A day out with Aditi Rao Hydari

Star style and scents

With more than 150 fashion and luxury boutiques to explore, Aditi’s unmissable brands include: Manolo Blahnik “because I love great shoes and I need great heels, especially when I’m walking the red carpet... I always find something”; Givenchy for gorgeous accessories – “I love Audrey Hepburn, forever and ever”; and Maison Margiela for “very cool, very relevant” style. “It’s ‘fashion-fashion’ but always feels like it was made for me.” And, for signature scents, Diptyque: “Fragrance, for me, is very special because I have memories related to fragrance and specifically Do Son... I love that because I love floral fragrances and I’ve grown up around floral fragrances with my mother and grandmother – so it’s memories.”

The joy of Personal Shopping

For a truly tailored shopping experience, the warm welcome of a style expert awaits, with their insider knowledge of the boutiques and inspired tips. “It’s incredible because sometimes you come here and you have a schedule, you want to take in the place, you want to have fun, but you also need the help,” says Aditi. “You also want people to guide you to where you want to go and people who understand what it is that you want and understand your vibe. It makes it fun and it makes it easy.”

Personal Shopping appointments are complimentary and can take place in the Village boutiques or from the comfort of our private suites.

Culinary delights at Cecconi’s

Drawn to spaces with a feeling of legacy, lunch at the Italian institution Cecconi’s is a must for the screen star. “I like places with a history. I think the moment you say Cecconi’s, you know what you’re going to get there and that it’s going to be great quintessential Italian food.” And her favourite dishes? “I love the carpaccio. I love gnocchi, I don’t get to eat it so much and so when I get good gnocchi, I will always order it. I’m also a big one for the Caprese salad.”

Sweet treats at Ladurée

For Aditi, no visit would be complete without a foray into the gilded pink and pistachio world of French heritage patisserie Ladurée. “It’s so pretty – it’s so pretty that you want to eat everything in there,” she chuckles. ”And, I think the prettiness just translates into the flavours {of the macarons} – the pistachio, the berry flavours, I especially like the berry flavours. And I love passion fruit – passion fruit anything, I’m up for it!”

A fragrant walk in the Scent Garden

Of the curation of immersive summer installations, Aditi loves the Scent Garden. “For me, fragrance is everything. It takes you into another space, another feeling, and you know when I do films, I have specific fragrances for specific roles and specific films – so it’s everything. And this garden was so incredible because there’s an interactive quality to it, whereby every flower in there has a specific fragrance and so it was just incredible.”

A luxury retreat in The Apartment

The intimate and elegant interior of The Apartment is a particular highlight for Aditi, an invitation-only private setting in which to unwind and where service combines with style. She notes the ‘aesthetic’ mix of vintage, luxury and contemporary elements. “Each space is done up very beautifully... I love how it’s been done... You can find your own vibe here, you can find your own space and it feels very comfortable – that you’re very well looked after and you’re cared for.”

Dreaming on the Veuve Clicquot terrace

For a mid-afternoon interlude from shopping, there is only one place to go for Aditi. “The {Veuve Clicquot} terrace is fun, but it’s also the kind of place where time stands still,” she says. “And I’m also all one for magic, so I feel like a unicorn is going to come flying in from somewhere – and I love that. I love places that transport you into your own little world, your own little dreamland and that’s how I feel on the terrace.”

Aditi’s hidden gem

Meandering through avenues profuse with blooms, Aditi delights in the fact that “you can actually feel the breeze and hear the birds {while browsing}. There’s a kind of quaint atmosphere here and with the best of luxury.” Her magical extra to make the day memorable? “Hands-free Shopping. I will say that a thousand times over. That is the best experience that you can have in Bicester Village. It is phenomenal, irreplaceable,” she laughs. ”And for tiny girls like me, it’s the best thing ever.”