Londoners who enjoy the charm of boutique shopping and the excellence of world-renown brands will appreciate Seven Dials in Covent Garden. At its bi-annual shopping event this May, over two-hundred stores came out in force to offer discounts, freebies, tasters, and try-ons. Here’s a little sampling of what went on, compliments of Maddie Salters, along with some of her picks, recommendations, and favourites, to wet your appetite until their next event.
The seven streets of independent British storefronts and internationally recognised labels that make up the Seven Dials offer an array of options, whether you’re looking to window shop, relax and mange on an outdoor terrace, spruce up at a salon, or get a jump on the season’s latest trends. It includes some of the most scenic consumer spaces in London, from the cobbled walks studded in coffee go-tos along Monmouth Street, to the sporty wears in brick buildings along Earlham Street. The Seven Dials shopping event, taking place once a year in December (to cover last-minute Christmas shoppers) and once in May to welcome the spring, has a feeling of community and pageantry that ties together its diverse walks and invites London out to socialise while they spree.
A highlight of the experience was the number of wide open spaces available for public use. Both at St Martin’s Courtyard, and at the Seven Dials’ central park, food trucks were out in force, buskers were keeping the mood up, lawn chairs and outdoor games kept families amused and relaxed. Any time marathon shopping is involved, a key is knowing there’s a spot where you can sit down, regroup, and take a breather. These areas, serviced with free drinks by local restaurants and cafes for the event (not to mention some icy-cool, seriously delicious tea-infused cocktails by King Bloom; edible glitter, vodka, and coconut served in a jam jar, anyone?) managed to be both relaxed and re-energising. The perfect spot for organising a plan of attack, and taking breaks in between exploring shops.
As for the event itself, highlights included May trend talks, held in a VIP teepee by the Senior Style Director of Elle Magazine and Esquire Magazine. Open to the public, the talks went over the season’s designer highlights, and Q&As allowed shoppers to get an intimate look of what’s on-point for the months to come directly from celebrated stylists.
20% discounts across participating stores, manicures at Pretty Ballerinas, fragrance consultations at Miller Harris, and free makeup tutorials at Shu Uemura were a few of the extra perks that put a spring in my step. I also appreciated the charitable nature of the event: Seven Dials tote bags, being sold along the streets, donated shopper’s funds to the charity Dragon Hall – and everyone really got into the spirit of donating!
Lastly, I loved the vibe of the event. If Seven Dials wasn’t already enchanting enough, a fairytale illustration with a rare tranquility to it in comparison to most of London’s retail havens, then the gutsy vibe of the May event only added to the allure. Music, cheerful people milling about, everyone willing to stop and have a chat: it was like one cool, laid back party, where everyone had on a good pair of shoes.
Don’t worry if you missed out – look for their next event this December, and pay them a summery visit in the meantime.
Find out more at sevendials.co.uk.
