I remember the days when I used to walk down THE KING’S ROAD with faded jeans and a bomber jacket. (still have them tucked away in the closet–don’t have the heart to throw them away!) I remember when Mrs. Moore wore a green leather outfit, and I had black leather pants with a red leather jacket for a party at the Hippodrome on Leicester Square.   I have to smile as I think back on those fun days.  And where did we buy those outrageous outfits?  RIGHT, on the KING’S ROAD, CHELSEA.  Stephanie can still wear her green leathers, but I don’t think I could zip up my black leather slacks.  It is all a memory now. But, we did have great fun.

THE KING’S ROAD is not so radical or outrageous these days, but it is still a world where young people find their fashionable clothes.  There is a completely different feeling here than there is on Upper Sloane Street in Knightsbridge where the Princess of Wales used to shop.  Rupert Friend described the King’s Road exactly correct:  IT’S HIP.

SO, LET’S WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE and check out the shops.  One of our company’s flats is on Draycott Avenue, just off the King’s Road.  When one of our clients returned from London after staying in this flat, she called me and said that when her two daughters found the King’s Road, they never saw them again.  AND the jeans they had bought NEW on the King’s Road had more holes in them than the levis they had left at home, ripped and torn from years of shabby abuse.  We both laughed and remembered the days when we……….

So, let’s start our walk up the KING’S ROAD, departing from Peter Jones (on the north side of the street)–a really great department store with a fabulous “view” restaurant on the roof.  Walk up the street until you reach HABITAT and the Chelsea Town Hall.  You will pass by such shops as THE COLLECTION, REISS, AZENDI ACCESSORIZE, NEVER ENOUGH SHOES, HOBBS.  I am not tempted to buy anything, but when I see the clothes I wonder where in the world young people go dressed like this.  The dresses look like scarves, the pants look like jackets, the hats look like socks, the blouses look like underwear.  The style is for very skinny people.  I think RUPERT FRIEND AND KEIRA KNIGHTLY are the only people who can wear such things and look good in them.  If I were to buy some of these fashions and came home dressed like that, my family would have faces like a yard of crepe in disbelief.  But, hey, this is a fashion for young people, and they are just having fun.  I do wonder, though, why the styles I find here make men look like women and the women look like men.  It all seems mixed up to me.  Well, let’s walk down the other side of the street back to Sloane Square and let the therapists figure that situation out with their growing practices.

The shop I loved on the south side of the street was the WATCH REPAIR AND KEY SHOP.  Even this shop had style.  It was totally out-of-place while at the same time, it fit beautifully.  Very Chelsea ladies were in the shop getting their keys copied for their guests who would be staying in their houses while they are holidaying in Malta or Sardinia or Spain–anywhere warm.  I listened to two ladies chatting away while their keys were being cut;  this lady was all packed while the other lady HADN’T EVEN STARTED TO PACK AND WOULD BE UP ALL ALL ALL NIGHT GETTING READY TO LEAVE.  OH DEAR, OH DEAR.  I had to smile to myself.  BUT IT WAS CHELSEA, even in the key shop.  And I loved it.

I finally reached the beautifully restored Duke of York Plaza where I went in to check out the new PARTRIDGES shop with all the fine foods they offer.  I could hardly call them GROCERS, but that is what they are.  The food is fabulous, and all the cured ham and sausages really caught my eye.  Fresh vegetables and walls and walls of fine wine were all up to PARTRIDGES standard.

I had lunch at MANICOMIO on the terrace with our company manager Cristina.  She is away tomorrow for a week in Portugal, so she was INSTRUCTING me as I am left in charge.  We had a fabulous lunch, and everything was really very civilized here.  I recommend the restaurant for sure.  The food was wonderful as you would expect.

The height of HIP can be found at the TRILOGY shop.  Young people were packed in the shop like sardines.  I peeked in the shop and could see that this was good quality, even though ripped and tattered.  This is the shop where very upper class young people bought their outfits.  But it was next door which caught my attention.  MARY QUANT.  I remember the days when MARY QUANT walked around Chelsea in her mini-skirts and rocked the establishment.  I walked inside the shop, and sure enough I found mini-skirts.  I have a connection with Mary Quant.  She had a large flat with a huge lounge on Draycott Place where she took care of Nuryev, the great ballet dancer.  Mary installed a huge bath tub for her ballet friend to soak after a challenging night of dancing.  I know Mary Quant’s flat very well because we rented it for many, many years for its American owner after he had purchased it from Mary.   It was a fabulous flat and Nuryev used to dance the length of the massive living room;  his dancing bar is still along wall.

Finally, I reach Sloane Square, have a rest on the Square and watch all the taxis and cars motor by.  The fashionable ladies were quickly walking by in their tweed capes and umbrellas–it was just starting to rain again.  A young Polish girl was sitting next to me.  She was going to hear the SAINT-SAENS (ORGAN) SYMPHONY #3 in South Kensington in the evening, and she was studying the score.  We had a wonderful chat.  She is a music student in London for the next two years–happy as can be.

If you are in London, your young family will want to walk down the King’s Road.  I fear you won’t see them very much once they find these trendy shops.  IT IS A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE, for sure.  AND A HAPPY ONE.

You have to love it.

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

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