Shopping Possibilities
Shopping in London means being strategic. It is easy to wear yourself out trying to take in the large number of shops and boutiques. Two good tips are to focus on one area at a time and to wear comfortable shoes. Fastcheck’s London guide recommends a visit to some of the department stores and areas listed below.
Savile Row:
A step away is Savile Row, synonymous with English customized tailoring. Savile Row is no longer the old fashioned gentleman’s club it used to be, thanks to a new generation of innovative tailors, including Richard James at number 29 and Ozwald Boateng at number 12a. For shirts, ties, hats and handmade shoes head for Jermyn Street in St James behind Piccadilly.
Soho and Covent Garden:
Soho is a maze. You never exit where you think you will, and you never really know where you’ve been. But the area has fun shops; prepare to shoulder an ever-increasing number of shopping bags. Many of the shops around Covent Garden cater to teens, especially those interested in skate and street fashions. On Neal Street, the sneaker shops line up, and the Seven Dials shopping mall houses even more of the same. This area is also home to high-class jeweller Laura Lee. Paul Smith, by far the most successful British fashion designer, opened his first shop in Floral Street in Covent Garden in 1979 and now has a whole string of shops there. Another shop worth mentioning is Aram, 110 Drury Lane, which has five floors with furniture classics by names such as Eileen Gray, Charles & Ray Eames and Alvar Aalto alongside the latest pieces by Ron Arad, Jasper Morrison and Philippe Starck.
Chelsea, South Kensington and Knightsbridge:
This is the area mostly known for its high end fashion shopping. On Sloane Street in Knightsbridge you’ll find Prada, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Dolce et Gabbana, Fendi and many more. But in recent years it has also attracted a lot of excellent furniture and interior design shops. Amongst the best are B & B Italia’s cathedral-like shop at 250 Brompton Road in South Kensington, designed by the famous minimalist architect John Pawson. Nearby is The Conran Shop at 8 Fulham Road, founded by Sir Terence Conran and one of the first lifestyle shops in London. If you’re feeling hungry, have some oysters in the Bibendum Oyster Bar, located to the left of the main entrance. Make sure to visit David Gill at 60 Fulham Road. He’s the first stop for London’s leading interior designers and displays exquisite pieces such as ceramics by Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso, mirrors by Line Vautrin and silver furniture by Bonetti. A bit further down the road, at No 175- 177, you will find Kelly Hoppen, currently Britain’s leading interior design guru with several books to her name. There are also plenty of markets in London, some of the most known being Camden Market, Covent Garden Market and Old Spitalfields Market. If you have time to spare you should definitely visit one of these local markets, you won’t regret it!
Greenwich Market: https://www.greenwichmarket.net
Packed of unique arts and crafts, this market is well known for items that cannot be found anywhere else. Browse any of the 120 arts and craft stalls, enjoy the continental food court and take in some of the music performed by students from nearby Trinity College of Music.
Address: Colleage Approach
Phone: +44 (0)20 8293 3110
Conduit Street and Bruton Street:
just around the corner from Bond Street, have emerged as new contenders and amongst those who have opened stores here are Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto and Matthew Williamson. Also, do not miss the seriously hip Dover Street Market near Dover Street.
Harrods: https://www.harods.com
You can buy virtually anything here: furniture, home electronics, pets, books, etc. But Londoners tend to concentrate on two things – food and clothes. The food hall is legendary, with its old style decor and its enormous sections of bread, sweets, vegetables, meats, coffee and tea. And the fashion departments are some of the best in town, with clothes ranging from traditional to distinctly cutting edge.
Address: 87 - 135 Brompton Road, SW1
Subway: Knightsbridge
Phone: +44 (0)20 7730 1234
Harvey Nichols: https://www.harveynichols.com
The emphasis here is on fashion, so it’s no small surprise that it’s a favourite among London’s fashionistas. Harvey Nix as it’s known locally, stocks not only the best of the well-known designer labels but also collections from new, young talent.
Address: 109 - 125 Knightsbridge, SW1.
Subway: Hyde Park, Knightsbridge.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7235 5000.
Selfridge’s: https://www.selfridges.com
Selfridges has gone through many transformations over the years and has now emerged as the quintessential London luxury department store, combining tradition with innovation. Don’t miss Superbrands, the new menswear department on the first floor, with clothes from all the leading brands and with a football-inspired interior.
Address: 400 Oxford Street, W1.
Subway: Bond Street.
Phone: +44 (0) 870 8377 377.
Liberty: https://www.liberty.co.uk
The fashionable department store can be found on Regent Street and offers toys, jewellery, furniture, oriental carpets and much more. The lavish department store has recently launched a new boutique and luxery brand. Liberty of London is housed in Liberty’s newly redesigned central atrium and is stocked with leather accessories, scarves, jewellery and more.
Address: Regent Street
Phone: +44 (0)20 7734 1234
More markets:
Spitalfields Market (Liverpool Street)
Portobello Road Market
Market in Notting Hill
Special brands:
Emma Hope’s Shoes, 207 Westbourne Grove
Manolo Blahnik Shoes, 49-51 Church Street
Agent Provocateur, Dessous, 6 Broadwick Street
Dinny Hall, Schmuck, 200 Westbourne Grove
Philip Treacy, Hüte, 69 Elizabeth Street
Ghost, Kleider, 36 Ledbury Road$
London’s 100 best shops:
https://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/features/4873/London-s_100_best_shops.html