Wee Birdy | The insider’s guide to shopping, design, interiors, travel, fashion and beauty

London shopping: Tracey Neuls

August 6, 2008

Today we’re heading back to Marylebone Lane and the bijou boutique at number 29 which is home to Tracey Neuls and her eponymous collection of shoes.

I’ve often walked past the window and marvelled at the Canadian designer’s unconventional approach to visual merchandising. Here, shoes are displayed like an installation, hanging in rows from the ceiling.

The artsy connection doesn’t end there. The shoes really are “pieces” and reflect the designer’s taste for the theatrical. Her premium Tracey Neuls label is beautifully hand-crafted in Italy with extraordinary attention to detail. But unlike a pretentious hands-off gallery, these elegant shoes are utterly wearable, with lots of low hand-carved conical wooden heels and flats (joyous news for this arthritic ol’ birdy!).

The current Tracey Neuls summer collection (on its way out and on sale with 30 per cent off) features lots of patent leather in ripe, juicy colours like apple green, sky blue and cherry, with distinctive girlish and vintage-inspired details including contrast piping, oversized buttons, duplicate buckles and peep-toes.

Her other label, TN_29, is made in Portugal and showcases a more muted, neutral palette with a less “produced” quality. I love the soft leather tie-front sandals in tan and black.

Apart from shoes, there’s a selection of tights and soft, slouchy leather bags in black, red and grey with covetable circular wooden handles. Neuls is also the only English stockist for German designer Girl and the Gorilla’s range of delicate crocheted headbands (£40), cotton crocheted gloves (£75) and wrist bands.