During the Olympics the Pop Up scene has grown ever greater in London, it seems the focus of this Summer’s ventures are around Covent Garden. Chanel opened it’s first stand alone beauty store in the Piazza, complete with a nail bar on the lower ground floor. The store has a product range based around the beauty trends direct from their Chanel catwalk shows. Resulting in new colours and special effect polishes that are displayed around the store. I treat myself to the tweed effect blush compact inspired by their classic jacket, the blusher combines a soft peach shade with a metallic bronze creating a unique highlighting effect around the cheek bones. The store will be open until Christmas and has events such as a beauty treasure hunt planned, YIPEE, and a range of makeup tutorials by Chanel’s masters.
Travelling across from the States, London finally has an Opening Ceremony store also in Covent Garden. Opening Ceremony is the conceptual fashion store that originated in Manhattan and takes the principles of the modern day Olympics, to merge sport, business and global participation and applies the philosophy to fashion. Seeking new design talent on a global scale and providing a unique space in Opening Ceremony stores to showcase the collections.
Around the corner in the St Martins Courtyard in Covent Garden is a H&M sports shop open for the duration of London 2012. H&M has developed a sportswear line drawing inspiration from the old school sports hall … I’m hoping that doesn’t include those hideously heavy blue mats required for gymnastics and the always “fashionable” aertex tops complete with the school emblem. Instead I’m hoping for retro colour palettes and disco sweat bands.
It’s not only unique fashion and beauty ventures popping up around the capital, there is of course plenty of culinary delights too. The Pale Blue Door has opened its doors in Hackney for the ” Great Olympian Feat”, created by set designer Tony Hornecker and entertainment courtesy of A-Man-To-Pet, a guaranteed out of the ordinary evening, you can read more about my experience at The Pale Blue Door last year here. Shrimpy’s the pop up/ permanent restaurant brought to us by Bistrotheque has opened just behind King’s Cross at the Old Filling Station. The name says it all and Shrimpy’s is a North American inspired seafood restaurant with an East London twist.
