Overlook unhealthy-boy rockers and dangerous-boy artists. I do not actually eat lunch, so within the afternoon I typically head to the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, in the East End close to Brick Lane market, a superb place for seeing the scruffier a part of London. A Nottingham boy made good, he opened his first shop in 1970 in an alley with a couple of fundamental items; now his collections embody girls’s put on, youngsters’s put on, leisure wear, formal wear–you name it, he designs it, from ties to toothbrushes. The very best fish-and-chips in London is at Geales, just behind my native cinema. It’s stuffed with rabbits and squirrels, and there’s a Japanese backyard. I like Alastair Little, close to my house; it’s intimate, with a small every day menu, meaning you do not have to think a lot. I have about 300 toy robots, together with a dinosaur that walks. It is the one time I get any peace and quiet. Certainly, as the British Empire has shrunk, the Smith empire has grown, and these days the designer spends seven months of the 12 months jetting between his outposts in London, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Manila, and Japan, the place Smithmania has created the necessity for 200 retailers. And i all the time try to get there late so I won’t have to wait. On the plane I exploit nasal spray to clear my head and keep my ears from popping, and a geranium-based antibacterial oil from Micheline Arcier, an aromatherapist close to Harvey Nichols. The only factor I will not go away house without is my Braun journey alarm clock. I’m fascinated in the minds that design toys, as a result of there’s nobody more durable to please than a child. I also hate waiting for bags, so except I’m going to Tokyo for two weeks, I just bring this stunning beat-up previous nameless leather bag I’ve–like jeans, it will get higher with age. For dinner, I keep in Notting Hill (I’ve gotten lazy). I actually enjoy being on planes. They serve wine, which is nice, because you can have your fish-and-chips and get pissed as properly. Then have roast beef at Simpson’s on the Strand. I begin with a swim on the Royal Vehicle Membership in Pall Mall, a fantastic old non-public membership. There is a Picasso bust in the courtyard of St.-Germain-des-Prés that not many individuals know about. However I don’t like airports. It’s probably my favourite place of all. For me, a very powerful factor at a lodge is the pool, so in Paris I always stay on the Ritz, and that i all the time have the same room, but it is a secret. Afterward, I’d swing by the Photographers’ Gallery, or Hamiltons –it is bought incredible work by Helmut Newton, David Bailey, and so many others. It is on the technique to my workplace in Covent Backyard and has a pleasant atmosphere–filled with movie people. Stay at the Basil Street Lodge, the final word quaint, old style institution. On Sundays in Tokyo there’s an antiques market within the Togo Shrine, a 3-minute walk from Harajuku station. No books. No pc. Afternoons in Paris, I really like going to the Musée d’Orsay. I can simply spend three hours there, after which I stroll a block to a implausible meals market. Stroll in Kensington Gardens — start by the palace, walk around the pond, go to the Serpentine Gallery, then circle back to the Orangery, a park café, to have a cheese sandwich and champagne. The backyard is run by both staff and volunteers, and it’s usually stuffed with lovely old ladies serving tea and cakes. I additionally love strolling across the Left Financial institution, notably the Rue Jacob and Rue de Seine area. The first to place the savvy in Savile Row, Smith has devoted the previous three many years to taking the familiar swimsuit (not to say boxer shorts and the Filofax) and remodeling it, by way of coloration, lower, and sample, into a witty wink at tradition. If I do pack a swimsuit, I take advantage of acid-free tissue paper–you may tell it’s acid-free when it’s totally crinkly. It’s primarily a severe garden devoted to medicinal plants. Inside I pack numerous mesh luggage from Muji in Tokyo: one for underwear and socks; one other for shirts, which I go away in their dry-cleaner baggage. The Windsor Castle does great pub food: sausage and mash, oysters and Guinness. I feel it could be a good place to die–not that I’m planning on that or something. As to what he likes, well, learn on. I exploit Heathrow because I cannot be bothered to go all the way in which all the way down to Gatwick. I am particularly partial to the colours of flowers simply as they’re fading. I really like the contrast between the mountains and the lake–the dimensions feels regular, till you see a seaplane go by and realize it’s the scale of a fly in contrast with the Alps. Much less well-known is Painshill Backyard (Portsmouth Rd; 44-1932/868-113), in Cobham, 35 minutes from Woking Station. In summer time, one other place I’m going for inspiration is the Chelsea Physic Garden, which is open solely on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. A visit price taking is to Wisley Garden (44-1483/224-234), the Royal Horticultural Society Backyard, in Woking, Surrey, 25 minutes by prepare from Waterloo Station. It has mannequin gardens (urban, herb) and is the place to solve any horticultural quandary. I am going to Mr. Christian’s Provisions, pick up some Parma ham, bresaola, cheese, one thing from their huge choice of breads–and loosen up. I put a number of drops on my handkerchief to protect against all of the germs floating round. At present, you can see Paul Smith shops here and there particularly all around the world. In Tuscany, I go to Lucca, a medieval walled town that has an antiques market the third weekend of every month in summer season. I’m an antique-aholic and a avenue-market addict. The coolest creator in Britannia, as any clotheshorse will let you know, is designer Paul Smith. In London, the place to be on Saturdays is Portobello (get there by nine), and Bermondsey is on Fridays (however you should be there by round seven). I may base a whole assortment on Cézanne’s use of shade. The Ritz has a real pool, as does the Okura in Tokyo. For contemporary British and Russian painting, I’m partial to the Caelt Gallery, simply across the street from Lacy Gallery, which has fabulous antique picture frames. I additionally like Assaggi, but it is tiny and it’s important to e book weeks ahead. Otherwise, I simply carry a pen and a notebook. The shop, he says, is a “statement against minimalism and black-and-white chic.” Not surprisingly for somebody whose socks are Crayola-vibrant, he hates homogenization. The chef is from Sardinia, and he does wonderful grilled fish. For classic English clothes, take a look at Hackett or the Burlington Arcade. For top-finish antiques, walk down New Kings Road. There is no hotel with a decent pool in Milan, so if I’m not too pressed for time I keep an hour’s drive away in Cernobbio, at the Villa d’Este. I’ve purchased furnishings there and had it despatched the world over on the Shanghai Specific. If I’ve any free time in Paris on a weekend morning, at about 10 I go to the Porte de Vanves (at Avenue Marc-Sangnier and Avenue Georges-Lafenestre), which is much less well known than the flea market at Clignancourt and a great place to seek out the random perfect thing: a lamp, a pen, an old shirt. They supposedly serve excellent croissants, however I’m quite boringly English; I order toast. When it is sunny sufficient for a picnic, I like Holland Park. Part of an 18th-century property, Painshill’s green gardens are examples of English eclecticism at its best. The food is gentle, concentrating on simple Italian dishes. Then I am going to Patisserie Valerie for breakfast. I attempt to travel in a suit, or denims and a suit jacket, so the jacket does not get crushed within the bag.