So, what’s on the agenda this autumn? Quite a lot, actually. From skin-saving facials and bespoke candle experiences to new restaurant openings, private dining rooms, Mexican-inspired cocktails and a Beryl Cook takeover at Bicester Village, there’s no shortage of things to see and do.
We’ve rounded up the new openings, experiences, shopping spots and places to eat that deserve a spot on your autumn hit list – because staying in can wait until at least the clocks change.
A Beryl Cook Takeover at Bicester Village
As if we need another reason to visit the luxury shopping outlet Bicester Village to pick up some designer pieces at a fraction of the retail price in leafy Oxfordshire, the village is now celebrating the work of British painting icon Beryl Cook with an open-air art installation.
On display now up to 25 October, the village’s first art installation of Beryl Cook’s paintings brings her unique, fun and not-taking-life-too-seriously characters to Bicester Village. This month, Beryl Cook would have turned 100, with the installation created in collaboration with Studio Voltaire, the London-based arts charity.
Working with Beryl Cook’s family to make this quintessentially British, a mile-long line of larger-than-life figures are dotted outside some of Bicester Village’s most famous stores, perched on benches and popping up in and out of the plants.
There’s even a House of Voltaire pop-up, stocking a range of limited-edition Beryl Cook pieces. Highlights include limited-edition prints, tea trays, notebooks, tablecloths, T-shirts, pin badges, ‘I Love Beryl Cook’ canvas tote bags and cushions. And for the ultimate collector’s piece, there are original Beryl Cook paintings that you can own, giving you the chance to take home a piece of art history.
But if you don’t have time to squeeze in a visit to Bicester Village before 25 October, you can still catch House of Voltaire in Mayfair, in collaboration with Bicester Village, at Frieze No. 9, Cork Street, from 27 November to 19 December.
Beryl Cook Exhibition & House of Voltaire Pop-Up Shop at Bicester Village – Until 25 October
Bicester Village, 50 Pingle Dr, Bicester OX26 6WD
Nurse Teresa’s Red Carpet Facial: Your Autumn Skin Fix
If there’s one thing you should absolutely do this autumn, it’s book in for a Red Carpet Facial. Nurse Teresa’s Tan&Co clinic is situated in one of London’s prime wellbeing hotspots, moments from Psycle, Townhouse Nails and Revive IV Therapy.
Nurse Teresa will make you feel at ease the moment you step into her shiny clinic. With over 18 years’ experience as an award-winning clinical practitioner, she also knows a thing or two about skin health. She is incredibly knowledgeable, particularly when it comes to pigmentation, regenerative non-invasive laser treatments and results-driven skincare. A beauty editor favourite for a very good reason.
One thing you’ll notice is the curated edit of technology. There isn’t a room filled with every machine under the sun – Teresa really knows her stuff when it comes to choosing technology she knows will work, rather than simply jumping on the latest trend.
Teresa created the bespoke Red Carpet Facial to target skin texture, deliver serious glow and sculpt the skin back to life. It provides an immediate glow with no downtime, while also supporting longer-term skin quality – so you don’t come out rocking a tomato-toned face.
First up is the Aerolase Neo Elite, a gentle non-ablative laser that targets everything from pigmentation and redness to breakouts and collagen stimulation. This is followed by resurfacing with Geneo X/Glo2Facial technology – we hear Kim Kardashian is a fan and naturally has one at home. Gentle enough to use on sensitive skin types, it works like a magic wand to help remove congestion and refine the skin’s texture.
Then comes an ultrasound infusion, delivering a serious dose of hydration thanks to a cocktail of hyaluronic acid and ceramides to support the skin barrier, followed by Crazy RF, a warming Korean radio frequency treatment that can target a multitude of skin concerns – but let’s just say it’s ridiculously good at firming and lifting the skin, improving facial definition and helping to soften the appearance of fine lines, while supporting collagen and elastin.
The beauty of the treatment is that it can also be customised depending on what your skin needs, whether that’s microneedling or Dermalux LED. And voilà – you saunter out feeling fresh-faced, glowing and ready to grab that post-facial matcha, with an extra confidence boost in your step.
Red Carpet Facial, from £500 at Tan&Co 36 Great Titchfield Street
W London is Heading to Mexico: Soho’s Home of Agave
Travelled to Mexico and found yourself missing those sun-soaked margaritas? Well, think again. W London is bringing a taste of Mexican sunshine to Leicester Square – think crafted Mexican flavours, premium agave spirits and a whole lot of Soho energy. Welcome to Soho’s Home of Agave.
The Perception bar inside the W is your new go-to for a Mexican experience, with an extensive agave collection, great views of bustling Leicester Square below and a larger-than-life disco ball shining above the bar, the size of a Mini Cooper, to be precise.
With a dedicated menu of Mexico’s finest tipples, you’ll find reimagined classics with a W London twist – take the Chimichurri Royale, a twist on the Picante. If Palomas are your go-to, then you have five Paloma cocktails to choose from. Their Sierra Brava Paloma is quite the sipping experience, crafted with a mix of mezcal and tequila. You can also brush up your agave knowledge with monthly workshops – we’ve already booked on to the festive cocktail workshop.
It’s not just about cocktails here; the food is worth a trip alone, with flavours influenced by of Central and South America. There are lots of sharing plates to discover, including signature tacos: slow-cooked birria beef, Baja fish and braised oyster mushroom tacos, as well as a trio of crab tostadas. And no Mexican experience is complete without dipping into some salsa – the homemade salsa trio comes with complimentary refills to take advantage of.
