Chaumet, Dubai Mall, Dubai

I have never noticed this brands store at home in London before as it just seems to just blend in this all of the jewellers along Bond St. However, this one screams to be looked at. Here in the Mall of Dubai, one could hardly not notice it with its beautifully lit frontage. Having been drawn in to take a closer look, it transpires that this is actually quite an old Parisian brand dating from 1780 founded by Marie-Etienne Nitot . It also has quite an interesting history of corruption too according to the information I can find out about it which led to bankruptcy during the mid 1980's. However, Chaumet was bought by LVMH in 1999 it became profitable again. Although it is very unlikely that I would ever buy anything here the merchandise is very beautiful as is the store itself and if only for that do go and take a look.

Jacob & Co., Dubai Mall, Dubai

I'm not normally hugely interested in Jewellery, although I do appreciate some of the wonderful stores here in the Dubai Mall. Jacob & Co. is one of the more unusual stores selling outrageously expensive jewellery and watches for the local market. As I have mention previously, so many of these Malls are almost completely empty of people shopping, as people shop in such a different way. One customer may spend hundreds of thousands of Dirhams in one shopping journey here. Anyway, as this store was so beautifully produced, it certainly warranted a closer look into the company. The clientele for this brand seem to be the 'bling' set of pop stars, supermodels and possibly children of global Hotel chains (if you know who I mean). According to their website, pieces of jewellery (including time pieces here too) fall into the "Fashion" category. I am particularly intrigued to view the "World is Yours" timepiece which apparently contains different coloured diamonds to form the continents and oceans of the world. There really is a skill in designing this stuff, and whether we like it or not, there clearly is a market for it too.

Fendi, Dubai Mall, Dubai

At the end of Fashion walk on the lower level of the Fashion Drum is this incredible Fendi Store. Situated opposite the Armani Cafe this stunning store really does make an amazing impression. I don't think I have ever seen any Fendi store as beautiful as this. The large wooden wavy structure hangs above the wide entrance to the store with a suspended steel ball structure attached to overhead horizontal plane. At the entrance there is another steel ball structure that wouldn't be out of place in the coolest Art gallery. Although I never buy anything from this brand - after all I'm hardly their target market - I do appreciate beautiful stores. Sadly, as with a lot of the Malls here in Dubai, there is more space than people and they are very often so devoid of people to create an exciting atmosphere. Still, it always feels that I have the place to myself and I quite like that. Anyway, if you happen to be in the Dubai Mall do go and have a look. This really is luxury at its best.

Dubai Mall, Dubai (Aquarium)

The Mall of Dubai is one of the most incredible shopping experiences here in Dubai that any visitor must see. It really is a monolithic structure that one can only believe exists by experiencing it. Interestingly, by comparison to the various malls around Dubai, for its size it is extremely busy. People shop in a very different way here and it is not unusual to see store after store and mall after mall completely void of any one else (apart from the sales staff) It is how I would imagine superstars wanting some privacy would shop. Ya'know after hours. But this isn't. I'll mention more about that in later entries. Anyway, the giant aquarium here and various other water features in the Dubai Mall are some of the central pieces that draw in the crowds. For a fee one can travel through the 'glass' tunnel running through the centre of the aquarium or actually get inside this structure and swim (inside a cage) with the sharks and bizarre aquatic creatures. (I am tempted). Apparently not long after opening there was a fracture in the 'glass' (I say 'glass' as I believe it is actually a type of perspex) leading to a huge flood and the evacuation of the wildlife. Scary stuff when you see the size of this thing. I have included a picture of people below, which is quite unusual for me, but just to give you an indication of the size of this monster. With all the of Malls in Dubai vying for your Dirhams, this certainly seems to be the winner to date.

Dubai Mall, Dubai

Standing in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa (above) is the incredible Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall - the worlds largest Mall although dwarfed in height by this amazing building makes up for it in land mass. A few years ago on a visit to Emaar, the company responsible for building most of Dubai, they estimated that if one visited each store for just three minutes it could take at least a couple of weeks to see them all - this should give you an indication of how big this place is. Everything is on a massive, almost unhuman scale with store after store of fashion, home, food, this list goes on. Everything and anyone who is anyone is here. In the next few days I will be posting some of my images of the components that make this place up. In the meantime you can get a sneaky preview of the Fountains at the back of the Mall which light up and performing their mesmerizing display on my YouTube site:Jhvefun.