Luella to open Mayfair boutique

Luella Bartley is set to open her first stand-alone store in Mayfair this June, not far from the newly opened Marc Jacobs boutique, and close to Claridge's and Sonia Rykiel. The 1,400-square-foot store will carry Bartley's entire ready-to-wear and accessories collection alongside one-off pieces unique to the store, while the basement will be a client area. The two-story space previously housed an L.K. Bennett footwear store.

The decor will contrast dark wood finishes and antiqued leather fixtures with touches of graffiti and flea-market furniture, to create an atmosphere that the company has dubbed "stately home meets independent record store." And London is just the first step in Bartley's expansion - a store in Hong Kong is set to open in October, while a shop-in-shop unit opened in Takashiyma in Shinjuku in Tokyo in March. Luella, a Central Saint Martins graduate, began her label in Spring Summer 2000, after stints at Evening Standard and British Vogue as a fashion journalist.