Great Buy — Mr Larkin

Introducing Great Buy, a new Patter series dedicated to stores where we love to shop – virtually, and IRL. First up, Mr Larkin.

At first glance, Houston and Copenhagen don’t have much in common. The first is known for space rockets, and Beyoncé. The second for Scandi noir and Ganni. But they are linked as locations of Mr Larkin, the twin stores founded by designer and boutique owner Casey Larkin Blond in 2013. The Copenhagen store, with exposed concrete floors dotted with Berber-style rugs, is a place we would like to visit.

Blond’s own brand – also called Mr Larkin – is sold at the stores and online. Her pieces – shirt dresses, pullovers and the odd item in a satisfying acid green – have a modern femininity about them, one that celebrates the joy that can be found by zeroing in on the mundane. Who doesn’t want a really lovely pair of silk pyjamas, for example?

This spirit is also reflected in the other designers instore. The curation of Mr Larkin feels considered and confident – and it calls to a customer who aspires to exactly these attributes. See wear-everyday jeans by Caran Callahan, impressive sleeves by Mara Hoffmann and slightly slacker basics from Baserange. The edit is key here – some designers might only provide a few things. But shopping under the discerning eye of someone like Blond provides care, and that feels like a definition of true luxury right now. Mr Larkin, in fact, shows us – once again – how, when it comes to the shopping experience, a great boutique wins every time.

New York was no doubt thrilled to hear the news that Bode, that label to love for handcrafted pieces, have opened a store in the Lower East Side. In keeping with designer Emily Adams Bode’s commitment to making new out of old, the brand is taking over the premises from Classic Coffee Shop, who have provided caffeine fixes to New Yorkers for 40 years, as the owner retires. Regulars can rest assured that the coffee will keep coming. Along with clothes, and furniture from Bode’s husband Aaron Aujla, the store will sell cups of joe, using the original drip coffee machine. This may be the downtown destination of dreams.