It's our favourite time of the year... the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show is underway which stimulates so many other celebrations of all things floral. Chelsea in Bloom and Belgravia in Bloom shop participants have the most beautiful displays emanating in all directions from Sloane Square along the theme of "Flowers in Fashion". These free flower shows are a great reason to stroll the neighbourhoods to see how different brands interpret the theme and use flowers to express their brand's character.
Here are a few of our favourites from this year's competition:
We have a soft spot for Smythson because they love a monogram almost as much as we do, and their leather embossing service is truly incredible. They've got a great range of font styles and sizes for the monogramming as well some cute motifs. Their Chelsea in Bloom display this year is also right up our street, with woven rattan chairs that beg for one of our monogrammed Covent Garden Baskets to be perched on them. It's like a little country garden on Sloane Street, we could sit here all day!
Trotters is of our favourite childrens' shops of all time. Their darling display just across from the Saatchi Gallery at The Duke of York Square shows the spirit of the business so well, a perfect party dress and bouquet of balloons made from dainty pink flowers. The floral arch for adorable photographs is also a sweet touch.
New baby and children's clothes wear a monogram so well, and we love when we're brought adorable little things from Trotters for our bring-your-own monogramming service.
Horse lovers will be delighted to find a full size horse tacked up in Hermes saddlery, munching away on cow parsley in Sloane Square. There are also (much) larger than life Hermes riding boots and a handbag made from a range of natural materials, which are almost as beautiful as the real deal. The Hermes H is one of those brand monograms that has become one of the most globally recognised letters in the world... demonstrating the power of a great monogram.
4) Peter Jones on Sloane Square
Oh how we love the John Lewis department stores and Peter Jones on Sloane Square is the crown jewel in the collection. Having recently visited the John Lewis Partnership Heritage Centre to explore their collection of original William Morris and other Victorian textile designs, we were delighted to see that the Heritage Collection was the inspiration for their Chelsea in Bloom display. And it is magnificent.
We love the way so many shops have approached the Flowers in Fashion theme from the grassroots level... literally showcasing how flowering plants are the basis for the utterly beautiful cottons and linens that make up their clothes. One of our favourites was the window display at Varley, a giant picture frame made of cotton bolls. The frame highlights not just the natural materials used in Varley's beautiful loungewear, but also the craftsmanship that goes in to the production of their clothing line.
Another window display highlights the tools of the trade, which we use ourselves to embroider our on product line. We've done a lot of embroidery work for Varley recently, making embroidered linen napkins for their VIP events, so we were so delighted to find this gorgeous display, highlighting our shared values, outside their Kings Road shop.
It's so great to now have this decadent food shop on the Kings Road. We've loved its Ken High Street sister for years so what a treat to have it on our doorstep. It's a great place to pop in for a slice of pizza until late (they are open until 10pm!), some beautiful fresh fruit packaged in plastic-free containers, a stunning birthday cake (we found a delicious gluten-free, dairy-free one for a recent team lunch) or anything from their vast range of healthy drinks. The problem with Whole Foods is that you go in for one little treat and you come out with an expensive bag-full. So we love their shopping bag display for Chelsea in Bloom... a perfect brand statement.
Even the little side street shops are decorated for the flower show. It's so fun to wander around the little village-y neighbourhoods within Chelsea and Belgravia. Chelsea Green is always delightful but it's been a bit of an eyesore recently due to scaffolding over the building along one full side of the triangle-shaped area. Andreas, the most artistic and OTT fruiterer in all the world, and its sister restaurant Kale Street, have managed to turn the eyesore in to a beautiful feature with its Chelsea in Bloom display. The floral arches, selfie mirrors and textile display make the outdoor seating area feel like a dressing room. It's very good fun. The downside is that this quiet little neighbourhood secret has now been outed.
Hope you've had a chance to wander the displays for Chelsea in Bloom and Belgravia in Bloom this week. We'd love to know what your favourites are, send us your photos with your Initially London monogrammed bags while you're browsing and we'll be sure to pop them on our socials.