The London Lounge

I would greatly appreciate any recommendations any members might have for either of the following in London:

1. a good shoe shine venue;

2. a florist that stocks and will sell carnations and the like on a piecemeal basis for use as boutonnieres (or "buttonholes," I suppose, in the English usage).

Proximity to Knightsbridge would be an extra bonus for any such recommendations.

Many thanks.

Flower stalls in the road have so few requests for buttonholes that they are sometimes delighted and intrigued by the request to the extent that they just give you a bloom.
NJS

Romi Topi in the Burlington Arcade has a following for shines:

http://permanentstyle.blogspot.com/2009 ... shine.html

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/wo ... .shine.cnn

Dawson's Florist in Lamb's Conduit Street will make a prepared buttonhole (taped to prevent drying and stains, but pricey, as I recall) and they did not have carnations when I was last there and in the market. Many florists seem to see buttonholes as special occasion pieces, under the rubric "wedding flowers," which seems regrettable and likely to imply greater expense, but could perhaps speed the search. I much prefer NJS's experience and suggestion. Perhaps one should invest in a small roll of florist's tape and carry it in a pocket or briefcase. It would be the work of a moment to pull a few rear petals and give the cut stem end a wrap or two before popping the carnation through the lapel and keeper loop. I may give this a try.

For a shoe shine, stay at a good hotel and they'll do it over night. The Connaught features the so-called "John Lobb shoeshine." This is a cross marketing venture taking off round the world. The Montage in Beverly Hills also offers it. There is the basic (read: free) John Lobb shine, and the small charge for the deluxe version. I can't really figure out the difference.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Does anyone happen to know if there are particular hours during which Mr. Topi can be found at the Burlington Arcade?

tteplitzmd wrote:For a shoe shine, stay at a good hotel and they'll do it over night.

Alas, I usually stay with family when I am in London. It would not go over well to seek to have them shine my shoes overnight!

Perhaps you can ask him! Turns out he has a Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wal ... 1289267097

Under his photo there's a link to "Send Romi a Message."

couch wrote:Perhaps you can ask him! Turns out he has a Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wal ... 1289267097

Under his photo there's a link to "Send Romi a Message."

no such luck -- unfortunately, although Mr. Topi has a Facebook page, I do not!

Right. Well, you could call the Burlington Arcade (020 7630 1411) and ask about his hours.

According to the 29 December 2009 Financial Times online "How to Spend It" feature, you can add gallery leader and design maven David Gill to Mr. Topi's fans.

And here is a CNN video of Mr. Topi's technique in action, so that you can make an informed buying decision:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/ ... .shine.cnn

Good luck!

Way back when, Jeeves of Belgravia used to be the best laundry around. And they polished shoes as well as repairing them.

Is that service any good?

I used to have the poultry shoeshine pitch opposite coq d argent, and now have a small office run, and a few customers i home visit, I take great pride in giving an excellent shoeshine service, i have a wide range of wax polishes and horsehair brushes of course, if anyone wants a professional shine at home or in the office please contact me, I charge 3.00 per pair peter.cleary3@ntlworld.com
07930152201

Be careful with hotel shoe shines. I have been warned by the John Lobb grand mesure staff in Paris that even the best hotels in the city use excessive amounts of acetone/alcohols for their shines. This gives good-looking quick results, but is bad for the leather long-term. I do not know if this applies to the London hotels mentioned above.

To revive this topic - I recently came across a shoe shine stand outside St Mary-le-Bow church on Cheapside. He charged £3.80 I think, for Kiwi polish, and 50p extra for Saphir. He took one glance at my Edward Greens and got out the Saphir stuff before I'd said a word.

Romi in Burlington arcades is good. But if you want the real deal you should go to the Gieves and Hawkes shop and leave your shoes the for 3 hours (along with £20). Three hours later pick them up and feel like a 5 star general ready for the great parade. Expensive? Yes but unique as well.

The polisher also has a blog about shoes. You can check what he did with my shoes http://the-shoe-snob.blogspot.com/2011/ ... shine.html

Also if you have a pair of Cleverlys you can let the for a shoes for a spit and shine polish but they need a week before they return them.