If you ever fancy a laugh, take a walk down Carnaby Street and have a look at Liam Gallagher, gooning down from a massive height in the narcissistic windows of his label Pretty Green's flagship store. Celebrities can turn their hand to product design if they fancy, but if they want to be taken seriously as retailers then trading on their own image is not the way to go about it.
The way to go about it is illustrated perfectly by this handsome new store on the Seven Dials - home to Robbie Williams' label Farrell for the next six months, although you'll need the steely determination of a still-obsessed Thatter to spot any reference to the man himself. Williams launched the brand in 2011, in homage to Jack Farrell - the dapper grandfather who helped raise him. A few old family snaps on the wall give a good idea of why he was such a sartorial inspiration, bundled up in sheepskin coats, fisherman's knits and shiny shoes. His wardrobe is the starting point for the design process, which is led by Ben Dickins – former designer director at Burberry, no less. The marriage of heritage styling – inspired by the threads of old Pa Farell – with quality and sophistication (there is an unmistakable ring of Burberry about many pieces such as the perfect parkas and belted wool coats), makes this one of Covent Garden's finest menswear outfitters. There are some men out there who are interested in faddy prints and outlandish trends, but even the most-style focused of chaps are usually just looking for classic, quality pieces with a touch of a twist. That's what they'll find here - beautiful chunky knits with suede shoulder patches are fairly priced at £135, the perfect cotton bomber with an aviator collar at £250 would last a lifetime. If you're not a Robbie fan, don't let that get in the way of buying Farrell - if you are a Robbie fan, don't come here looking for him.