Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Kingdom of cool

Main image Dogs in Vogue (Little Brown), Nigel Holmes, Rex Features

The UK’s cities are brimming with funky fashion stores, edgy eateries and hot hangouts – you just have to know where to look. Morwenna Ferrier asks the insiders…

London

Shop owner, stylist and talking head on all things hip in the capital’s east end, Brix Smith-Start knew she was on to a winner when she opened fashion boutique Start London (42-44 Rivington Street, tel. ) on the edge of Shoreditch’s fashion hotbed. “When we moved here it was edgy and cool – a bit slummy, but full of artists,” she says. “Cool generally happens where artists congregate.” Start London counts Keira Knightley and Russell Brand among its fans, and is the area’s most reliable emporium for British designers such as Dominic Jones and Christopher Kane.

The boutique is also ideally situated for a post-shopping meal. Brix loves the menu-less Bottega Prelibato (45 Rivington Street, tel. ), which is owned, managed and staffed by Italians. “It’s where the cool kids go to hide from the scene,” she says. “Failing that, I go to Canteen in Arnold Circus.” Rochelle Canteen (Arnold Circus, tel. ) is housed in an old school that’s currently occupied by designers Giles Deacon and Luella Bartley, so expect to see them dining on its hearty offerings. But if you want the real Shoreditch experience, Brix recommends heading to Bistrotheque (23-27 Wadeson Street, tel. ), where you can settle in for dinner, rub shoulders with drag queens at the weekly cabaret or sink a few cocktails downstairs. “Bistrotheque is my default setting,” she says. “It’s where I host my staff parties.”

Newcastle

Stephen Pierce has been in the vintage clothing business for over 25 years. His offbeat-chic den, Attica (2 Old George Yard, tel. ), sits just off High Bridge, Newcastle’s most central, least high street, and current byword for fashion in the city. It began life as a Saturday flea-market stall, but has since accrued a fair amount of fashion kudos. Stephen has been privy to Newcastle’s fashion evolution, looking on as Vivienne Westwood opened a shop round the corner (1 Hood Street, tel. ), alongside Fenwicks et al. He approves, but maintains that High Bridge has the edge over nearby department stores and hangouts for the Tyne’s bright young things. He recommends Skirt (19 High Bridge, tel. ), “which stocks very small labels, often one-offs, for women”, as well as the cavernous warehouse Period Clothing (38-40 Grainger Street, ) for vintage and reproduction garments at a snip.

For gastronomic treats, Stephen suggests Pani’s (61-65 High Bridge, tel. ), a tiny Italian-run café that has yet to break into the mainstream. And as an antidote to Newcastle’s love of chain bars, he likes The Crown Posada (31 The Side, ), just five minute’s walk en route to the Quayside. Fronted by stained glass and filled with the sound of vintage rockabilly from the record player perched on the bar, it remains “quirky and untouched”.

Manchester

The Arndale Centre might be a Northern institution, but Mancunian aficionados know that the area behind it, the Northern Quarter, is where fashion meets frugality. It’s riddled with small record shops and cult fashion stores, such as those inside Afflecks Palace (52 Church Street, tel. ), which requires a good half-day to navigate. Be warned – it gets busy.

Nearby Rags to Bitches (60 Tib Street, tel. ), an edgier vintage shop-cum-boutique, is surely its successor. Owner and local sex columnist Flic Everett has created an atmosphere of Biba-meets-boudoir, and a client base who love nothing more than in-store cocktails, made-to-measure dresses and customisation classes. Again, weekends get busy, so she suggests dedicated foragers head to the market where Tib Street meets Market Street, which opens unsociably early.

In the evening, locals head to Common (39-41 Edge Street, ), a bizarrely decorated haven for musos and granny-chic types, which is cheap to boot. Alternatively, the ironically named Dry Bar (28-30 Oldham Street, ), opened by New Order in 1989, remains the most discerning venue in town – expect to hear tomorrow’s bands here.

Finally, remember this: avoid the Exchange Centre. This city may have the best football team in the world, but it also has a growing number of WAGS – and this is where they shop.

