Personalised 'Laura' pencils were always a much-cherished
back-to-school treat as a child. I'm ordering them for my kids now,
and trying to resist a nostalgic self-indulgent stocking-filler for
myself at the same time. More age-appropriately, I rely on Mount St
Printers in Mayfair for sleek and professional notecards and
invitations, though a trip there inevitably leads to dangerously
timewasting deliberations over the advantages of elephant grey over
pale pistachio.
A true signature scent surely the ultimate in beauty
indulgences, and one day I'll fulfil a long-ago promise to myself
to go play with magic potions at Miller Harris, but whilst I wait,
someone's done it for me, with a little help from cult beauty
company Le Labo. My very own bath elixir will always feel more
spoiling and decadent than anything off-the shelf.
On a grander scale, look at the success of Anya
Hindmarch's bespoke service, or Solange Azagury
Partridge's twisted-gold name-rings. Everything feels extra
special when it's made to measure, especially with added memories
or messages (a date, a child's name, a poem) secreted
within.
I may not be as lucky as the friend who today showed off the 70s
Hermes Kelly bag she found in a vintage store with her own initials
already inscribed, but who can resist a monogram? I've already
started my 2012 diary (in my very best handwriting, which too fast
slips into a confused and double-crossed scrawl), but my Liberty
notebooks are almost too perfect to spoil with my anxious doodled
felt-tip lists.
It's simply impossible to go to Liberty on a focused mission, so
whilst waiting for a beloved's initials to be embossed in leather,
I suggest perusing their National Treasures on sale now. Grayson
Perry's Clare doll is irresistible. Art and play and charity
conspire to create the perfect array of gifts. I dread the day the
friend who's Grayson Perry Print for a Politician, I've
been babysitting (artsittting?) for longer than was originally
agreed, calls in his loan. Perhaps the Clare doll should take its
place, a souvenir of stolen pleasures, and probably more
appreciated by my kids, who, thanks to the British Museum's current
exhibition, Grayson Perry: Tomb of an Unknown Craftsmen,
with its teddy bears and model ships, masks and motorbikes, are now
bona fide fans.
SEE MORE OF LIBERTY'S NATIONAL TREASURES
READ MORE ABOUT LIBERTY'S NATIONAL TREASURES PROJECT
Maybe they can knock me up a collage for that soon-to-be -bare
wall? Sharp, rainbow (personalised) pencils at the ready.
www.britishmuseum.org
millerharris.com
www.anyahindmarch.com
www.solangeazagurypartridge.com
www.liberty.co.uk
www.lelabofragrances.com