The Ultimate Advent Calendar Launched in St James's London

Living in London and being interested in all things sartorial, I'm commonly around St James's simply because of its concentration of shops selling stylish menswear, accessories, watches, and other manly treasures.

To mark the festive season, St James's has today launched The Ultimate Advent Calendar to promote the area as the perfect shopping destination for Christmas and to give twenty four lucky entrants the chance to quality gifts from local retailers. 

The Ultimate Advent Calendar at St James's Market

St James's has the advantage of being fairly compact and it contains an excellent selection of stores offering everything from the best menswear and womenswear to watches, jewellery, photography equipment, books, art and antiques. While there, the visitor can pop into The Royal Academy, ICA and Christies and eat and drink at some of the most prestigious hotels and restaurants in London. St James's Market (pictured above) opened recently to provide an even richer choice of destinations for shopping in the area.

The seasonal installation is in St James's Market and a door will open each day of Christmas to display a festive scene. This giant calendar will be complemented by an Instagram advent calendar (@stjameslondon) which will each day reveal a gift to be won. Each has been given by one of the retailers, restaurants, art galleries and hotels found in St James’s.

HOW TO ENTER

The Ultimate Advent Calendar runs from December 1st to December 24th. To enter, for a chance to win a unique gift from St James’s brands including John Smedley, Trickers, Emma Willis, Aspinal of London, Barbour International, Floris and many more, visit www.stjameslondon.co.uk.

This is a collaboration with St James's.

London Fashion Week Men's on Jermyn Street St James's London

One of the exciting highlights of London Fashion Week Men's has been, for me, the menswear fashion shows put on by St James's, that mecca of menswear in central London. Held in Jermyn Street, which is closed to traffic for the day, the shows are open to members of the public and even those who don't have tickets are able to get a good view from the pavement to the side of the catwalk.

FROW, but not posing for the camera

St James's includes so many excellent menswear brands that it has become a favourite destination for me. From Aquascutum to Turnbull & Asser, there is tailoring, footwear, hats and accessories, much of it with a strong British bent. In the show, I particularly enjoyed the offering from New & Lingwood, a brand I'm getting to know better (see image above). Their silk dressing gown and linen safari-style jacket and flannel cricket trousers were hits with me (below).

New & Lingwood showed a strong collection

The shows illustrate some of the best of British menswear and the interest shown by the many passers-by who crowd around the catwalk suggests that the formula is a successful one. While, as you'd expect, I had reservations about the lack of grey hairs on the catwalk, I enjoyed the show, styled by GQ's Grace Gilfeather, immensely. Many of the surrounding shops held events to entertain and inform visitors, from cocktails to demonstrations of shirt-making and shoe polishing.

This year the Jermyn Street shows were followed by one by Thomas Smedley (who have a store on Jermyn Street) who showed a powerful and very contemporary collection of British-made knitwear for men and women.

The proximity of the catwalk to the thirty or so brands' stores enables consumers to walk a few yards to buy the products that caught their eye in the show. The whole event is a successful formula and one I look forward to seeing develop in years to come.

This sponsored feature is a collaboration with St James's London.

Tickets Available for St James's Menswear Show at London Fashion Week Men's

The St James's area of London is one of my favourite menswear destinations with a large variety of brands from Lock & Co, who've been selling hats since the 17th century, to Jigsaw Emporium, which opened only a few months ago. Next week sees the start of London Fashion Week Men's and St James's will celebrate this by holding an open air fashion show on Jermyn Street to show off its wares - and you can apply for tickets to the show.

Londoners and visitors will be able to attend shows on Jermyn Street on Saturday 10th June at 1.30pm and 3pm free of charge. Brands showing will include heritage names such as Turnbull & Asser, John Smedley, Lock & Co and John Lobb as well as contemporary, newly arrived names including Paul & Shark, Jigsaw Emporium, Sunspel and Barbour International. The shows have been styled by British GQ’s Fashion Editor Grace Gilfeather and will show a variety of styles from contemporary sportswear to more traditional tailoring so there will be something for everyone.

Visitors will also be able to drop into the shops of St James’s for various in-store activities such as a shirt cutting demonstration from a Master Shirt Cutter at Harvie & Hudson and complimentary wet shaves at world renowned perfumery Floris. Jermyn Street will also play host to some of London’s best street food retailers so you can fuel up for the day's activities. 

