One of my favourite local things has to be a little shop called Barnett Lawson Trimmings, based at 16-17 Little Portland Street. Blink and you might miss it as this is not a normal shopfront. At first appearances, you’re entering an office block. You have to ring the appropriate buzzer to get in and then make your way to the basement but it’s well worth it. You’ll find a fabulous Aladdin’s cave brimming with trimmings, buttons, feathers and other interesting bits of haberdashery.

Barnett & Lawson are essentially a wholesale outlet but they’re open to the public and much of what they sell is available to buy in small quantities – single buttons and some really beautiful and unusual ribbons by the metre. I’m passionate about little details and quirky touches and so I’m pretty much obsessed with trimmings. They can do so much to transform and individualise an outfit or with Christmas coming up, it’s an excellent way of creating unique and personal decorations or for beautiful but inexpensive wrapping ideas.

As a wholesale outlet it can be a little overwhelming – items aren’t laid out as they would be in a shop, so it’s worth taking a half hour just to wander and browse the aisles first. You’ll also need to add VAT on top of your purchase so take this into account. Don’t be scared or put off, the staff are really helpful even if they are usually a bit busy.

Images courtesy of Ruby Magic – Hidden Image