VAWK Collection

The city’s luxury retailers boast fashions direct from the catwalk and diffusion lines from the most established names, and a strong selection of the newest labels in the business. Most well known is Harrods, the largest department store in England with over one million square feet of selling space in over 330 departments. Its motto “Omnia Omnibus Ubique” – All Things for All People, Everything – sums up the huge and diverse offering.

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Selfridges, owned by Canada’s Galen Weston and the second largest UK department store, is renowned for its bold window displays as much as for its range in price-points from high street brands Top Shop and Uniqlo to luxury powerhouses Lavin and Louis Vuitton.

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Harvey Nichols is unique among the three for its more intimate and carefully curated selection of luxury items. Yet for those who consider fresh air to be the must have shopping accessory, Bond Street offers the world’s leading designer label flagship stores while Savile Row provides the first and most coveted bespoke tailoring in the world.

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While Britain is not typically considered a culinary haven, our taste buds told us otherwise. Each morning began in traditional British form with a full English breakfast, or what is colloquially known as the Full Monty. It includes eggs, piecemeal bacon, sausage, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, toast, backed beans, black pudding and a mug of coffee. But busy British days did not leave our stomachs full. Our lunchtime favourite was Jamie’s Italian in Cambridge, conceived by television chef Jamie Oliver, and housed in a former courthouse with soaring turret ceilings and health-conscious contemporary fare.

JAMIE’S ITALIAN

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In London, across the Victoria and Albert Museum, Brompton Quarter Brasserie offered freshly baked treats from an on-site wood oven in a light-filled, chic minimalist space.

BROMPTON QUARTER BRASSERIE

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For those days with little time to dine, Britian offers a plethora of palate inducing fast eats.  We recommend Marks and Spencer’s Food for a variety of snacks and meals, including smoothies with Canadian maple syrup, for those eating on the tube, in the park or as they strut.

MARKS AND SPENCER

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We seek inspiration in the world-renowned Victoria and Albert. We find memorizing shoes in one of Chelsea’s most discerning retailers. Life at VAWK is anything but stagnant; we are always on the move. On our travels, we use our senses to discover who does it best and, in this new addition to our microsite, with share our VAWK VISITS of the best in consumer and creative culture.

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