Fashionista Weekend

Hotels

Style palaces

The Mandarin Oriental oozes style and has the world-class shopping of Knightsbridge and leafy Hyde Park on its doorstep. Each of the hotel rooms is slightly different from the next, with beautiful antiques and luxurious fabrics galore.

No 5 Maddox Street is close to the desirable shopping of Regent and Bond Streets. This hip hotel offers serviced apartments designed to meet the contemporary traveller's every need.

Alternatively, opt for the Charlotte Street Hotel because of its media clientele and trendy Noho (north Soho, actually Fitzrovia) location, or St Martins Lane, because, like, everyone stays there!

Friday Night

Sooooo much fun!

The in crowd loves to head east on a Friday night. The City, Hoxton, Shoreditch and Farringdon are the most achingly cool areas of London and of course the fashionista will dress appropriately. First off, drop into Loungelover for a martini. This venue skilfully blends opulence and eccentricity. Marvel at the inspired cool-kitsch decor.

Then it's on to Smiths of Smithfield. But fashionistas aren't really known for their huge appetites. So after a few low-cal snacks, it's straight on to Cargo, Mother Bar or Fabric to dance the night away.

Alternatively, start your evening with a few mai tais at Trader Vic's, the cocktail and restaurant bar in the London Hilton on Park Lane, perfect for tropically minded urbanites.

Wearing your fave outfit (Miu Miu knickerbockers and Christian Louboutin heels?) may make walking impractical. So instead head to Nobu in the Metropolitan Hotel nearby. Representing Japanese fusion at its best, this friendly, star-studded restaurant is perfect for dinner. And as the vertiginous heels also preclude dancing, hop in a cab and spend the rest of the night posing at Aura, a plush hideaway for those in the know.

Saturday Morning

Boho chic

Hungover and feeling wretched, fashionista is not deterred, because she knows that Saturday is, like, a totally fab day to go shopping!

First stop has got to be Portobello Road Market, under the Westway, for fashion and vintage one-offs and then up to Westbourne Grove to check out aimé, Ghost, Paul Smith, Emma Hope, Heidi Klein - oh the list goes on for ever.

Calm down and review your purchases and have some lunch at Tom's Delicatessen, a modern bistro and deli from Terrence Conran's son.

Saturday Afternoon

Shop, shop, shop, shopping

One of the quickest ways to see what the hippest designers are doing is to go to the Dover Street Market. Brown's on South Molton Street is conveniently close and it's easy to spend a fortune in this exclusive and cutting-edge fashion store. However, as the canny fashionista knows that you don't always have to buy labels, check out nearby Top Shop, H&M, and Mango as well.

In order to remain a fashion guru, you must, must know your history and one of the greatest points of reference for the committed is the V&A's fashion collection. Fascinating! And it's just around the corner from the Brompton Cross. So after a quick spin around Jean Paul Gaultier, Paul & Joe and Chanel there is just enough time for a cup of herbal tea at Bibendum.

Saturday Evening

Dancing queen

Even though the day has been a shopping marathon, our fashionista still hasn't found that perfect black pencil skirt!

Luckily Harvey Nichols is open until 8pm on a Saturday. So that allows a little more time. Then it's straight upstairs to the bar for a well-deserved glass of champagne.

Suitably clad in casual yet classy day-to-evening wear, head off for cocktails at the Long Bar, followed by more cocktails and a dim sum at Hakkasan. But, oh dear, that one dim sum didn't hit the spot. So it has to be on to Momo's to share a tagine and then party the night away in the Kemia Bar.

Sunday

Handbags at noon

Having rolled back to the hotel in the wee small hours, all our fashionista can manage this morning is room service in bed, which consists of a slice of dry white toast and a small glass of orange juice!

With a mouth like the bottom of a parrot's cage, throbbing feet and a banging head our fashionista is really feeling the pain. The only cure? Handbag shopping on Sloane Street. With no trying on and no bending down, this really is the obvious Sunday afternoon pastime!