socialite's » London, United Kingdom

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The King’s Road was the private road taken by King Charles II, as he rode from St James’s Palace to Fulham. The Chelsea Royal Hospital he founded is still home to the famous Flower Show each year, but the elegant Duke of York’s Barracks are now a shopping mall. During the 19th century the area was home to prominent artists and writers, including the painters JMW Turner and James McNeill Whistler. The King’s Road really took off in the Sixties, when fashion designer Mary Quant opened her shop, Bizarre. Suddenly, the King’s Road was the place to be: Quant described her fellow residents as “painters, photographers, architects, writers, socialites, actors, con men and superior tarts.” Later, the “World’s End” part of King’s Road was home to Vivienne Westwood’s shop Sex, spiritual home of punk rock. Moving west from Sloane Square, the shops gradually shed their high street names and become innovative fashion outlets that inspire both awe and serious credit card damage. Shoe lovers are well served, with Blue Velvet, Un Dimanche A Venise and Due Passi offering elegant, well-made shoes. John Smedley is a rarity, a shop that sells sexy knitwear in every color imaginable. Lovers of classic items should head for the vintage clothing emporium Steinberg and Tolkein for that essential 1950s Chanel suit or Mary Quant item. Kate Moss is a regular. Past Sidney Street, the emphasis shifts to furniture and home goods, from the established elegance of Heal’s to the chic lines of Poliform’s Italian design classics. Stop to admire the funky wallpaper and fabric designs at Osborne & Little. There are plenty of places to sit and drink in more than just the atmosphere, including the Bluebird Café and Restaurant, right next to the main Bluebird food market, (paradoxically managed by supermarket giant Sainsbury’s).

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