The sunshine is making me dreamy.
Pimms and Prêt sandwiches on London’s Primrose Hill with a gaggle of my girlfriends and they are begging me for details of new brands opening at Bicester Village (as if I would ever divulge such secrets) and pleading with me to make them winners in the Bicester Village Florida competition. Yes we all want a VIP trip to the sunshine but I tell them to enter and take their chances, and then swiftly turn the conversation around to discussing pie in the sky ideas if money and time was no object.
The Fitzwilliam Hotel - Dublin
Jo wants a yacht, not an ordinary yacht, but one akin to the 40 footer Kate Moss chartered around St. Tropez this summer. Mel wants a walk-in-wardrobe to rival that of Carrie’s in the SATC movie – she spends her spare time counting shoes, for her this is fun, for others a bit OCD; and Nessa would like to live in Babington House.
Personally I would like a 2 week shopping spree in Europe. Surprised? The gaggle isn’t. What with my continual cooing of all the gems I keep finding in Bicester Village, it is obvious one would lust over the prospect of discovering all other eight Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages in Europe. Like Bicester Village, all host the world’s most coveted designer names at prices heavily reduced all year round. What’s not to love about that?
So my dream (if I ever get married, this will be the ultimate hen party) is a yellow brick road journey taking in the chic shopping and cultural sites of Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Brussels, and concluding in Paris.
Cosmopolitan Dublin & County Kildare
I would stay at Bono’s hotel The Clarence in Dublin, or maybe the 5 star Fitzwilliam then get straight down to business with a quick ride to County Kildare for the first leg of my dream tour at the spectacularly picturesque Kildare Village. Fashionably intimate I am told this is THE place to shop for some key Desigual pieces, Bedek homeware and a pair of bang on trend Pepe jeans. I’ve heard they have a resident Handbag Therapist, apparently she is better than
Las Rozas Village - Madrid
any Tarot reader, telling me to return on 4th September for the annual Electric Picnic where I will meet the man of my dreams. Hmmm. I think Ronan Keating and I will finish this lovely trip (remember this is a dream) with a visit to the K Club for a spot of golf and some heavenly spa treatments.
Dramatic Madrid & Barcelona
Sunny Spain and I am chaperoned by the one and only Queen of Spanish style Penelope Cruz. After a lengthy tour of the Palacio Real in Madrid, we spend some quality bonding time in the Aveda Salon & Spa then venture to Las Rozas Village, an emporium of dramatic Spanish (as well as European and International) designer labels at heavily reduced prices. Armand Basi, Loewe and Tous as favoured by Kylie (I just love the Tous video), leave me feeling weak at the knees with sheer pleasure and I have to purchase another suitcase. Lady P and I drink cocktails and enjoy the amazing sunsets from the restaurant terrace before we take in the sounds and sights of Veranos de la Villa, Madrid’s main summer event and then leave for Barcelona and the pleasures of Gaudi and the Costa Brava.
La Roca Village - Barcelona
We ditch the long Hummer Limo (my dream, remember?) and get to La Roca Village in Barcelona using their fun Shopping Express Bus, taking just 40 minutes from the centre of the city. I don’t usually do public transport, but this one is luxurious. I am delighted to find that La Roca Village is a tranquil urban sanctuary and a playground for shopaholics like me and Penelope. I have to be hauled out of the Espacio de Creadores, a space in the Village that has the most outstandingly creative and innovative Spanish designer labels before I take root, but Swarovski, Antonio Miro and my favourite Mandarina Duck (another luggage purchase to set me up for Milan) all set among sunny vistas and authentic architecture have me falling in love with all things Spanish.
The Elegance of Milan
Fidenza Village - Milan
Italians are pretty good at most things, well at least that is what is my Grandmother tells me and she is Italian, I also loved in Florence for a year and still regret not staying. At this point my dream has reached fever pitch with excitement. The super stylish Fidenza Village with its elegant surroundings is just a hop and a skip from Milan, the fashion centre of the universe. Like Bicester Village it has La Perla, D&G and Valentino but also Bruno Magli, Class Roberto Cavalli and Corso Roma where I know I will find some Byblos shoes. Definitely the fashion crowd’s favourite, this is so chic it hurts.
Trussardi Alla Scalla Ristorante - Milan
I have no companion here and enjoy people watching from the Villages Café Aida. I head to Missoni for some art inspired creations, (I am of course staying at the Hotel Missoni in Milan) then to Coccinelle and Stefanel and leave laden with too many bags to carry and a new friend I met along the way – a rather delicious and chivalrous Italian who is taking me for a cultural afternoon at the Pilotta Palace followed by dinner at Trussardi Alla Scala Restaurant in Milan.
And on that note I think we shall skip the next instalment of this dream, I shall be exploring my heritage for a while (some things are best left to the imagination) and pick up this dream again when I arrive in Munich and take in Frankfurt, Brussels and the understated chic city of Paris.
Arrivederci.