Bristol

Businesswoman, designer and Clifton local Daniela Benson is one of three sisters who set up Grace & Mabel (17 Regent Street, tel. ) – a cheery place that stocks cult labels such as American Vintage alongside Daniela’s own clothing line. The boutique is one of several independent shops in Clifton Village (‘The Village’, as locals call it), a gentrified suburb near the suspension bridge on the outskirts of Bristol. You won’t find the high-street regulars here; rather it’s a breeding ground for young designers such as Daniela. “Most tourists don’t make it out here,” she says. A mix of artists, designers and students, Clifton is fast becoming a sought-after home for those who shirk the centre’s bright lights and urban landscape.

Naturally, Daniela dresses primarily in her own garb, but she does recommend Ritz Boutique & Ballgowns (29 The Mall, ) for slightly pricier clothing, followed by tea at The Boston Tea Party (1 Princess Victoria Street, ) – a ritual that’s making a comeback among hipsters. After hours, try The Albion (Boyces Avenue, ) – a ‘reimagined’ Bristol pub that serves proper pork scratchings to trendy young things with a bit of money – or the velveteen cocktail lounge that is Cerise Boutique and Bistro (12-13 Waterloo Street, ). An added bonus here is the array of underwear on sale, most notably Ayten Gasson, which you’ll snap up after a daiquiri or two.

Birmingham

Designer Osman Yousefzada has come a long way from his days as an art student – he’s created a capsule collection for Mango and dressed Dannii Minogue – but he still champions his hometown for its shopping and partying.

“The change in the last 10 years has been considerable, with the introduction of Selfridges and the Bull Ring shopping centre,” Osman says, “but Birmingham has always been great for one-off clothing, trinkets and antiques.” He sees Moseley Village (on the outskirts, where he grew up) as the equivalent of Shoreditch, alongside the partly government-funded Custard Factory in Digbeth Street (custardfactory.co.uk), which has been a hub for Birmingham’s young creatives for nigh on a decade.

He praises the vintage clothing stores dotted in these almost suburban locations, citing Yoyo (7 Ethel Street, tel. ) and Urban Village in the Custard Factory (Unit 10-11, tel. ) as two of the best. The city’s Jewellery Quarter (www.the-quarter.com) is also a constant source of inspiration: “So much so that I recently worked with some of the craftsmen there to produce my first jewellery line for Astley Clarke.”

It’s been a long time since Osman partied till dawn, but at a push he’ll sample the finest Brummy cocktails at either Chi (61 Newhall Street ) or Bar Epernay (171-172 Wharfside Street, tel. ). “Because hey, fashion doesn’t stop when the shops shut.”

FR British cool

Les principales villes britanniques regorgent de boutiques de fringues tendance, de restos innovateurs et d’autres lieux branchés – il suffit de les connaître. Morwenna Ferrier a rencontré les gens qui savent où les trouver.

Londres La très en vogue Brix Smith-Start possède sa boutique, Start London (42-44 Rivington Street), en bordure d’un haut-lieu de la mode – le quartier de Shoreditch. La boutique, qui héberge les créations de designers britanniques comme Christopher Kane, compte Keria Knightley parmi ses fans.

Juste à côté, Brix adore le Bottega Prelibato (45 Rivington Street), tenu par un Italien. Elle recommande aussi la Bistrotheque (23-27 Wadeson Street) pour ses dîners, ses spectacles de cabaret ou ses cocktails.

Newcastle Stephen Pierce de l’Attica (2 Old George Yard), un antre du vintage, a été témoin de l’évolution de la mode à Newcastle, mais pour lui, c’est High Bridge qui reste à la pointe. Il recommande Skirt (19 High Bridge) et Period Clothing (38-40 Grainger Street).

Côté gastronomique, Pierce fréquente le café italien Pani’s (61-65 High bridge) ou The Crown Posada (31 The Side) pour une bonne pinte.

Manchester Le Northern Quarter fourmille de petits disquaires et de magasins de mode culte. Essayez l’immense Afflecks Palace (52 Church Street) ou Rags to Bitches (60 Tib Street), où la propriétaire, Flic Everett, célèbre pour ses chroniques sur le sexe, fait régner une atmosphère mi Biba mi boudoir.

