Nora window-shops Bond Street after dark

Hemlines, necklines, the exact shade of a silk lining: Nora reads clothes the way a critic reads a novel, and she is designing her own collection one sketchbook at a time. Her look is sun-kissed resort glamour carried into the city: honey blonde hair worn long and loose, hazel eyes, an athletic 166 cm that moves easily in a wrap dress, flat gold sandals by day and a strappy heel by night.

Spirited and warm, Nora is happiest when a plan has a little adventure in it. She will suggest the long way round, the unexpected aperitif, the bar with no sign on the door. Champagne is her celebratory habit, and she has a proper palate for it, preferring small houses to famous labels. Early mornings sometimes find her at a flower market, arms full of whatever is in season, and her flat is never without stems. In her mid twenties, she speaks lively English and asks questions that get people talking about the things they love.

Her Mayfair evening starts with a walk along Old and New Bond Street after the shops have closed, when she can study the windows properly and explain exactly why one collar works and the next does not. Then champagne at the Rivoli Bar at The Ritz, a gilded jewel box of a room with walnut panels and Art Deco glass, where she always orders by the glass so she can try two.

Nora lives in Paddington, a straight run across the park to Bond Street and the Mayfair hotels. She prefers a day's notice and loves an arrival-evening booking after a long flight; lengths and fees are on the rates page.