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Posh v not-so-Posh: VERY different fashion boutiques ran by Victoria Beckham and her sister (5)

(Mail Online)    14:53, February 24, 2016

Designer decor

There are echoes of Posh’s shop, with industrial chic pipes instead of clothes rails and metallic tiles on the walls.

The similarities end there, however: Louise’s boutique is cosy and warmly lit. She denies her A-list sister has helped bankroll her shop, despite ‘helping financially to get her on her feet’ after the breakdown of her second marriage, to businessman Darren Flood, in 2014.

Creating ambience

There’s no signature scent, but the shop is stocked with £10 Sandy Bay candles in pomegranate and musk, giving it a pleasant fragrance.

Instead of a soundtrack, there’s a radio, and a flatscreen TV in the corner playing music videos on silent.

Smiling staff

Louise and Leighann run the shop themselves. Brooklyn Beckham was rumoured to be working here part-time alongside his cousin, Louise’s daughter Liberty, but there’s no sign of either.

The only family member in sight is Victoria and Louise’s mother Jackie, who’s helping out with the lunchtime rush.

She’s said to have been a ‘rock’ for Louise since her marriage ended —and keeps a low profile, chatting to customers and tidying the rails.

Changing rooms

There’s no fancy glass and you’d be hard-pushed to bring a buggy inside, but the two small cubicles are ample for customers wanting to try before they buy.

Busy day?

Unlike her sister’s eerily silent shop, the door to Louise’s boutique is almost constantly swinging.

I count 12 customers during my visit, and there’s a steady stream all afternoon.

There are echoes of Posh’s shop, with industrial chic pipes instead of clothes rails and metallic tiles on the walls. Louise and her business partner Leighann Cook run the shop themselves

Celebrity customers

Louise’s clientele are a world away from her sister’s uber-rich regulars.

There have been no celebrity sightings — even Posh hasn’t been spotted popping in — but there’s a loyal local fanbase as well as plenty of curious tourists.

When I visit, an older woman is favourably comparing a £30 quilted bag to Chanel and another is telling Leighann about her daughter’s holiday.

‘I was very impressed,’ says local Susan Reed, 63, who had visited the shop for the first time. ‘It wasn’t really for my age group — it might be more suited to a teenage girl — but the prices are very appealing.’

Help for husbands

There’s no special service here. The shop’s so small there’s barely space to stand. Hubbies would be better off taking a pew in the Dream Cafe next door, where they can get a coffee for £2.

To the tills

Louise has been taking notes from her sister, with a till-less payment system that’s all done by iPad. And, in her shop, it goes without a hitch —taking my details and confirming my purchase in a matter of minutes.

For £57, I walk away with three items — an orange dress, a white blouse and a novelty keyring — parcelled up in black and white paper bags that are remarkably similar to her sibling’s.

For the £150 I spent in Mayfair, however, I could have bought three dresses, two blouses and three keyrings — and still had £5 change.

VERDICT

They may seem worlds apart, but Posh’s upscale boutique isn’t as different to her downmarket sibling’s as she’d like to think.

It may not be high quality — and it’s far from high fashion — but you could do worse than Louise’s cheap, colourful clothes and service with a smile.

If anything, she might consider sending a customer or two her sister’s way.


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(Editor:Yao Xinyu,Bianji)

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