Shopping, Streaming & Socialising – Our Date With Mr Selfridge

Shopping, socialising and streaming are among our favourite S words right now and you can imagine our delight when we got the chance to indulge in all three. Thanks to the lovely people at Netflix, we got the chance to catch up on all things Mr Selfridge before series three of the show starts. The streaming site is responsible for original shows such as House of Cards (anyone else crazy excited for February 27th?!) and Orange is the New Black. Clever Netflix recommends new shows once you finish your current favourite and this is how we stumbled upon Mr Selfridge. If you’ve ever harboured a secret desire to time travel, or you have a grá for all things shopping, this show is a must-watch. Some of the main characters in Mr Selfridge Although we weren’t quite sure what to think at the start, one and a half episodes in and we were completely hooked. Love, drama, family, tragedy, war, business, it actually has everything...and some show-stopping gowns for good measure of course. Series one and two of the show are currently available on Netflix (if you haven’t watched it already, we highly recommend doing so) and season three is soon to start on ITV. Check out Mr Selfridge's residence... To catch up on all things Mr Selfridge we took a trip to London where we traveled in the cars that are used in the show, visited the various locations and of course, we had to indulge in the delights the iconic department store has to offer. Did somebody say shopping?! A stay in Browns, one of London's oldest hotels, had us feeling like ladies of lesiures as we hung out in plush Mayfair surrounded by art galleries and designer shops. Victoria Beckham's Dover Street store is located directly across the road and we may have wandered in for a look. No sign of VB on this occasion but we shall return (when we win the Lotto). Traditional afternoon tea in Selfridges and a beautiful dinner in The Savoy gave us an insight into how the wealthy lived way back when. Olde world style decor coupled with grand surroundings made for an authentic experience of life in 1910 and it was quite the struggle to return to normality. Check out these wheels! Mr Grove dropped by during our trip to the Savoy, fans of the show will recognise him as chief-of-staff at Selfridges and we are pleased to report that Tom Goodman-Hill is just as gentlemanly as his on-screen character. Mr Grove (Tom Goodman Hill) and Dominic Barlow stopped by for a chat Producer Dominic Barlow who worked on series two of Mr Selfridge also swung by and it was the perfect opportunity to grill fashion expert Caryln Franklin on the various costumes and style from 1909 onwards. We even got the chance to play dress-up and are currently figuring out how we can wear feather boas, headdresses and full skirts on our next night out. If we weren’t obsessed with the show before, we certainly are now. This includes raving about it to anyone who will listen. "Dressing up begins at age five and never truly ends" - we're in agreement with Kate Spade. In the same way that Harry Gordon Selfridge revolutionised shopping, Netflix has changed the way we watch television. That often means saying goodbye to a full night's sleep but we're okay with that as long as get to find out exactly what happens with Claire and Frank Underwood...