Hot off the (literal) heels of London Fashion Week, the city is abuzz with the success of British talent. But while you may not have had a seat along the runway this time around, there is a very easy, accessible, and utterly enjoyable way to experience your favourite high-fashion brand firsthand: at its flagship store. Unlike the commercialised, messy and frankly, boring, stores that line the high streets of the country, the designer boutiques of luxury brands are purposefully located in some of the most exclusive areas, carefully curated to showcase the very best of the latest collection, and expensively decorated to excite you, enchant you, and welcome you into their own little world.

A flagship store is about building connections: between you, the product, the brand, the designer, and their ethos, and will transport you from your day-to-day to a world of refined taste and ultimate elegance. We’ve scoured London’s most prominent shopping districts and found the very best British designer flagship boutiques, from Rejina Pyo and Burberry to Rixo and beyond. Credit cards at the ready, it’s time to go shopping…

Burberry, New Bond Street, Mayfair

Earlier this year, Burberry’s 22,000-square-foot flagship store on Bond Street underwent a total refurbishment. Commissioned by new creative director, Daniel Lee, it is designed to reflect the vision he has for the brand, combining a new aesthetic with the tradition and heritage that form Burberry’s foundations. The vision begins from the outside: a striking whitewashed building, with vast display windows outlined with black frames, and entrance doors flanked by two huge white flags displaying the Equestrian Knight motif.

Inside the space feels shockingly large: white, bright, and open, the store is purposefully minimalist in order to spotlight the key pieces on display. Colour comes from contemporary furniture in cobalt blue and taupe, as well as the products on show, such as scarves pulled tight to create a panel-like effect across the walls. Overhead lighting is cleverly styled to imitate the distinctive Burberry check – a detail easily overlooked – while the VIP area is softer in style: warm and neutral in colour, with a curtained dressing area and plush beige sofa in the centre. Trust me, it will take a seriously strong will to leave here empty-handed.

21-23 New Bond Street, W1S 2RE , visit burberry.com

Simone Rocha, Mount Street, Mayfair

Debuting at London Fashion Week in 2010, Simone Rocha quickly cemented herself as one of the capital’s most celebrated designers, so it was with much excitement that she opened her London flagship just five years later. One of just four Simone Rocha boutiques in the world, the designer’s distinctive hand is felt throughout. Shell-white walls and concrete floors give the space a pared-back, industrial feel, allowing the shapes and textures of the collections on display to stand out – and draw you in.

Clothes are hung on rails in spotlit alcoves, with shoes placed side-by-side beneath them, automatically inviting you to vision yourself in the full ensemble. The textural and sculptural forms don’t stop at the clothing. Alongside Perspex cases housing pearls and jewels is a plexiglass box containing a honeycomb hive, while a pink onyx desk, designed by Rocha, is used as a counter and placed next to a mesh installation housing mannequins dressed in the latest collection. A ceramic chandelier is suspended above the staircase, while 3D roses hide in the cornices of the ceiling. A gallery of texture: exactly what Rocha wanted.

93 Mount Street, W1K 2SY, visit simonerocha.com

Huishan Zhang, Mount Street, Mayfair

Huishan Zhang is a Chinese-born, London-based, Dior Haute Couture-trained designer; three influences that unite in his collections and are paralleled in the design of his Mayfair store. The boutique is split into two rooms linked by an interconnected pair of moon gates, not only a common architectural feature in traditional Chinese gardens, but also echoing the shape of the number eight, a symbol of fortune and prosperity in Chinese numerology.

The rooms are painted in a soft-shell colour, kept clean and neutral apart from the granite blocks and touches of wood used for the displays. Hand-painted floral motifs, also in neutral tones, border the rooms, which lend themselves to the decorative femininity and directional design seen in Zhang’s collections. In contrast, the dressing rooms are carpeted – floor, ceiling, and walls – in a rich terracotta pink chosen to give a sense of unexpected space. This season, a cornflower blue dress embellished with crystals is suspended from the ceiling in front of the bay window, the early morning sunlight glinting off every gem.

5b Mount Street, W1K, 3NE, visit huishanzhang.com

Rejina Pyo, Upper James Street, Mayfair

When it came to her London flagship, Rejina Pyo had a very clear vision, sketching out her ideas and collaborating with select creators to bring it to life. The backdrop is a neutral white, which allows the textures and elements to welcome you inside. The sculptural tables of travertine, aluminium and lace wood were co-designed by Pyo, and though they demand attention, they don’t feel heavy or invasive, but organic and purposeful, topped with sculptures, textiles, books and accessories, much like a table in a home.

