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Boateng Savile Row store

yfyf

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I will agree with you on Boateng. While I like his style and the man has great charisma, the SR shop's design is far too form-over-function. The one time I went in, it felt like I was at a warehouse sale being held during a rave. I guess maybe that's what they were going for.
 

FidelCashflow

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I've been in there a few times and I have to say I like the design. As far as fashion-forward boutiques go, it's once of the nicest I've seen in sometime.

I don't know if they've changed it up since last summer, but I really liked that long dark hall at the back where each suit was in its own little recessed display and was separated from the rest with a little spotlight on it. It's a cool concept, because it's like the whole world goes dark, everything else fades away, and the only thing that matters is that one suit in front of you. It certainly is a nice change of pace from the traditional over-packed (with goods, not customers) haberdasher on the row.

But my favourite store on the row in terms of design undoubtedly has to be Richard James. It's spacious, plenty of natural light with a contemporary vibe to it. It has an energy unlike any other store on the row, or in London for that matter. The design is very clean, contemporary, and simple with the suits and jacets running along one wall sorted by style and other articles of clothing sorted into their own little sections. The whole store is very well put together, and is a pleasure to walk into.
 

yfyf

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Originally Posted by FidelCashflow
I've been in there a few times and I have to say I like the design. As far as fashion-forward boutiques go, it's once of the nicest I've seen in sometime.

I don't know if they've changed it up since last summer, but I really liked that long dark hall at the back where each suit was in its own little recessed display and was separated from the rest with a little spotlight on it. It's a cool concept, because it's like the whole world goes dark, everything else fades away, and the only thing that matters is that one suit in front of you. It certainly is a nice change of pace from the traditional over-packed (with goods, not customers) haberdasher on the row.

But my favourite store on the row in terms of design undoubtedly has to be Richard James. It's spacious, plenty of natural light with a contemporary vibe to it. It has an energy unlike any other store on the row, or in London for that matter. The design is very clean, contemporary, and simple with the suits and jacets running along one wall sorted by style and other articles of clothing sorted into their own little sections. The whole store is very well put together, and is a pleasure to walk into.


I like the back section better too but the front is just jam-packed. They rack the suits in front of each other and the rack is positioned so that you can never see the whole jacket unless you take it off the rack and wave it around a bit. That plus the lighting is too artificial.

Richard James is pretty nice, I like the way they do their merchandising. I still consider Spencer Hart front of the pack and I like the spartan feel of Norton & Sons too.
 

barims

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^ Norton & Sons does have a rather pleasant atmos, and Patrick Grant is easily talked into pulling out Norton and E. Tautz warrants of bygone customers such as Winston Churchill. Although I don't appreciate the aesthetic of the garments, Kilgour is nicely laid out. Lanvin has nice windows, but there's something off about the interior arrangements which make the ground floor seem slightly constrained

The Boateng (pronounced "Bwa-teng" in Ghana, in case anyone's curious) store is something of a curate's egg - I appreciate the desire for difference, but some days it's like the retail equivalent of the restaurant here that operates entirely in the dark
 

FidelCashflow

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Originally Posted by barims
. Lanvin has nice windows, but there's something off about the interior arrangements which make the ground floor seem slightly constrained

Wait... there's a second floor to their london store??? I must have completely missed it. What's on the second floor?
 

barims

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^ The basement has the non-runway 15 Fauborg range, as well as (surprisingly cool) hats and shoes. You're a Londoner?
 

FidelCashflow

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Originally Posted by barims
^ The basement has the non-runway 15 Fauborg range, as well as (surprisingly cool) hats and shoes. You're a Londoner?

I live in Canada, but I spend a fair bit of time in London. I had no idea there was a basement to the Lanvin store. I will have to see it next time I go there.
 

Get Smart

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personally I love Boateng's cut and style (have owned 3 Boateng suits) but I agree his shop isnt too great. Very dark and you can walk out of there thinking you bought yourself a navy suit and when you walk outside you realize it's bright teal

the worst, yet my favorite Row shop, is Spencer Hart. The entire store is like a U-shaped hallway, just terrible layout and space. But his gear is tops on the row, imo
 

yfyf

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Originally Posted by Get Smart
the worst, yet my favorite Row shop, is Spencer Hart. The entire store is like a U-shaped hallway, just terrible layout and space. But his gear is tops on the row, imo
it's not U-shaped, it's a spiral! O, and yes it's massively inefficient but SH was never about efficiency. I hope they're still around, I haven't popped in in a while, hope the recession hasn't hit them too hard.
Originally Posted by FidelCashflow
I live in Canada, but I spend a fair bit of time in London. I had no idea there was a basement to the Lanvin store. I will have to see it next time I go there.
I walked into Lanvin when they first opened because they had a DB short dealie that season that I wanted to see. They claimed they had no such garment and were generally unfriendly. In the end I said sod it and left. I saw the garment in the window two days later.
 

PocketCircle

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Originally Posted by FidelCashflow
Wait... there's a second floor to their london store??? I must have completely missed it. What's on the second floor?

Often they have the casual fashion stuff (shiny trainers etc) upstairs and the formal stuff downstairs. I must say their salespeople are not the most knowledgeable but they are always very pleasant and courteous.
 

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