I recently introduced one or two of our members to my favourite street in London – Church Street, which runs between Edgware Road and Lisson Grove, nearest tube stations Marylebone or Edgware Rd. (see A–Z) Of most interest to textile enthusiasts is a fabric shop called Joel’s towards the Edgware Rd end of the street. When most fabric departments in stores are dwindling to nothing it is a joy to find a place where interesting an sumptuous materials abound. Joel’s stocks all manner of things (John Allen went there for grey flannel and there were five to choose from.) They have cottons, linens, wools, silks, velvets, denim, jersey, veiling, taffetas, voiles, synthetics – everything you can think of and the unimaginable besides. They come in plain colours, exotic prints, embroidered, decorated with feathers, diamanté, beaded, distressed, some so extraordinary they dazzle you. Many of them are by noted designers and photographs of them made into clothes on models help you visualise their potential.
Some of them are expensive – I believe you have to pay royalties on designer fabrics – but for the price of a rather ordinary ready-made garment you can make something striking. I made a silk shirt from a length by Yves St. Laurent, a waistcoat of embroidered Indian silk and an evening skirt of devoré velvet. The latter is really unusual, having a background of unevenly hand-dyed silk in a greyed raspberry pink scattered with trailing velvet roses in shades of burnt orange, and green foliage. It attracts a lot of attention, which is always nice!
If you show an interest in anything in particular, the sales assistants unravel the rolls and toss them around to show how they hang. Don’t feel obliged to buy something just because you have a dozen rolls draped around the shop for your benefit – they do it all day long! I took a friend recently who has granddaughters, and Mr Joel found her cheap pretty remnants for little girls’dresses. Janice Lawrence and I had a lovely time interfering with a lady trying to choose material for her mother-of-the-bride dress. She took samples home and we just hoped her family (she called them ‘the committee’) were not going to undo all our good work and make her wear something boring and unflattering. There are quite often veiled Arab women shopping there, on one occasion accompanied by bodyguards who stood, like bouncers in the corners of the shop, getting thoroughly in the way. Do go and have a look. You will be amazed.
The street market outside sells lovely cheap fruit, veg. and fish plus other bits and pieces.
Well, if all that weren’t tempting enough, further along the road on the other side is Beverley, who sells mostly 1930s china, which is incredibly pretty so was often given as wedding presents, but not being the most practical shapes, remains unused and perfect. Beverley’s shop is always choc-a-block with boxes about to be unpacked or sent elsewhere and she invariably greets me with “I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a muddle at the moment” I tell her if she’s ever not in a muddle, I shall worry about her. No credit cards.
Almost next door is Cristobal, where Steve and Yai (spelling?) sell some antique furniture but mostly vintage costume jewellery. I have been collecting this for some time. Pieces from the forties and fifties are interesting and beautifully made compared with modern dress jewellery. Especially good if you like a bit of bling! They do go up in value and are a fun thing to invest in, not taking up too much room and entertaining to wear. I usually browse for about an hour, go away and have lunch and then back for another long look. I have introduced many friends to this wonderful shop and taken several husbands there for their Christmas shopping. The owners are very charming and tolerant.
Back on the other side of the road is Alfie’s Market (indoor), a bewildering labyrinth of stalls selling antiques and C20th collectibles. You never know what you might find at Alfie’s, but right at the top is a café/restaurant where on a fine day you can eat out on the roof terrace. Not haute cuisine but not bad either. Walking down Lisson Grove, you come to the Sea Shell which I believe is quite a well known fish restaurant. Traditional food but good enough if you are in the mood. It’s a place where Japanese tourists are taken to sit in solemn and perplexed silence in front of their cod and chips. I’m sure there are some good middle eastern restaurants round the corner in Edgware Road but haven’t tried them yet.
There is a car park just south of Church Street in Penfold Street (I can get there without going into a congestion charge zone) and exceptionally clean public loos at the junction between Church Street and Salisbury Street. There are other antique shops too but I have only described my favourites.