Clothes are hung in the same fashion as a wardrobe, however, the abstract figures bookending each rail remind you that you are in a place of art and adventure – one brimming with the ‘hidden curiosities’ which make the world so interesting. Pyo’s favourite object on display is a selection of rocks she collected with her son, which she insists bring a positive energy to the store. Speaking to Luxury London, she explains that she wants this to be a space where “customers feel a sense of belonging and warmth… the kind of place you tell your friends about.” It is an expression of comfort, practicality and style; everything the Rejina Pyo brand stands for.

37 Upper James Street, W1F 9DG, visit rejinapyo.com

Roksanda, Mount Street, Mayfair

Roksanda Ilincic opened her first-ever store on London’s Mount Street in 2014 – and it remains her flagship to this day. The design concept draws on the same foundations as each Roksanda collection: a play of geometries and symmetries, bold colours and shapely details. The walls are made of concrete slabs, with some irregularly staggered to create plinths for perching bags. The marble flooring is laid in a herringbone design, while clothing rails zig-zag through the centre of the boutique. Mirrored troughs are used to hold accessories, and floor-length mirrors reflect the store's buzz and excitement.

There is a feeling of movement and rhythm in the geometric lines at play, and given the fact that Ilincic is a graduate of architecture and applied arts, it's no surprise that this is what she created. In order to preserve the historic fabric of the building the store is built as a box within the original frame but space is still abundant. It houses the full seasonal collection, as well as limited runs of handcrafted pieces only available at Mount Street

9 Mount Street, W1K 3NG, visit roksanda.com

Erdem, South Audley Street, Mayfair

Designed by eponymous designer Erdem Moralıoğlu’s architect boyfriend, Philip Joseph, the concept for the store was to create a home for the Erdem woman, a space to be “inhabited by Erdem’s muse”. The light-filled boutique is decorated with powder-blue walls, a colour that instantly immerses you into its elegant world. A harlequin-patterned marble floor runs throughout, made from diamond-shaped tiles that came from the same quarry used for the marble at Versailles.

Much like the Erdem collections, the space is embellished with floral touches, from delicate flowers in a vase on a central table, to huge Alocasia trees in giant earthen pots, along with homely touches including books, art and photography from Moralıoğlu’s own collection. In the basement, an emerald green velvet sofa invites you to take a seat while you gaze out at the ferns in the garden through the window. And, just when you feel like you’ve reached peak elegance, your eyes fall upon the clothes…

70 South Audley Street, W1K 2RA, visit erdem.com

Alexander McQueen, Old Bond Street, Mayfair

Designed by creative director Sarah Burton, the Alexander McQueen London flagship is a physical entity of the eponymous late designer's vision for the brand. As soon as you step over the threshold, you are transported from the streets of London into what feels like a living environment: a range of natural woods make up the floors and walls, with sunlight-coloured spotlights adding to the warmth. Accessories sit atop slabs of chalk-coloured rock, while very well-dressed mannequins stand proud around the shop.

While frequently changing to reflect the brand’s latest campaign or collection, at present the thin net which hangs from ceiling to floor behind the front windows had thousands of embellished butterflies and beetles sewn into it. Dressing rooms, housed inside columns around the shop floor, are also painted with the vibrant patterns of butterfly wings – a persistent motif for Alexander McQueen. The top floor, meanwhile, is a workshop and exhibition space, exploring McQueen’s past creations and fuelling future creativity across the fashion industry. Details change each season to reflect the current collections, but rest assured they will be forward-thinking, captivating and dedicated to the beauty of nature: an ethos that McQueen lived for.

7 Old Bond Street, W1S 3SP, visit alexandermcqueen.com

Rixo, King’s Road, Chelsea

The Rixo flagship is nothing short of a wonderland: a place of excitement and escapism, a celebration not only of the brand, but of community. The enfilade from the front entrance doors through to the accessories hall at the back allows you to look through the entire store from the street, where multiple rooms and plenty of movement entice you to explore. The use of eclectic colours and fabrics, patterns and vintage furniture, meanwhile, all play into Rixo’s identity.

Ready-to-wear collections are hung on wall-mounted rails, while the pre-loved and vintage styles are presented on rotating carousel rails which encourage you to rummage like you would at a (high-end) charity store. Although there is a dedicated accessories hall, Rixo also stores some in its changing rooms so you can style an entire ensemble. The dressing rooms themselves encourage you to come out and interact with those around you, experiencing the clothes as you would in real life. At the centre of the store is a fabulous bar area, where you can sit with a cocktail and catch-up with friends before heading out for retail therapy.

114-116 King’s Road, SW3 4TX, visit rixolondon.com

Read more: London's best vintage boutiques