For the savvy shopper, Bicester Village has long been the number one destination for covetable discounted luxury brands - featuring everything from fashion-editor favourites Balenciaga and Celine to luxury market leaders Prada and Dior. And now the line-up looks even better; the opening of 30 new boutiques means that the main thoroughfare is now estimated to be the length of the Champs-Elysees.
Roksanda Ilincic, Christopher Kane, Bamford, Acne, Kenzo and Joseph are just a few of the designer labels now on offer in the extended clapperboard avenue of the village. Rapha, Dsquared2, Zadig & Voltaire, Emma Bridgewater, See by Chloé and Villeroy & Boch nestle nearby, plus Orlebar Brown, The Cambridge Satchel Company, Philipp Plein and Escada have also joined the Bicester family. Harrys of London and Charlotte Olympia are coming soon.
"This new footprint allows us to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to new levels," explains Desirée Bollier, chair of Value Retail Management, the owners of Bicester Village. "It gives us the freedom to showcase the young and exciting design talents of tomorrow."
A good example of this is The British Collective, a gifting boutique curated by interior designer and illustrator Luke Edward Hall. Head there for monochrome bone china by Rory Dobner and witty knitwear by Chinti & Parker and Markus Lupfer, as well as fashion and art books, plus bags by Sophie Hulme. Beauty-wise, make-up supremo Charlotte Tilbury is another welcome addition to the smaller pop-ups dotted around the village.
Many of the original brands have moved to larger stores, with Anya Hindmarch and Paul Smith leading the way, plus Ralph Lauren, whose imposing pillared entrance at the new end of the village is more five-star hotel than retail boutique.
For a heightened shopping experience, the No. 50 VIP apartment, designed by interior designers Carden Cunietti, is an elegant country house space, destined to offer personal shopping, personalised trunk shows and a relaxing environment for guests to book.
With Christmas around the corner and Bicester Village already decking the halls with twinkling Christmas trees and jaunty quilted jacket-clad reindeer, we can think of no better reason to visit.
For opening times and further information visit Bicestervillage.com.
