Q&a / Celebrity stylist Olivia Buckingham on her favourite London haunts: the fashionista, whose clients include Princess Beatrice and Poppy Delevingne, is a fan of Claridge’s, Koibird and Fortnum & Mason
She recommends Skin Design London and the Montrose Clinic for wellness, walks her dog Dolly on Hampstead Heath, and rates the sticky toffee pudding at The Fat Badger
What is the best and the worst thing about living in London?
The weather! It wouldn’t be London without the grey rainy days and everyone complaining, but when the sun shines the whole city lights up.
What are your favourite London hotels?
My No 1 has to be Claridge’s, the art deco icon that has epitomised understated elegance since the 1850s. The Fumoir is my favourite place to meet friends from out of town – best martini in town.
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is the new sister hotel to the grand dame of the Mandarin Hyde Park but in the heart of the city – go to [Korean-Japanese restaurant] Akira [Back] and have the dynamite lobster.
What are your favourite restaurants?
Golborne Fine Wine and Deli, my local at any time of the day and my go-to for coffee and champagne. You can sit outside and people watch, particularly on a Friday when the Portobello [Road] Market is in full swing.
Dorian is a local bistro in Notting Hill where you can order up a gastronomic feast, from oysters to T-bone steak. And [I love] Flute, the glamorous cocktail bar at the Broadwick Soho with a lavish rooftop.