ADVERTORIAL • November 2017
An insider’s guide to Bicester Village
Now home to more than 160 luxury boutiques, featuring titans of style such as Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenburg and Versace, Bicester Village is the ultimate luxury shopping destination. Here’s how to get the most from your visit
Journey planner
Start planning your shopping route on the train – you have a 46-minute journey through the Chiltern Hills from London Marylebone, with trains running up to four times an hour. And from Oxford, the trip is less than a 15-minute journey. Bicester Village has just grown by a third, with the addition of 31 new brands that include Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic’s eponymous label and the German luxury women’s clothing line Escada.
Take note
Give yourself a loose schedule. When you arrive, take ten minutes to walk through the country-garden-style landscaping – which features spectacular installations by Nikki Tibbles, the founder of the chic London florist Wild at Heart – from one end to the other. Noting the location of your favourite boutiques will save you time in the long run.
Moment in time
Buy a piece of fashion history. Bicester Village is one of the few places in the country where collections from recently departed creative directors are still on offer. You might even have the chance to acquire Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent swansong.
A little luxe
Home in on the luxury brands that are only fully appreciated by those in the know. The design at fashion houses such as dunhill are exceptional – and the prices will give your stomach butterflies. Blue merino wool V-neck sweaters can be spotted in Sandro for £52.50, down from £175 – a saving of 70 per cent.
Dine in style
Take your chance to get the exclusive Soho House & Co experience without buying yourself membership. The international private members’ club has recently opened the farmshop restaurant and cafe – lunch on garlic chilli tiger prawns and then come back in the afternoon for an espresso martini.
Gift list
Get your Christmas shopping done ahead of time at The British Collective – a newly-launched pop-up gifting boutique. Taking his influences from the likes of Cecil Beaton, William Morris and Andy Warhol, designer and illustrator Luke Edward Hall can answer the needs of even your impossible aunt. Cashmere gloves by Johnstons of Elgin, leather accessories by Trevor Pickett and knitted sweaters made in a special collaboration between Hall and John Smedley. Check. But alas, the bespoke pink and gold carpet is not for sale.
Brit style
Brush up on your knowledge of home-grown talent. In the past, Bicester Village has teamed up with the British Fashion Council to champion young designers. Now, two newly launched boutiques will be dedicated to showcasing exceptional British design talent, with blockbusters such as Roksanda and Christopher Kane already in the pipeline. New labels will be featured twice a year.
In the know
Befriend the staff. Boutique assistants will be the key to hunting out the rarer pieces on your list. Some of the best items are not placed on the shop floors, but they do exist, so ask the question.
Go hands-free
Carrying your purchases around with you might make you feel joyfully smug, but you need both arms to embrace all of the distressed denim at Levi’s. Leave your purchases at the till and have someone pack everything up ready for you to collect at the end of the day.
Clock up your Avios
Take your receipts to the Bicester Village Visitor Centre along with your Executive Club number to claim a final parting gift of five Avios for every £4 that you’ve spent. Or think of it as 222 Avios for every Versace gold Medusa head chain belt.
Words by Melissa Lawford
This article has been tagged Advertorial, Fashion + Style