Slice of the City

Kensington has so many happy memories for me – as a teenager, I used to get the train up from Sussex to go to Kensington market, where I bought my first pair of Levis with my pocket money and a beautiful cobalt blue cheongsam. Later on I worked for a travel PR start-up, where the office was my boss's bedroom in Palace Gardens Terrace. I used to love walking between the rows of blossom trees and going for a pint of Guinness and a Thai curry at The Churchill Arms.  

My absolute favourite place, however, is Pandora, an amazing second-hand shop on Cheval Place just behind Brompton Road. It sells a wonderful selection of bags, scarves, jackets, and jewellery, and it’s where I get all my designer dresses from.

I first discovered it when I lived in Rutland Gate, and I’ve been going there for about seven years now – the staff know me well and know what I like, and I make a trip there every season to stock up on pieces that fit me well, that I can wear to all sorts of different occasions.

The dress I’ve had the most fun in from there was a really beautiful Gucci Grecian-style dress, which is covered with palm trees in cobalt blue, black, bronze, white and pink. I’ve also bought Peter Pilotto silk shift dresses in bright graphic prints, a wonderful vintage Givenchy dress that I bought when I was pregnant, and an Alice Temperley empire-line dress that I always seem to have the most amazing nights in.

 I’ve never been one for traipsing round the shops on a Saturday, so I love that a few times a year I can go in there and get exactly what I need. They sell so many different designers – Chanel, Rupert Sanderson, Pucci – and always have plenty of things in stock. It’s one of those shops that you need to dedicate a couple of hours to, but you’ll never come out disappointed. 

I don’t mind going there with friends, as we tend to have different tastes and body shapes anyway, but I’ll never forgive the woman from the end of my road who bought a red cashmere jumper that had my name on it… we still joke about it today.