New online accessories store Femme-Enfant launches

Femme-Enfant is a new independent online accessories and footwear boutique that opened for business on 1 May. The new site offers a range of accessories with most products only available for a limited time. Styles include shoes, handbags, umbrellas, lingerie and jewellery. Key examples are; pointed stilettos with red and gold reversible sequins (pictured here, priced £60.00), fuchsia satin peep-toe (£45.00) and the gold satin peep-toe sling back with mirror-ball effect strap (£50.00). Also featured is a range of retro-inspired rose print umbrellas (£30.00 each) as well as polka dot parasols (£25.00) that come in a variety of colours such as pink, purple, red and white – all with a lace edge. Founder Louise Woodhead comments: "I set out to create an independent boutique that is inspired by seasonal trends but dares to differentiate. In Femme-Enfant I wanted to capture the free-spirited and indulgent transition from girl to woman."
www.femme-enfant.com

British Designers Collective launching at the end of the month

The British Designers Collective (BDC), taking place at Bicester Village at the end of March, is a collaboration between Value Retail (specialists in high-end shopping villages) and the British Fashion Council, which introduces emerging designers to a wider audience.

The BDC brings together in one boutique a host of popular designers with reductions of up to 60% off the retail price. This year's participants include Jonathan Saunders, Felicity Brown, Holly Fulton, Markus Lupfer, Todd Lynn, Felder Felder. Jean-Pierre Braganza, Marios Schwab and Osman. Accessories are also offered with shoes from Georgina Goodman, scarves by Jane Carr and jewellery from Fiona Paxton and Lara Bohinc.

The 2011 BDC is being hosted by actress Thandie Newton, who will officially open the boutique which runs for six weeks from 31 March until mid-May.

Andrea Fulerton opens London nail bars this month

Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Nail Bars are to open in London at Superdrug Westfield and High Street Kensington this month. The nail bar will operate on a drop-in basis with no appointments necessary from Thursday to Sunday, making manicures more accessible. The technicians, who have been trained by celebrity nail technician Andrea Fulerton and will use products from her own range, will offer a complete menu of nail treatments with a colour-coded theme with prices starting at £10.00.

Ormonde Jayne opens London boutique

Following a successful year with an exclusive launch in Harrods and a award nomination by The London Magazine for Great Little Shops 2010, later this month London based niche perfumery, Ormonde Jayne will open its new London boutique just off Sloane Square. This will be the first Ormonde Jayne store outside of its flagship store in Old Bond Street, London. The new perfumery is part of the existing old General Trading Store on Pavilion Road, just off Sloane Square. It will have the same design as the flagship Mayfair store designed by Caulder Moore, who created Ormonde Jayne’s London store in October 2006.

192 Pavilion Road, Sloane Square, London SW3 2BF

Google today launches personalised shopping experience - Boutiques.com

Google has today launched Boutiques.com - a personalised shopping experience that lets the customer find and discover fashion goods by creating their own curated boutique, or through a collection of boutiques curated by ‘taste-makers’ including celebrities, stylists, designers and fashion bloggers. Boutiques partnered with a range of different taste-makers and asked them to curate 10-50 items on Boutiques.com that they loved, and to teach the site their style and taste by selecting which colours, patterns, brands and silhouettes they loved, and which they hated. The taste-makers took a visual quiz that taught the site to understand their style genre: Classic, Boho, Edgy, etc. Machine learning algorithms then use this information to enable the customer to shop all of the inventory in the style of that taste-maker, on top of the hand-curated items.
Boutiques invited bloggers, stylists and everyday fashionistas to create online boutiques so people can shop their styles, but it also allows customers to build their own customised boutique. In addition, Boutiques offers a variety of features to search and discover merchandise including: advanced search filters, inspiration photos, fashion designer-written style rules and visual searches.

At this time, Boutiques is only available in the US and only for women’s fashion, but there is planned expansion in the future. For more information click here.

Elizabeth Lau to open Carnaby Street pop-up boutique

Elizabeth Lau is to open a new pop-up boutique in Ganton Street just off Carnaby Street. The store, which will stock the entire AW10 collection, will open on 26 November and run for four weeks up until Christmas Eve. There will also be a free gift wrapping service and a sanctuary for shoppers to rest their feet. The Elizabeth Lau Pop-up boutique will be open seven days a week.

Jaeger pop-up boutique opens on 7 August

Jaeger’s new pop-up shop will open in London on 7 August 2010. Boutique by Jaeger captures the spirit of the 60s and teams it with a contemporary rock 'n' roll vibe. Coquettish minis, punkish zipped coats, knits, micro-tuxes, zippered silk dresses and leather rolled up shorts all feature in this new collection of separates for young women. The Boutique by Jaeger pop-up shop is located off Carnaby Street at 10 Foubert's Place, in London W1. The shop will feature a bespoke shop fit, the first of its kind developed by Jaeger, and will showcase the complete Boutique by Jaeger Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. The Boutique by Jaeger pop-up shop will also offer a unique selection of accessories and gifts from other brands such as: Origami pendants, Les Nereides chains & charms, Stenoflex pinhole cameras, sunglasses from Essi, fashion books from Assouline and a range of quirky stationery. Boutique by Jaeger will also be available in selected Jaeger stores from 7 August and online at www.boutiquebyjaeger.co.uk from 5 August 2010.

Janet Reger opens new Hampstead boutique

Janet Reger has announced the opening of the Private Boutique in the heart of Hampstead's Belsize village. The boutique and wholesale showroom is full of designs from both the Janet Reger Couture and the daring Naughty Janet collection. Janet Reger provides an exceptional service and expert assistance on fitting and style advice. www.janetreger.com