After an illustrious 30 years as co-founder and designer with Erickson Beamon, I felt the time was right to launch my own name brand. VICKISARGE introduces my new business partner Brooke Metcalfe. VICKISARGE is a fresh chapter in our story and I am thrilled to have Brooke on board.
This September, with much anticipation and excitement, we reopened as VICKISARGE. The launch party was a huge amount of fun and the champagne certainly flowed freely! Pop star, Paloma Faith cut the ribbon to a colourful gathering from the worlds of fashion, art, film and jewellery, and a lucky few found a gold coin inside their bags, winning a piece from our new collections.
The boutique was completely transformed in a very short space of time. Brooke’s unique interior vision was realized with the dedication and hard work of London design duo Not-Tom.
The wonderful sculptures which feature throughout, were hand crafted by the talented sculptor and great friend of mine, Oriel Harwood. Her aesthetic was the perfect touch to our new look.
My boutique (No. 38) has been situated on Elizabeth Street, Belgravia for over twenty years. It was a very different street when we first moved in. Chester Square, nearby, was extremely lively, and Elizabeth Street serviced all the nearby residents. It was an upmarket foodie street, with a fishmonger, a butcher, a bread shop and a great green grocer. But that wasn’t all. Philip Treacy and the designer Deborah Milner both had shops on Elizabeth Street even back then, and that was what made me realize that our jewellery shop and workshop could work there too.
It was Isabella and Detmar Blow who introduced Philip Treacy (No. 69) to Elizabeth Street. They lived there for years, and they gave Philip a studio in their basement. They did the same for Alexander McQueen a few years later. Philip then got his own independent shop, and I was next. I found a house across the street from Philip’s shop, and now, in my basement, which is now a workshop, there are about twenty people making our pieces.
I can’t praise Elizabeth Street enough. It’s perfect. You can pick up so many things there – from the everyday to the one-off. And it’s still great for food shopping.
I love H. R. Stokes (No. 58), a few doors up the road from us. It sells greeting cards and books, but it’s one of those shops that seems to have a bit of everything – stationary, well chosen toys, and gifts for kids and tiny, candy striped boxes of chocolates wrapped in silver paper.
Then there is Les Senteurs (No. 71), which is the best scent shop in London. It’s a beautiful shop and you can get scent and soap there that you can’t find anywhere else in London, such as Frederick Malle perfume. Great candles too.
Jo Loves (No. 42), the new start-up by perfumer Jo Malone, has just opened it’s first stand alone store next door to us. It’s a gorgeous shop and I can’t wait to explore their scents.
Donna Ida (No. 40) is great for jeans and tops – casual things that are really well designed and made. You can’t go in there and not find something you want to buy.
The street also has some fabulous eateries, I am a regular at Oliveto’s (No. 49) across the road. It does the best pizza in London, and they’ve just opened an ice cream store called Olivogelo (No. 28) on the other side of Ebury Street.
Tom Tom’s (No. 63) do a wonderful coffee, as well as cigars and whisky, and Peggy Porschen (No. 30) create the most incredible cup cakes. Poilane (No. 46), the French bakery, produces delicious bread and pastries – if I’m running out to dinner I’ll pick up one of their apples cakes to take as a present.
If I need wine then Jeraboams (No. 50 – 52) is great. It’s also on Elizabeth Street. And there’s, The Grosvenor Stationary Company (No.47), which is as good for stationary and diaries as Smythson, Baker & Spice (No. 54 – 56), a speciality dog and cat shop (Mungo and Maud No. 79) that sells unbelievably chic accessories for pets. What else could you want? Buckingham Palace? It’s just down the road.
VICKISARGE: 38 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9NZ
All interior photographs by Merry Brownfield.