Stylist Mary Fellowes’ Shopping Guide To London

Images Porter & SailDate 07 June 2019

When it comes to jet setting, stylist Mary Fellowes knows a thing or two about life on the go. “I’ve slept in seven different beds this month, and I love it!” she laughs. “It makes me really happy to be on the road and free!” The London-New York resident takes our friends at Porter & Sail through her choicest pockets of West London. While touring the globe—working for fashion powerhouses like Vogue, or styling actress Olivia Coleman for her Oscar win—Fellowes always seeks out the quirky locales in any city she finds herself in. Come take a walk to five hip haunts with her.

Golborne Road, Notting Hill

“The Golborne Road captures the spirit of what Portobello Road used to be, before it got destroyed by souvenir shops. It’s still got that interesting West London mix of North African and West Indian cultures, and the authentically bohemian spirit of the old Notting Hill in which I grew up. My favorite vintage stores are here: Rellik and Found And Vision. And I love the spontaneous eating. You just go to a market stall, get your lunch, and sit down on the edge of the pavement and eat a plateful of paella or lamb.”

Picadilly Arcade, St. James’

“Picadilly Arcade is traditional London in a nutshell. You’ve probably just stepped out of the Royal Academy or been for tea at Fortnum’s. Inside, the tiny independent shops are very craft- and heritage-oriented. And all the people there are amazingly specialist, whether it’s a men’s shoe shop, a tie shop, or beautiful leather goods.”

Mount Street, Mayfair

“Mount Street is the most elegant little pocket of town. The East End may have the innovation, but Mount Street is the epitome of romantic, elegant London. It’s got history, architecture, an amazing church with gardens, one of the best butchers in London. But now it is also home to brands like Christopher Kane, Balenciaga, and Louboutin, so it’s both cool fashion and old-world London.”

Shepherds Market, Mayfair

“In Mayfair, Shepherds Market is a tiny cobblestone, little tucked-away spot off Curzon Street and Berkeley Square, with boutiques, gorgeous restaurants like Kitty Fisher’s, and the best cobbler in London, Mayfair Cobblers. Right here are two of my favorite places in London: Heywood Hill Bookshop, which is like the bookshop from the movie Notting Hill; and Trumper’s, the barber where elegant British men have been going for centuries to be shaved and pampered.”

Soho, West End

“Soho dates back to Tudor London. Fun fact: it was called Soho because it’s where the nobility would go hunting, and they would shout, ‘So, Ho!’ I love it here. The mix is so London: medieval Tudor buildings, with sex shops, art bookshops, great restaurants. Go to Brewer Street, Wardour Street, or the new Soho House outpost on Dean Street, walk down Charing Cross Road to Claire de Rouen Books, or just get lost in Chinatown.