Treating Yourself Royally in London

In London, royal weddings and births always occasion an abundance of souvenir items--cups, tea caddies and other paraphernalia with photos and seals. But the British shoppers’ fascination with their young royals goes beyond the buying of souvenirs. The clothing, accessories and home furnishings associated with Charles and Diana, Andrew and Sarah, or other members of the royal family are much sought after. The shops where they are sold are very popular with the English and tourists alike.

Both Princess Diana and the Duchess of York registered their weddings at the General Trading Co. (144 Sloane St., W1), generally considered the most tasteful and elegant gift shop in London. When Diana and Sarah toured the store, selecting the items to be placed on their lists, they were quite naturally given the royal treatment--catered to by managing director David Part, whose great-uncles founded the General Trading Co. in the 1920s. The general public is shown great attention by an exceptional sales staff or allowed to browse independently, as they choose.

Sarah’s Gift List

The range of merchandise is broad and includes small and reasonably priced items as well as large, expensive ones. Sarah’s gift list of 500 items ranged from the shop’s least costly, a Darlington glass vase for the bedside table at about $10, to a Georgian dining room table and eight reproduction chairs, together priced at around $10,000.

The list also included two blue-and-white antique Chinese vases at about $600 each, leather photo albums, complete sets of Coalport Athione cobalt china, garden chairs and fireplace accessories. Only those with invitations to the wedding were allowed to see the list, and their purchases were sent directly to Buckingham Palace. There are usually about 30 weddings registered at the shop. You may not be invited to any of them, but this is certainly a good place to pick up an item or two like ones now in use by the royals.

A Rainbow of Bows

Shortly before the wedding, Sarah was photographed wearing a large, brightly colored silk bow around her ponytail. Bows have since become all the rage. They’re made by Les Bijoux de Famille (the Family Jewels) and come in black, white, red, royal blue, purple, fuchsia, emerald, yellow, navy blue, bottle-green, burgundy, gold and silver lame. Some are two-tone or striped. The bows sell for about $10 to $30 and are available at both Fortnum & Mason and Harrods, as well as other shops. In addition to the clip-on bows, Les Bijoux de Famille makes bows attached to headbands and large sparkling earrings of glass colored to complement the bows.

Costume Jewelry

Princess Diana is known to leave the family jewels in the vault while wearing costume jewelry, much of it bought at Butler & Wilson (189 Fulham Road, SW3). The large lizard pin seen often on Diana’s lapel comes from this shop. Nicky Butler and Simon Wilson became partners during the 1960s, when they began by selling antique jewelry at a small stall in the Portobello Road market. As good antique jewelry became harder to find, they started to execute their own costume jewelry, strongly influenced by the Art Deco designs of the 1920s and 1930s. They opened the Fulham Road shop in 1982, another in South Moulton Street in 1985.

The shops are filled with glittering, huge pieces of jewelry, gold-tone necklaces, bracelets and earrings encrusted with pearls and multicolored stones. Snake bracelets, necklaces, pins and earrings are very popular. Butler and Wilson do two collections each year. Earrings sell for $14 to $120, necklaces from $50 to $200. The Fulham Street shop has a billboard which features huge pictures of Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Hutton, Charlotte Rampling and other actresses wearing the jewelry. Princess Di has not appeared on the billboard, but her patronage of the shop has been a big sales booster.

Counting Sheep Sweaters

Several seasons ago, Princess Diana was photographed in a sweater patterned with one black sheep amid several white ones. That sweater, given to Diana by a friend, was made by Warm & Wonderful and is still sold at their shop at 233 Camberwell New Road, SE5. Owners/designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne have invented many patterns for hand-knit sweaters, produced by about 800 knitters in the west of England. Total annual production is about 45,000 sweaters in about 40 designs. The shop is in an old Georgian house in a residential area. You’ll find not only the famous sheep sweater (about $75), but a variety with richly colored patterns, many of them fashionably abstract, ranging in price from $60 to $200.

Royal Romper Room

Little Prince William appears for many of his photo calls in hand-smocked romper suits of silk and satin. Princess Diana buys them at the White House (51/52 New Bond St., W1), a shop opened in 1906 and known as the aristocrat of children’s specialists. In addition to the little outfits worn by the prince, the White House stocks antique Victorian cots, wool nightgowns and cashmere blankets. They make organdy dresses for little girls and velvet suits for little boys. Prince William will probably be wearing clothes from the White House throughout his childhood.

The little prince has also been photographed in a padded blue snowsuit, bought for about $60 at Bimbo (56 Kendal St., W2). The suit was made by a French manufacturer named Colchika. Bimbo (the name is an affectionate term for baby in Italian) sells mostly imported couturier clothes for children, including elegant suits and silk blouses and shirts. The blue snowsuit is one of the least expensive items on the racks.

Protecting the Head

Hats are very popular in the royal households. Many of the hats worn by Her Majesty the Queen and by Princess Diana are made by Frederick Fox (169 Sloane St., SW1). Fox, who was born in New South Wales and came to England in 1957, has two hat collections each year. The hats are in two groups; the boutique range ($40 to $100) and a designer range (about $100 and up). In addition to making hats for the royals and for his own collection, Fox provides the hats for several couturier collections, including those of Hardy Amies and Jasper Conran. His styles are always conservative, tasteful and of high quality.

Many of the hats worn by Prince Charles are the product of Herbert Johnson (13 Old Burlington St., W1), who specializes in sporting and country hats and military caps. The Royal Navy cap worn by the Prince of Wales for his wedding was made here, as are the hats for about 60% of the military officers in Britain. Ready-made tweed caps cost about $25 and up; felt hats about $60 and up. One specialty hat, the Bombay Bowler, is a lightweight helmet designed for protection in the tropics. It sells for about $75. This shop was founded in 1889 and the walls are lined with the Royal Warrants of every British monarch from then to now.

Capping a Chukker

James Lock & Co. Ltd. provides both Prince Philip and Prince Charles with their polo hats. This shop was established in 1676 and has been at its present location at 6 St. James St., SW1, since 1765. Prince Charles wears a traditional polo cap (about $150), but Lock developed a lightweight fiberglass cap for Prince Philip. It’s known as “polo cap HRH pattern.” Prince Philip is often seen walking with his hands behind his back, clutching a soft felt hat. Those hats are supplied by Lock & Co., and also look handsome when worn on the head. Felt hats cost about $75 and up.

It is highly unlikely that you’ll encounter the royals while you’re shopping for items that they’ve made famous. But they are among the world’s premier style-setters, and it’s fun to know you’ve got something that’s the same or similar to something they own.

Prices quoted in this article reflect currency exchange rates at the time of writing.