual, yes, but it gives Baptismal rather than Burning Man. And per the only scoring metric I care about, I’ve gotten MANY juicy compliments with words like RICH, borderline of sexy yet daytime, and my personal favorite — “you smell like you could ruin me.” HEHE, HAHA — thank me L8r!!!
Stop 3: Louis Vuitton (Murakami collection!!!!) — Mayfair, Knightsbridge… LHR…etc…. LOL🍒
I’ll be honest, I am not rlly an LV girl…. However, as we hung our heads leaving Hermes across the street (no luck on my dream vert criquet picotin) my EIHG BFF suggested we pop into LV to check out the new Murakami collection. As I mentioned in the letter prior, I’ve yet to find a passport case that makes SENSE for me, until I discovered this TM x LV (actual name of the collection, HELLO!!) re-edition. There’s j something about the cherries + Murakami of it all that feels irreverent and fun but also classic and very very ME…. therefore, I decided that she simply must be mine.
us at 10pm, 2 p*rnstars in, trying to nancy drew this MF PASSPORT CASE Loooove that the universe said JK tho LOL — the Mayfair location had just sold their last one a couple hours before we’d walked in (haha! :D :D :D), and after many failed attempts in other locations, we decided to do a deep search online (no dice). Since I’m always going to be uncompromising in this situ (virgo moon/virgo sun :/), I pulled out an ace & reached out to my pal Gab Waller who is also a magical angel fairy princess wizard sourcer to the stars — annnndd she found it within HOURS. I’ll report back on how I feel about it IRL once i’m back in NYC EOW!!!!
Stop 4 & 5: Toteme x Joseph, Mayfair <3
I mean we all know that bby pink button downs = an Essential E(I)HG draft pick for Summer 2025. I sadly missed out on the linen
x Chava collab (it sold out SO FAST), so after lots of peeling around, have determined that Phoebe Philo and Toteme are making the best cotton pink button downs rn.HOWEVER, given the… significant (lol)… price diff between the two, I decided to opt for toteme. I tried on at Harvey Nichols (above^) and then bought on farfetch for 40% off (obvi). Dubbed the incomparable of the szn bc she’s buttery, supple, perfectly cut, and can be dressy or more casual based on styling (and in one wear thus far, compliments abound!).
EIHGs love Jospeh in a way that’s practically hereditary (aka
passed downstolen from their mom’s closets LOL). The cashmere is great quality, they get tissue THIN cashmere crewnecks perfectly (everyone tries but they consistently win.. sorry), their seasonal colors HIT, and if you’re patient you’ll almost always find what you want on SALE. Anyway, we popped into Joseph for the aforementioned reasons and I got soooo lucky. I scored a pale matcha (one of my all-time favorites of their seasonal colors) tissue thin cashmere crewneck for 60% off!!!!! It’s a cool girl color that’s fab for summer layering but also thin enough to look h0t w/ a lacy bra for a dinner in a ~this old thing~ way!!!! Exaaactly the axis I like to live on TYVM <3 THRILLED!
Stop 6: Metier, Mayfair 👼🏾
Metier, Metier, Metier….. guys I think about this store and I want to scream into a pillow. My chest felt (still feels) like pop rocks, like I haven’t felt THIS compelled in a very very long time.
The first thing that you need to know is that Metier is niche to most and DUH to a few (cough, primarily EHGs/EIHGs lol); tbh I’ve never encountered anything in-between. They’re based in London with practically no store presence elsewhere — and as far as NYC goes, I’ve only ever encountered bags for sale at the Greenwich Hotel’s spa(??). Anyway, I wrote a trend piece in Q2 on how NYC rich moms are OBSESSED with metier bags, and after 30 minutes spent meandering in their tiny Mayfair outpost… I get it…..
To start! this chocolate brown private eye with peekaboo suede on the side??? Guys i NEEEEEED TO OWN THIS BAG. I’ve never seen myself as much of a Private Eye (or Margaux) girl, but that was before I met HER (& I hear you never forget your first love).
do you see the SLOUCH??? And how supple the leather + suede combo is??? It’s just all so DIVINE Every detail is perfect. When I placed this bag in my inner crook I felt a new, c*ntier, chicer, and more powerful version of myself LOCK IN. I was like why DON’T I have board meetings to run and art to commission??? I love that she works for both business and travel and fits a laptop w/ ease. Comes with a longer strap, but I wouldn’t use it. I don’t have immediate utility so i’m HOLDING, but pls if anyone wants to convince me otherwise, i’m IN!!!!!