Le soir, les gens du quartier vont au Common (39-41 Edge Street) ou au Dry Bar (28-30 Oldham Street) écouter des concerts live.

Bristol Daniela Benson, de Clifton, vend ses propres créations et celles de marques culte à Grace & Mabel (17 Regent Street), l’une des boutiques indépendantes concentrées dans le quartier bohème de Clifton Village. Elle recommande la Ritz Boutique & Ballgowns (29 The Mall), suivie d’un thé au The Boston Tea Party (1 Princess Victoria Street). En soirée, essayez The Albion (Boyces Avenue), un pub de Bristol complètement « réinventé ».

Birmingham Osman Yousefzada, une des étoiles montantes de la mode britannique, a grandi à Birmingham et affirme que la ville est « formidable pour les vêtements de créateurs, les bibelots et les antiquités ». Il fait l’éloge de boutiques de vêtements vintage, dont Yoyo (7 Ethel Street) et Urban Village (Unit 10-11, The Custard Factory) sont pour lui deux des meilleures.

Pour se détendre en soirée, Osman apprécie les cocktails du Chi (61 Newhall Street) ou du Bar Epernay (171-172 Wharfside Street).

NL Het coole koninkrijk

De belangrijkste steden van het Verenigd Koninkrijk zijn overladen met funky modeboetieks, hippe eethuisjes en swingende cafés – je moet ze alleen weten te vinden. Morwenna Ferrier ontmoet de insiders die weten waar je moet zoeken.

London De hippe Brix Smith-Start is de eigenaar van Start London (42-44 Rivington Street), op de rand van Shoreditch’s modewalhalla. Het heeft Britse ontwerpers zoals Christopher Kane op voorraad en Keira Knightley tussen zijn fans.

Brix houdt van het nabijgelegen in Italiaanse bezit zijnde Bottega Prelibato (45 Rivington Street) en raadt Bistrotheque (23-27 Wadeson Street) aan om er te genieten van een diner, het cabaret of van de cocktails.

Newcastle Stephen Pierce van vintagewinkel Attica (2 Old George Yard) heeft de evolutie in Newcastle op het gebied van de mode gevolgd, maar beweert dat de High Bridge wijk een voorsprong heeft – hij beveelt Skirt (19 High Bridge) en Period Clothing (38-40 Grainger Street) aan.

Voor gastronomische verwennerijen gaat Pierce naar het Italiaanse café Pani’s (61-65 High Bridge) of naar The Crown Posada (31 The Side) voor een degelijke pint.

Manchester De noordelijke wijk is bezaaid met platenwinkels en cultmodewinkels. Ga eens langs in het enorme Afflecks Palace (52 Church Street) of Rags to Bitches (60 Tib Street), waar de eigenaar en lokale sekscolumnist Flic Everett een sfeer van Biba-ontmoetboudoir gecreëerd heeft.

‘s Avonds gaan de lokale inwoners naar Common (39-41 Edge Street) of naar the Dry Bar (28-30 Oldham Street) om er de live bands te gaan beluisteren.

Bristol Daniela Benson verkoopt haar eigen ontwerpen en cultmerken bij Grace & Mabel (17 Regent Street), één van de verschillende onafhankelijke winkels in de kunstige buitenwijk Clifton Village. Ze beveelt het nabijgelegen Ritz Boutique & Ballgowns (29 The Mall) aan, gevolgd door thee bij The Boston Tea Party (1 Princess Victoria Street). Probeer na de kantooruren The Albion (Boyces Avenue) – een ‘heringebeelde’ Bristolse pub.

Birmingham Eén van de meest veelbelovende Britse ontwerpers, Osman Yousefzada, groeide op in Birmingham en hij zegt dat de stad “fantastisch is voor unieke kleding, kleinoden en antiquiteiten.” Hij beveelt de vintagewinkels aan en vermeldt daarbij Yoyo (7 Ethel Street) en Urban Village i (Unit 10-11, The Custard Factory) als twee van de beste. Om na de kantooruren te ontspannen, houdt Osman van cocktails bij Chi (61 Newhall Street) of Bar Epernay (171-172 Wharfside Street).

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