For further information on the LFWM St James’s show and to sign up for free tickets from May 30th please visit http://www.stjameslondon.co.uk or apply direct for tickets through Eventbrite. I hope to see you there.

This is a sponsored collaboration.

A St James's Christmas Video

I recently joined a few other bloggers to make a promotional video about St James's in London. One of my favourite shopping venues, it's a growth area in terms of the number and variety of shops. In my grandfather's day, as I mention in the video below, it was largely a menswear centre, but, while this still plays a significant part in the commercial life of this part of London, it has much else to offer, whether to eat, provide entertainment or a wide range of shopping opportunities. See also my St James's Gift Guide.

A Very Blogger Christmas from St James's London on Vimeo.

This is a sponsored post.

St James's London: A Gift Guide

I was recently invited by The Crown Estate and Heart of London Business Alliance to to visit St James's, one of my favourite areas of London, to put together a gift guide for readers. While this is a sponsored post, I had a free choice of brands to feature so I chose a couple of my favourites and a few I wanted to find out more about.

I visited them all recently to see what they have. I've suggested three or so gifts from each, affordable to luxury in price. I hope you find something here, whether shopping for Christmas, for yourself or some other reason and whether you need something for town or country, formal or casual. All sell online and you don't need to visit London. 

Floris London have been family perfumers since  1730 and a visit to their Jermyn Street shop, Floris premises since foundation of the business, is a sensory treat. I've selected three gifts:

Floris Gifts - see below

Floris Special No. 127, a favourite fragrance of mine, this was originally created for a Russian Grand Duke and later devoted followers included Eva Peron and Winston Churchill. A refreshing citrus blend of bergamot and orange with petitgrain introduce the heart of neroli, lavender and geranium in this floral cologne. Patchouli and musk add depth and character. 100ml £75.

The Floris Bespoke Experience involves a two hour consultation during which, with a glass of champagne, you're guided through the process of creating and naming your own fragrance. From £450. See here.

Fragrance Travel Collection for Him: a selection of four of Floris's favourite fragrances. 4 x 14ml £65.

See Floris for more information.

Turnbull & Asser have two shops around Jermyn Street, one selling bespoke shirts, for which they have a Royal Warrant and the other store selling menswear from socks to suits. I've selected these three gifts:

Turnbull & Asser gifts - see below

The World is Not Enough silk tie, as seen on James Bond (part of a Bond collection). £125.

Pocket squares. Either capture a favourite dog on a bespoke silk square made in England, or try from a selection designed in collaboration with London-based tattoo artist, Mo Coppoletta. Prices various.

Cashmere sweater, made in Scotland. £395.

See Turnbull & Asser.

Cheaney Shoes have a store on Jermyn Street (and elsewhere) and offer a comprehensive range of very British footwear. I've selected these three gift ideas:

Cheaney - see below

Tiger Moth Military Style Mid Calf Boot in Black Calf Leather, available in various styles and also as shoes. £450.

1 of 1 is a service allowing you to customise any one of five types of shoe, with different colours and other details. Your shoes are delivered six to eight weeks later. Gift vouchers can be purchased from the Jermyn Street store, or by calling 0207 287 2996. £695. 

Belts to match your Cheaney shoes. £85.

See Cheaney for more information.

Farlows on Pall Mall was founded as a fishing shop in 1840 and still specialises in outdoor clothing and country sports wear. They've recently introduced a range of Farlows own-brand products made in the UK. I've selected the three gift ideas from those:

Farlows gifts - below

Farlows Shetland jumper. £89.

Farlows Litchfield field coat (available in loden, various tweeds and dry wax). Coat £695, breeks and waistcoat £various.

Farlows 6oz Planished Hip Flask with Leather Pouch. £69.

See Farlows.

New & Lingwood in Jermyn Street was founded in 1865, starting out as the school outfitters for Eton College. They serve an international clientele, selling shoes, hosiery, silk ties and squares, shirts and tailoring. The most striking of their products are the dressing gowns.

Scarves. From £55 to £255.

Silk dressing gowns. From £995.

Swarovski crystal slippers. £595.

See New and Lingwood.

St James's is an ideal area to shop, whether for gifts or for yourself. There is almost everything a man could need, from a good shave at Trumpers, through all sartorial products, off the peg to bespoke,  to good pubs, clubs, galleries, parks and fine dining. For more information, see the St James's London directory.

This feature is sponsored by The Crown Estate, Heart of London Business Alliance and St James's.