A Season Of Discovery

Part of the pleasure of travelling through Europe is coming across things you hadn’t planned for. A shop you wander into, a meal that stretches longer than expected, a piece of design you find yourself thinking about days later. These discoveries often become part of how you remember a place, sitting alongside the museums, landmarks and restaurants you had marked out before arriving.

Shopping can be part of that experience, too. The Bicester Collection’s nine European Villages bring together luxury labels across fashion, jewellery, beauty and homeware, making them a stop to consider while travelling between cities or spending a day outside one. Personal Shopping and concierge services are available across the Villages, with Hands-Free Shopping for those who would rather leave their bags behind and get on with the rest of the day.

With Diwali around the corner, the thought of bringing something home takes on a different meaning. A gift might be something for the festive table, a new addition to the wardrobe or a small object that recalls a trip. Through its DO GOOD initiative, The Bicester Collection is also bringing its partnership with    I Was A Sari to Bicester Village and Fidenza Village during October and November. The collaboration centres Indian craftsmanship and women’s empowerment, with pieces available through Personal Shopping and concierge services across the Collection.

A French Classic, Reimagined

At La Vallée Village, just outside Paris, the latest reason to linger is Café Lapérouse. The opening brings the spirit of one of France’s historic gastronomic institutions into a contemporary retail setting, extending a shopping visit into a longer afternoon of French food, design and hospitality.

Founded in 1766 on the banks of the Seine, Lapérouse has spent more than two centuries building its reputation as a Parisian address shaped by gastronomy, culture and a particular art of entertaining. Its historic salons have welcomed figures including Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, Ernest Hemingway and Serge Gainsbourg. The new café carries that legacy into a different setting, offering a contemporary interpretation of the Maison’s approach to hospitality.

Designed as an evocation of an imagined Paris, the space brings together blue awnings, a terrace inspired by traditional Parisian brasseries, light-filled salons, a Shell Bar, a cabinet of curiosities, a romantic garden and a monumental 15-metre fresco. The result draws on the visual language of the original institution while creating a setting of its own.

The menu follows a similar approach, revisiting familiar French favourites through a contemporary lens. Oeuf Lapérouse, croque-monsieur, truffle rigatoni, pastries and signature desserts make the café an option from breakfast through to afternoon tea and early-evening drinks. For visitors, it adds another reason to make time for La Vallée Village beyond its more than 110 boutiques.

Art Takes Over Bicester Village

At Bicester Village, British artist Beryl Cook’s unmistakable characters have found an open-air stage. Created in collaboration with Studio Voltaire to mark the centenary of her birth, a mile-long installation brings her colourful depictions of everyday life into the shopping destination.

Life-size cut-outs and large-scale murals appear across streets, benches, signposts and green spaces, drawing on Cook’s scenes of shopping, gardening, dancing and long afternoons in cafés. A full-scale recreation of Breakfast at Elvira’s, one of her best-known paintings, offers another glimpse into her playful world. Known for her expressive, flamboyant characters, Cook captured the humour and theatre of ordinary moments, turning everyday encounters into something worth looking at twice.

The celebration extends to a House of Voltaire pop-up, where limited-edition prints, silk scarves, cushions, tableware and other homewares sit alongside rare original works. The selection also includes editions and merchandise by contemporary artists and designers such as Ashish, Jeremy Deller, Chantal Joffe and Sarah Lucas.

New Names In Belgium

Further north, Maasmechelen Village’s autumn line-up brings together Belgian fashion, British fragrance and luxury home scent through three new pop-ups.

Antwerp-based designer Nathalie Vleeschouwer reworks everyday staples with a playful edge, from sharp blazers and oversized bombers to asymmetric shirts, embroidered emblems and metallic accents. Open until 31 January 2027, the space features both the Autumn–Winter 2025 and 2026 collections. Meanwhile, Jo Malone London makes its Village debut with colognes, body crèmes and candles, including familiar scents such as English Pear & Freesia and Wood Sage & Sea Salt. The pop-up runs until 26 September 2027, with fragrance layering offering room to experiment beyond a single signature scent.

At Baobab Collection, handcrafted candles and diffusers take the focus indoors. Its first standalone pop-up on Belgian soil opened on 1 October, featuring the 2026 collection, selected designs from previous seasons and an exclusive Tomorrowland collaboration. 

Together, the three arrivals make Maasmechelen Village a destination for more than a wardrobe update, with fashion, fragrance and homeware offering different ways to discover European design.

More Than A Shopping Stop

Sometimes, the best part of a trip is what you didn’t set out to find. Across The Bicester Collection, a shopping stop might lead to a new designer, a fragrance worth remembering or a meal that offers a taste of the region. Art and local craftsmanship add other points of interest, giving each visit a character of its own.

Personalised services make it easier to fit the Villages into a wider itinerary, whether there’s time for a leisurely afternoon or just a stop between destinations. And while there may be a few purchases to bring home, it’s often the unexpected discoveries along the way that make the detour worthwhile.

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