Shopping in Marylebone

Used as an expert voice on all things style, from wearing vintage with panache to dressing for the Oscars, former interior designer William Banks-Blaney is in demand.

At Alfies Antique Market your vintage handbag comes with a few words about its provenance, and a spot of gentle hunting is often rewarded with a genuinely rare piece of furniture.

Expect a fine selection of occasion and eveningwear at this stylish vintage store run by mother and daughter duo Carole and Sarah.

‘Decorative without being fussy’ is how Tony Bloch describes his stock. He specialises in Scandinavian, French and English pieces from the Georgian era to the 1950s.

The shop is a must for deco enthusiasts and a particularly good hunting ground for those furnishing small flats, with dinky occasional tables and silver or chrome deco photograph frames.

Though not strictly a travel bookshop, this beautiful Edwardian shop will always be seen first and foremost as a travel specialist thanks to its elegant three-level back room.

Cadenhead’s is a survivor of a rare breed: the independent whisky bottler. And its shop is one of a kind, at least in London.

Jane Packer – the florist of choice for many stars – has now become something of a household name. This sleek Marylebone store fronts her equally successful school of floristry.

A long-established retailer with a great reputation for knowledge and expertise, Button Queen is an emporium of antique and modern buttons of all shapes and sizes.

A superb place to visit when you’re in need of visual inspiration, VV Rouleaux, opened by florist Annabel Lewis some two decades ago, is an enduring favourite.

Marylebone’s Chiltern Street is the central London outpost of the original Southall shop that was opened over 25 years ago by Harjit Singh Shah.

With over 140 years’ experience in selling Stradivaris, Guarneris and other Italian masters, J & A Beare’s collection of instruments is of the highest calibre.

Britain’s leading outlet for woodwind instruments and accessories operates across three separate storefronts selling clarinets, saxophones, bassoons and oboes.

If it’s got strings and it swings, you can buy it here. The most impressive racket sports specialist in London, Wigmore Sports has a whole room stacked full of tennis, squash and badminton rackets.