The Royal Exchange Gift Guide for Men
Who knew you could cram in so much luxury into one space. If you've not had the chance to frequent London's luxury nerve centre; The Royal Exchange, then I suggest you down-tools immediately and get yourself down there. Immured in this beautiful historic building is an unrivalled collection of boutique shopping and dining that serves as a fervent reminder that shopping is not just an experience, but one that should be embraced.
Here are my top picks that spoke to me when I attended a bloggers breakfast there the other week.
SMYTHSON of BOND STREET
Like many brands in The Royal Exchange, Smythson has a wonderful and illustrious heritage. But not every brand can hold claim to being the recipient of 3 Royal Warrants.
(Royal Warrants are a highly prized mark of recognition of individuals or companies who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to the Households of the British Royal Family).
These sift deerskin backpacks illuminated the product bench and was almost speaking to me from across the room as I feasted. Needless to say after I finished my bacon & eggs, I gravitated towards this backpack, other sizes and colours from the Smythson Burlington range are available.
L'OCCITANE
Guys if you're looking to catapult your grooming game into the stratosphere then you should definitely check out the beauty products L'OCCITANE has to offer this season. It's a highly eco-conscious brand that invests heavily in research. A team of 100 researchers works in 11 laboratories, focused on topics from molecular biology to plant extraction to analytical chemistry so they're the good guys basically.
I've been invited to review some rather doleful looking grooming products of late, so I was pleased to see some colourful packaging, certainly caught my eye they were kind enough to leave me a shaving balm in my goody bag. You never know a collaboration might be in the offing sometime in the future, watch this space.
ORLEBAR BROWN
As you may have been getting the feel for recently on my blog, I'm in serious need of a holiday. I'm in the market right now for some buccaneering swim shorts such as this Bulldog swim shorts from Orlebar Brown.
It's got intrigue, it evokes aquatic escapism, in short (pardon the pun) it's a bit of me. Based on the pattern of a traditional man’s tailored trouser and crafted from quick-drying polyamide fabric with signature side-fasteners to adjust.
Georg Jensen
https://www.georgjensen.com/en-gb
Georg Jensen is a Danish brand, named after the eponymous Georg Jensen who founded the brand back in Copenhagen in 1904. The collection embodies that creative elegant-dynamism that propelled Georg Jensen to the front of the Art Nouveau movement. This Koppel watch was revolutionary when it first debuted in 1978; the current generation continues this tradition and remains a masterclass in understatement.
Sage Brown
Lastly but not leastly you should also check out Sage Brown. They do a variety of high end Man Bags, in a variety of formats such as this handheld, to messenger bags and rucksacks. If you're a jet-setter then Sage Brown can accommodate you with a plethora of travel accessories. Check out their site for details.
There's plenty of other brands in the Royal Exchange that I want to mention but, this gift-guide can't go on for perpetuity. It might start sounding like a Tom Hanks Oscar speech. (Remember the one he gave for Philadelphia? 'I do know that heaven is over-flowing with angels..’ blub blub).
Make sure you check out all the boutiques on offer at The Royal Exchange website. http://www.theroyalexchange.co.uk/boutiques/
Let me know in the comment bar below what you think to my choices.
Founder of this eponymous blog, focusing on men's fashion & lifestyle.
