Burlington Arcade

Helena Bonham Carter Turns On The Christmas Lights In Historic London Shopping Arcade

Helena Bonham Carter turned on the Burlington Arcade Christmas Lights in Mayfair, on November 18 in association with The King's Speech and Save the Children. She plays Queen Elizabeth in the new film The King's Speech, alongside Colin Firth as George VI. Bonham Carter arrived in a sweet ride, the 1937 Alvis Vanden Plus Tourer, one of only twelve ever built. The car was provided by the Royal Automobile Club. She turned on the Christmas lights on behalf of Save the Children, the world's largest independent children's charity. The ceremony had her pulling on the golden rope, heralded by a trumpet fanfare by the Household Cavalry.

The shopping arcade first opened back in 1819 and is decked out for the season with frosted windows showcasing holiday gifts. All shoppers in the Arcade until December 6 will have the opportunity to enter a competition to win a pair of tickets to an exclusive preview screening of The King's Speech.

Tags: Burlington Arcade, Helena Bonham Carter, helena bonham-carter, London shopping mall, london shops

The Polistas Polo Dress

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports

Polistas, the first true polo lifestyle brand made for polo players by polo players with a chic boutique in London's Burlington Arcade, has come out with a fetching polo dress for sportswomen and sexy spectators.

Priced at £100.00 and made of 100% cotton, the dress is a longer, form-fitted version of the classic Polistas polo shirt as worn by the likes of England's Prince Harry and Prince William. It features an an embroidered number 3 and a Polistas logo on the chest.

Officers of Her Majesty the Queen's Life Guards, part of the Royal Household Cavalry, are also customers of Polistas, which outfits the Royal Jordanian Polo Team, the Sultan of Brunei, and members of the Kuwaiti Royal Family for the sport of kings as well.

Tags: Burlington Arcade, BurlingtonArcade, dress, equestrian, Polistas, polo, polo shirt, PoloShirt, UK

The Classicist: Polistas - For Polo Players, By Polo Players

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Enthusiasm for the noble sport of polo and the luxurious lifestyle it entails has never been more in evidence. It seems the economic downturn has done little to dampen it, perhaps because polo's roots are so steeped in class and tradition. Over the past several months we saw Veuve Clicquot stage the first polo match in New York City in over 70 years; St. Regis inaugurate a major new International Polo Cup; the Snow Polo championships take place in Aspen and St. Moritz; and the first Desert Palm Nations Polo Cup in Dubai. Polo player Johnny Lynn (above) saw it all coming. In 2001 he founded Polistas, the first true polo lifestyle brand, made for polo players by polo players, and now he's opening up branches all over the world.

Lynn, a Canadian-born former financier who plays polo internationally and teaches as well, conceived of Polistas to outfit polo teams with high quality clothing and accessories both for playing in and for après polo. An immediate success, polo and equestrian enthusiasts of all stripes soon gravitated to his flagship store in London's famed Burlington Arcade. The name Polistas is Argentine slang for "polo players" and it is the classic Argentinian polo lifestyle - rugged, laid-back and timeless - that comes through in Polistas' products and attitude. For the past six years Polistas has had a major presence at Harrods and other high-end boutiques worldwide, and has been selected as the official supplier to several major tournaments, including the Veuve Clicquot British Open Gold Cup, The Hildon Queen's Cup, and the Prince of Wales Trophy in the UK.

Gallery: Polistas Polo Style

Founder Johnny Lynn and Polo Babes Outside the Burlington Arcade Store

Prince Charles wearing a Polistas polo shirt

Tags: Argentina, British royalty, British style, BritishRoyalty, BritishStyle, Burlington Arcade, BurlingtonArcade, Equestrian, Harrods, Horses, Johnny Lynn, JohnnyLynn, London, Polistas, Polo, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, PrinceCharles, PrinceOfWales, Snow polo, SnowPolo, St. Regis, St.Regis, UK, Veuve Clicquot, VeuveClicquot

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The Classicist: A Bastion of British Style in the Burlington Arcade

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes, Men's Style, The Classicist

Photo by Andrew Dunn

Classic English shoe brand Church's was founded in 1873, but its roots date back to the late 1600s when a Northampton cobbler named Church first set up shop. The traditional shoemaker is known for its elegant footwear, which has been the choice of well-dressed British gentlemen for over 130 years. In 1999 Church's was acquired by the Prada group, and while some traditionalists bemoaned the end of an era, little of the company's core values have changed. Its high-end models, which have names like the Consul, the Diplomat, the Chetwynd and the Gunthorpe, are still handmade in Northampton and cost in the neighborhood of £300 pounds, or about $600.

Prada has certainly set about modernizing the brand however, which is known for durable style. The company recently redesigned Church's historic shop in London's Burlington Arcade, Britain's first shopping arcade, which was built by Lord George Cavendish in 1819 and houses some of the world's finest boutiques. The revamped shop incorporates some modern design elements while retaining the important historical fixtures. In addition to shoes, the store also stocks neckties, gentlemen's accessories and leathergoods. Part of Prada's plan to boost the brand's presence internationally, new Church's shops were also recently opened in Venice and Bologna.

Gallery: Church's & the Burlington Arcade