New nail boutique launches in Maida Vale

Tillie’s Nail Lounge is a new luxury nail boutique in the heart of Little Venice offering bespoke treatments for the hands and feet in a calming location with white-washed walls and antiques. Boasting a unique atmosphere, Tillie’s is warm and inviting with sofas, complimentary lattes, primrose hill bakery cupcakes, fresh flowers on every tabletop and shelves of treasures that Tillie collects and offers for sale.

Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design award winners announced

The winners of the fourth annual Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards were announced last night at the Renaissance Chancery Court London, High Holborn. The evening was hosted by Sarah Miller, editor of Condé Nast Traveller. The awards recognized excellence in ten categories as follows:

Free Range exhibitions to include fashion

As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, Free Range, an Old Truman Brewery project supporting new graduate artists and designers, has announced a new fashion category with three days of graduate fashion shows. Until now Free Range has presented graduate exhibitions in the creative disciplines of Art, Photography, Design, Graphics and Interiors. Extending this support to graduate fashion designers, Free Range is dedicating an exclusive catwalk-space to graduate fashion shows, with cocktails supplied by Perrier. Universities to be featured at the show include Wincester School of Art, Middlesex University and Somerset College. www.free-range.org.uk. See DIARYdates for more details.

London's first NYC-style doggie créche opens

A New York style dog crèche, CDPOM World, is to open in Tower Bridge, London, to satisfy demand for dog day-care and overnight boarding. The new centre is designed as an alternative to pet sitting that offers dogs a rich social and educational experience. CDPOM World has its own dog gym – the Pets ‘A’ Size™ area – with a treadmill as well as lots of agility toys and stimulating games. CDPOM World has a flexible approach to fit in with the needs of the modern dog owner. Owners can book by the hour, day, week or month, so they can leave their pets at CDPOM World all day while they’re at work, or just pop in for an hour’s play and exercise while the owner goes shopping, to a meeting or an appointment. There will be an open day on Wednesday 19 May. (See DIARYdates)

Frugi nominated in this year's Observer Ethical Awards

Cornish organic clothing company Frugi has been shortlisted for ‘Best Online Retailer’ in the The Observer Ethical Awards 2010. Frugi creates soft organic clothing for children aged 0-6 years, as well as a stylish and innovative range of organic breastfeeding wear for mothers. It’s an ethical process from start to finish; the farmers receive a fair price for organic cotton crops and factory employees are all over the age of 18 and are paid fairly and have free healthcare. The company also donates 1% of its turnover to two grassroots environmental projects helping organic cotton farmers in Benin, West Africa and marine mammal conservation around the Cornish coastline. The entries for the awards have been selected for the final round by a panel of judges that included Colin Firth, actor; Ben Fogle, TV presenter; Sue Perkins, comedian; Kate Humble, TV presenter and Ben Okri, author, and was chaired by Lucy Siegle, ethical living correspondent, The Observer. A full list of the categories is listed below.

The best of British

Many British fashion designers are building their businesses by selling to top stores and boutiques overseas. The following brands - among those looking to win a prestigious prize at next week’s UK Fashion & Textile Export Awards have built up reputations in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Milan:

Harrods celebrate Red Lipstick Day on 27 May

As the grand finale to Harrods Beauty Month in May, the department store is teaming up with the cancer support charity Look Good…Feel Better to offer a day of activity on 27 May centred around the ‘iconic’ red lipstick. Personal consultations will be available from top international and catwalk make-up artists including: Mary Greenwell for Chanel, Lynsey Alexander for MAC, Daniel Sandler for All For Eve, Jamie Coombes for Dior, Armand Beasley for Sisley, Fred Letaillieur for Giorgio Armani, Pat McGrath’s protégé Emma Kotch for Dolce & Gabbana, Claire Rae for Lancome, Will Malherbe for Bobbi Brown, Christian Ribot for Givenchy, Sara Hill for Laura Mercier, Blair Patterson for Estee Lauder and Kavita for Elizabeth Arden. To celebrate Elizabeth Arden’s 100th Anniversary a limited edition commemorative lipstick in Red Door Red will be available on counter, with all proceeds going to Look Good…Feel Better.
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