The Perception at W, Leicester Square, 10 Wardour St, London W1D 6QF
The Jo Loves Shot Candle Experience You’ll Want to Book
Shopping for candles for autumn? How original, we hear you say. But what if, instead of simply picking one off the shelf, you could create your very own bespoke scent? Jo Loves’ Elizabeth Street store, in the heart of Belgravia, is doing things a little differently, allowing you to create a candle that is completely unique to you.
Behind the scenes, in the utterly chic surroundings, a dedicated scent artist will get you sniffing an array of scents to help you discover your perfect base scent that resonates with you, your mood and where you want to burn the candle at home. This is followed by a different layer of fragrance to combine and create something unique to you. Once you have settled on your chosen two scents, the top and base notes are combined together right in front of your eyes, housed in the classic Jo Loves glass jar and, of course, wrapped the Jo Loves way, with a signature Jo Loves red bow.
There’s also the fragrance tapas experience, where, trust us, your fragrance takes inspiration from the cocktail world, with scents whipped and foamed in a shaker.
Perfect for girls’ get-togethers with the upcoming festive season if you’re looking for something a little bit different to do, while taking home a personalised scent as a memory of the experience.
A shot candle experience, £75 | Available at 42 Elizabeth Street
The Ivy Asia St Paul’s Unveils its New VIP Private Dining and Events Space
There is no place quite like The Ivy Asia St Paul’s for a memorable dinner – the atmosphere, the theatre of the dishes, the food and signature cocktails that are almost as much of a talking point as the décor itself. The décor alone never ceases to amaze us, blending Japanese art with bursts of graphic design – the floor alone is crying out for a Chanel ballet pump social snap. I mean, where else will you find décor this abstract?
Just opened last week, The Sekushi Room is a new private dining and events space, perfect for a pre-Christmas get-together, corporate dinner, engagement celebration or special occasion that deserves a little extra theatre. Think the same food and signature Ivy cocktails, but with your own dedicated space.
Depending on your event theme and desired ambience, the new dedicated space can hold up to 50 seated or 100 standing guests if you’re looking for more of a canapé and champagne soirée. It can also be divided into three designated zones: the full Sekushi Room, or the smaller Tokyo and Kyoto Rooms, all complete with their own dedicated bar.
You’ll have a dedicated team looking after you, while the menu brings all the Ivy Asia favourites to the table. Think their famous 48-hour miso-marinated and glazed Black Cod Miso, or perhaps the Golden Aromatic Duck, served the Ivy way in a towering golden duck with dry-ice smoke. And, of course, however many Lychee Mules you opt for…because one is never enough.
Ivy Asia St Paul’s 20 New Change, London EC4M 9AG
Atis is Entering its New Wrap Era
Atis needs no introduction. It is quite frankly the place to stock up on real-food lunches, and earlier this month became a London Fashion Week favourite for grabbing a quick bite between shows.
This October, Atis launches its first-ever wraps range. You can expect the same fresh flavours Atis delivers, but with an Atis twist – think Blackened Chicken Caesar, Tahini Sweet Potato & Avo, Chicken Satay and Lemon Herb Chicken & Avo. There will also be plenty of in-store activations to celebrate the launch, including a giant Unwrap-to-Win wall.
Eleanor Warder, Co-Founder of Atis, explains: “We have been working on this category for over a year because we didn’t want to simply add wraps to the menu. We decided to develop our own bespoke tortilla, going through hundreds – and hundreds! – of iterations to get the texture, size, flavour and stretch exactly right. For us, the wrap itself is just as important as what goes inside it and that level of detail has gone into the whole experience.”
So you can mix your lunches up throughout the week: salad one day, a hot plate the next, a wrap when you fancy something different – and there’s even a breakfast option now.
With stores dotted across London, Atis currently has 17 locations, with a shiny new Whiteley Bayswater store set in a Grade II-listed heritage building opening in November, taking the total to 18. So, it’s never been easier to get your Atis fix.
Plus, there’s a new Autumn/Winter menu dropping next October. In Atis we trust.
Kiyori at Aki London: New Autumn Cocktail Menu
Kiyori is one of London’s most under-the-radar cocktail bars, even though its grand exterior might suggest otherwise. Tucked beneath Japanese restaurant Aki London in the original Grade II-listed bank vaults of One Cavendish Square. With striking architecture, mood lighting and Japanese-inspired cocktails, it’s an intimate late-night or after-work drinks spot that’s well worth popping in for a cocktail or two.
This autumn, Kiyori is giving us even more reason to visit, with a new Japanese-inspired cocktail menu bringing together unexpected flavour combinations and East Asian ingredients. There’s also the launch of Kissa Nights every Saturday – a Japanese traditional music experience that adds an entirely different dimension to the late-night bar.
If you’re a matcha-a-day kind of person, then the Matcha Coconut Sour is going to be right up your street – it ticks all the boxes when it comes to flavour, with just the right balance of quality matcha, and looks good enough for an Instagram story. Also worth shouting about is the Espresso & Miso Martini, while the Shiitake Negroni is worth ordering for the road.
Plus, it would be rude not to graze on some bar bites while sipping. The wagyu tataki, accompanied by a truffle and mustard pickle concoction, and the spicy sesame edamame are quite possibly some of the best bar snacks in London. After-work drinks just got an upgrade.
Kiyori at Aki London, 1 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0LA
