By all means go and marvel at the shockingly expensive contents
of Harrods’ (the food hall is particularly nice), but Londoners don’t
actually shop there. When it comes to department stores, they prefer
Selfridges’ and Harvey Nichols and Liberty, which are equally upscale
but slightly less rococo. In general, West London is the best part of
town for high-end shoppers: Sloane Street is lined with top designer
showrooms and the Kings’ Road in Chelsea has a nice selection of
upscale boutiques.
More budget-conscious shoppers head straight
for Oxford Circus, to the world’s biggest fashion store, Topshop.
Flagships of other big chains – Zara, H&M, Gap – are there as well.
Marks and Spencer, a mid-range department store, has own-brand ranges
of everything from sandwiches to shoes, is a British classic, with real
fashion gems to be found.
But the most unique shopping
experiences are provided are London’s multitude of colourful street
markets. Portobello Road Market, Dover Street Market, and Spitalfields
Market are best for clothes and accessories, with prices ranging from a
couple of pounds to hundreds; Portobello Road also has a nice range of
antiques; Columbia Road on Sundays is full of cut-price plants and
flowers (it’s worth seeing just for the sheer spectacle, even if you’re
not about to bring a bouquet on your flight home) and Brick Lane’s
Sunday Upmarket is great fun for contemporary design and crafts.