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Sunday 11 August 2013

The Wonderful, Vintage World Of 'What Every Girl Wants, London'...

  'What Every Girl Wants' is certainly what every girl needs!
Delicately placed, standing blissfully unfazed in all her elegant beauty, amongst all the hustle & bustle of the infamous Camden Lock, lies the boudouir-esque, vintage-repro retailer 'What Every Girl Wants'.

Any vintage vixen, stockings seductress & connoisseur of the corset, with a love for all things bullit-bra & lace panties, won't be short of a feast for the eyes inside this pretty, pink paradise.

As you eagerly enter 'What Every Girl Wants', delightful displays of feminine lingerie are there to greet you, as the fine fragrances of the sold-in-store perfumes (personal fave 'Urura's Tokyo Café'), waft through the delicate air... Ladies, you're not stepping into any old knickers & bra shop here, but back in time to a world of 'Mad Men' glamour fit for likes of the finest of Hollywood's Golden Age starlets...
 
'What Every Girl Wants' refreshingly offers a personal fitting service to make sure that your womanly assets are getting the care they deserve, to serve you well. To add to their fantastic service, a lovely cup of tea or maybe even a cheeky glass champagne is offered with a girlie natter whilst you try-on their naughty, but nice underwear.
 
A seductive selection of pastel nighties...


 
It was whilst strolling around my local teenage haunt with a couple a gal pals I grew-up with, that I stumbled across this wonderful, little gem. Now, anyone who knows me will know that 'What A Girl Wants' is my kinda' shop! I couldn't help but drag my gals inside & armed with my pink iPhone 4, I began snapping away... on Instagram to re-create that vintage look, but of course!





I have use a vanity case to have all my undies on display & vintage romance novels to decorate my room!
So sweet to see this in the shop, too! Us vintage ladies think alike ;)


Florals are the newest range! Panties can be found in these cute, little tins!




So Marilyn...


Pop behind the screen & become a screen icon...


I was politely greeted by two, delightful & wonderful ladies; Amanda Layzell (the owner) & Anni (sales gal). I was intrigued by the beautiful shop & before I knew it, I was immersed in a great conversation with them both.
 
Amanda Louise Layzell, the owner & creator of 'What Every Girl Wants', grew up in Devon, England. It was as a teen in the swinging 60s (my favourite era), that the young Amanda got a taste of the buzzing London scene when she saved-up for trips to the heart of it all, purchasing all the vintage dresses at the time in London's iconic Kensington Market & BIBA.

Amanda grew-up surrounded by nostalgia; her grandmother was an antiques dealer, who also sold AVON cosmetics. Amanda fondly revealed to me that one of  her earliest memories was helping her grandmother bag-up all of her Avon orders! This is delightful & striking to me, as this too, is much like my earliest memories of my sister & I with our grandmother. My grandma would give us all these samples & extras- our eager, little paws gathering them all up with excited, red-lipped, child-like applications of lippie smeared all over our faces, smiles. Aahhh...

After leaving college, Amanda began to work as a PA to an antique auctioneer. It was during this time that she also worked for her local television company.

Her teenage years of vintage dress hunting paid off, as her hobby became active & money-making. Amanda put her keen-eye to good use & started to buy & sell vintage clothing; "it is something I have always been passionate about", revealed Amanda later in an email to me.

It was whilst raising her son & taking-up a part-time position with the world-famous The Body Shop, www.thebodyshop.co.uk/ that Amanda met Anita Roddick (creator of The Body Shop). Amanda became inspired by the passionate, eco-friendly, go-getter & this meeting would clearly have an effect on her later years, when finally, after her hard-work, her dream would too come true...

Amanda spent a number of years working for, my personal fave & what was actually my first job as a Christmas temp, the wonderful world of bath bombs & sweet-shop-like displays of LUSH Fresh & Handmade Cosmetics www.lush.co.uk/ . Here she was heading up the UK retail team...








It was about 18 months ago now, that the lovely Lady Layzell, decided to take a well-deserved break from working in such high pressured, retail environments & began studying for a Practitioners Diploma in Hypnotherapy, NLP, Psychotherapy & Counselling. A fascinating & rewarding career move, I must say. But, during this time, a delightful bit of news came her way when Amanda heard about a shop-space up for grabs in the heart of Camden's Lock area. Talk about prime location! She just instinctively knew that it would be the perfect location for her dream-in-the-making 'What Every Girl Wants'... Amanda believed that with her previous retail experience & knowledge, alongside her infectious passion for lingerie & perfume, she could create something very special indeed; a place for her customers to escape the ever-changing time's of today's world & step back in time into a world of Mad Men glamour & elegance. With the current resurgence of Burlesque & the constant
demand for all things vintage, Amanda is certainly in the right place at the right time!

"The shop is a dream come true for me, I have had the picture of how it would be in my head for a long time & it is exactly as I imagined it would be. I don't want it just to be a shop where you buy your underwear, I want it to be an experience! A place where you can spend time with your friends, trying on lingerie, taking your time & having a cup of tea & a chat with us. You can be professionally fitted & we will make sure you go away with perfectly fitted garments... I know how good it feels to know you are wearing beautiful lingerie & fragrance. It's all in the name... 'What Every Girl Wants!'
... My dream!"

Anni (left), Amanda (right).
You can visit the gorgeous 'What Every Girl Wants' & the fab team- Amanda, Anni, Emma, Ruby & Phene, Mon-Fri: 11am to 5pm & Sat-Sun: 10am to 5:30pm, at:
 
What Every Girl Wants,
Unit 47 West Yard, Camden Lock.
NW1 8AF London, United Kingdom.

Give the girlies a call on: 

0207 6839760 OR 07974500859
  
Visit their Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/whateverygirlwantslondon.co.uk
OR email the ladies at: info@whatevergirlwantslondon.co.uk


                                           Lots of Love,
                                      Lover-Doll Presley ©
                                                   xox

2 comments:

  1. LOVE IT AND THE SHOP.. I WOULD LOVE TO SHOP IN THERE. hugs AND HAVE A BLESSED WEEK

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    Replies
    1. Aww thank-you sweetie!!

      It is a lovely shop, isn't it?! It has so many gorgeous things. Definitely wirth a visit if you're ever in London & Camden Town :)

      Hugs back to you darling & may you too have a blessed week xoxoxo

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