Zentosa's Adventures in London

Running an internet-based business means I really don't get out much. When there's torrential rain or sub-zero temperatures outside, this isn't really a complaint. However, sometimes it is nice to put on a coat, get on a train and head to London to see some of our suppliers. Although we can deal with most of them over the phone or email, it's only by visiting their showrooms that we can see the latest arrivals or even better, future arrivals! Plus, with most of them located fairly centrally, there is always time for a spot of shopping and copious amounts of tea and cake!

Our first stop was to see what new goodies are arriving soon from our bestselling designer, Disney Couture. As you will no doubt know, the Alice in Wonderland collection has been overwhelmingly popular. The collaboration of Disney Couture jewellery with esteemed designer Tom Binns has produced a fabulous range of stand-out pieces. In the showroom, I had the opportunity to drool over some of the signature Tom Binns pieces (we do not stock these as they cost £££ but if you wish to order, drop us a message) which were breathtakingly detailed.


There are some exciting new styles coming soon from Disney Couture - in May, they will launch a range of charm necklaces. These will come in a branded gift box covering several Disney films - Snow White, the Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Each box will contain a necklace with a pendant on which you can attach a number of charms - three themed charms are included in each box set but you can also add the standalone charms such as the heart charm or pumpkin charm which we also stock.

After a quick lunch (of shawarma and falafel), it was a hop on the tube to visit Lola Rose to see their Autumn/Winter 2010 (yes I know it's still only March!). There will be lots of fabulous new shapes and colours as well as some old classics. My favourite shades are the deeply-vibrant aubergine and the subtley spakly blue sandstone. Absolutely gorgeous, I'm sure you'll agree - these new Lola Rose styles will be available from the end of August. Here's a little taster....



Finally, it was off to visit Butler & Wilson to pick up some lovely new designs. A very tanned Simon Wilson was in the shop, just back from Thailand. We stocked up on some core lines (the iconic eye and lips jewellery) as well as picked up a load of new designs like the peacock and butterfly jewellery. These are already on the site with more new Butler and Wilson styles arriving soon.

After all the stock shopping, it was time for some real shopping in Selfridges where I picked up some sea salted caramels from Artisan du Chocolat (delicious - if you've never tried them before, you really should) and had a well-deserved red velvet cupcake from the Lola's Bakery cafe. Well, there must be some perks to this job!