I just think this ^bag is DARLING. It’s one of the few also avail at the Greenwich Hotel so every time I go to Shibui I pick her up and fawn. She’s dainty and CUTE enough to make sense for what it is, but surprisingly roomy enough to fit everything (and more) that you’d want/need!! Like this basketweave canvas paired w/ an EIHG OG eyelet cotton dress (nightgown core) for a Saturday midday stroll? Magical!!!!! Love love LOVE for summer!!!
I immediately daydreamed of overpacking this bag^ for a 48 hour weekend trip. It’s just one of those sexy, perfectly constructed, overstuffed duffles that feels consciously intended for when you know a man will be the one carrying it LOL. I’LL BE BACK (when i’m not single, HA).
Stop 7: Browns, Mayfair 💗
At dinner w/ a dear friend in London (who is also a patron saint of EIHG culture), I mentioned that Browns feels like London’s The Webster and she laughed — in reply, ok but who came first, chicken or the egg?
I love how both stores exist as more concept-retail vs retail-retail. Like NYC’s The Webster, Browns is in a townhome with a curation that ranges from gen z’s idea of qu*et luxury (The Row lol) to hype (Balenciaga) to more obscure (Marques Almeida) and everything in-between. I love stores with this kind of buy because it almost forces you to discover MORE by virtue of sorting through unfiltered racks floor by floor. Loooved these (v sold out) leopard pony hair Miu Miu sneakers that I’ve never seen on anyone.. ever, which feels like a shame?
Stop 8: The Row, Mayfair 📟
An obligatory stop as an EIHG in my life texted me two weeks prior that they had the espresso brown tassel loafers in stock!!!!!!! I walked in gasping for air and foaming at the mouth for those shoes and left just as quickly….. empty handed (pre-order on moda if ur size is in stock!!!! which mine ofc is NOT :D). Anyway, The Row had many pretty things, but nothing that made my heart palpitate, so I ventured out to my ONE TRUE LOVE…..
Stop 9: JESSICA MCCORMACK, Mayfair 🔂
There’s not much anyone can say after a visit to Jessica McCormack’s London townhome aside from feeling stupefied that we get to exist in the same timeline as her artistry and these GEMS.
We tried on many day diamonds (JM doesn’t factor in color or clarity, instead picking diamonds based on their “fit”)… which I think warrants its own TM on the sociological/status driven significance of this kind of purchase (stay tuned for pt 2). I spent the hour roleplaying (manifesting) a future where I get to contemplate which rare stones to adorn — i’ve decided that it all lives on the same continuum as the private eye, where my glittering hands + wrists filled with day diamonds throw a heavy private eye onto an empty seat 15 minutes before I’m set to steer a very prestigious board meeting LOL. I’ll perhaps dig into the significance of some of these stones via a vlog on insta/tiktok, but for now, I’m dropping a slideshow of EXCERPTS (read: $millions of dollars of JEWELS). <3
BONUS (stop 10): Postcard Teas, Mayfair 💌
You think I’m joking when I say you are all the chicest coolest most interesting bunch on the iNTERNET???? When U say jump (aka give me a rec), I say HOW HIGH — and the bar now exceeds Verizon’s 5G because POSTCARD TEAS??? Many of you commented, DMed, or messaged in the GC that it would be practically blasphemous if I didn’t find my way there. I was already hooked in when I saw they did a collab with Loewe….. which… im sorry… I now have the opportunity to drink a rare blend of LOEWE TEA? Sold.
THEN, I found out (in store) that Jonathan Anderson is obsessed with postcard teas, and has developed a special relationship with the owner after collecting rare and ancient tea bowls from the shop over the years….. so NOW you’re telling me I drink the same tea and use the same matcha bowls as Jonathan Anderson???? SOLD. Anyway, I bought 3 unique blends and a matcha chawan + chasen. The bowl is made from Japanese clay that has been used for tea bowls in Uji since 1600, and the handmade whisk is from a family who has specialized in chasens for 500 years (they’re the most famous in Japan). As a taurus rising, I love the hunt for “the best” and truly felt as though I found that at postcard, THANK YOU FOR THE REC <3
Allllright folks that’s all she wrote!!!! Thank you so much for spending time with me on this JOURNEY. And plssss give me your opinion on the private eye, AND curious to hear what you’re shopping for (IRL) lately!!!!! I love you enormously (and missed you hugely — if you missed my note in the GC, I’d forgotten my laptop in FL last week and had to wait a few days to be reunited to lil miss TM💔💔💔💔💔). We’ll be back to our normal beats next week!!!!
HUGS & KISSES <3 ;
TM x
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Hot tip: there’s a small selection of Metier bags at Airmail in NYC rn. Really cute options but not the full range. Saw them myself today.
The white Studio Nic coat IS A MUST xx 🤍