Olivia Palermo's My London

The TV style icon wants to live on Cadogan Gardens and meet the Queen...

Home is
Brooklyn, New York.

Where do you stay in London?
St Martins Lane. The staff are super-friendly and always remember me.

What's the first thing you do when you come to London?
I check in with my two best girlfriends who live here. We usually go straight for lunch at Jak's on Walton Street.

Which shops do you rely on?
As soon as the weather gets a little bit cooler
I go straight to Joseph where you can buy the warmest jackets. For shoes I go to Charlotte Olympia on Maddox Street: what I call 'shoe heaven'. For high street shopping I go to Reiss and Topshop. When I need a coffee break I'll sit outside at Nicole Farhi's café 202 on Westbourne Grove, and if I'm meeting someone for tea we'll go to the Fifth Floor in Harvey Nichols.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I love the rock shrimp and tuna tartar at Roka on Charlotte Street.

What's the most romantic thing someone's done for you in London?
My boyfriend Johannes once took me for a walk on Primrose Hill.

What's your earliest London memory?
I came with my mother when I was 14 for a girly trip. I remember thinking how nice the taxi drivers were and how well they knew the city, unlike in New York where you get verbally abused wherever you go.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Hit the important museums around South Kensington. The last time I was in London I went to see the V&A's hat exhibition, which was an anthology by Stephen Jones, and it was amazing. Also don't miss Portobello Road and Westbourne Road - you can find little treasures in the market but there are also great stores such as Joseph and Smythson.

What do you most like wearing?
Ballet flats, leather trousers and a cashmere sweater.

Which is your favourite London bar?
The Electric in Notting Hill is fun for a lychee martini.

What animal would you most like to be?
I'd be Butler, my little Maltese dog, for a day. He gets so much attention.

What's your biggest extravagance?
My Valentino couture evening bags.

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm gearing up for the fashion weeks, which feels a bit like going back to school because it's so exciting but crazy after the summer break. The spring shows are always really beautiful.

What's your earliest fashion memory?
Playing with my mother's jewellery.

If you could live in any London building which would it be?
A red-brick townhouse on Cadogan Gardens. I love the black and white-tiled front steps.

What is your favourite London discovery?
Neville Hair & Beauty on Pont Street. I'll take any opportunity I can to go there for a couple of hours to get my hair and nails done.

Have you ever had a run-in with a London policeman?
No, I'm not one to get in trouble.

What would you do as Mayor of London for the day?
I would make sure I got a tour of Buckingham Palace, including the gardens. If the Royal Family were at home, it would be an honour to meet them, too.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I've just came back from Croatia where I travelled up and down the coast for three weeks - it was beautiful and the water was incredible. Before that Johannes and I were in Berlin. He's German so we spend quite a lot of time there. It's a cool city with a great art scene, but I prefer Hamburg because it's more beautiful. I also spent some time in Paris this summer where the people-watching is unlike anywhere else in the world, especially for fashion. A good spot is the restaurant L'Avenue on Avenue Montaigne.

What was the last album you downloaded?
The new Jay-Z and Kanye West album Watch The Throne - they're fantastic together.