Things to do in London: Clothes Shopping

London is a Mecca for shopping. Simona's ever-increasing piles of bags and shoes are testament to that. If you are shopping in the centre of town often getting around on foot is an easier and quicker than taking the tube. In quite a few areas, like Chelsea, stores will stay open later on Wednesdays.

Department Stores
There are for four main fancy department stores in London, two in the centre of town, Liberty's and Selfridges, two in Knightsbridge, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. What makes Harrods stand out from the others is a wonderfully tasteful statue of Princess Diana and Dodi.



Bond Street
If you heading to London with the intention of getting rid of a lot of cash very quickly this is the place to go. All the world's luxury stores can be found along the street.



Covent Garden
A really popular area with a mixture of high street shops, independent designers and some designer stores, most notably Paul Smith's large main store, on Canal Street. It can get very crowded at weekends.



Oxford Street and Regent Street
Oxford street is the main street in London and should be avoided unless you have a fetish for being squashed. Somehow it always seems to suck you in. Regent Street isn't quite as bad. There you'll find the Apple store and Hamleys, a toy store of seven floors.



Chelsea
Sloane Street, running from Knightsbridge to Chelsea, is full of the designers loved by footballers and dodgy Italian businessmen, whereas the King's Road has more of a mix from the serious Gieves and Hawes to the standard high street stores like Gap and Monsoon. Maybe you'll get really lucky and bump into Frank Lampard, or even John Terry.



Savile Row
If any men coming over wishes to outdo their wives' expenditure on clothing then perhaps they could spend a few thousand pounds on a bespoke suit. For over 200 hundred years Saville Row has been home to England's traditional tailors. Go crazy and get yourself dolled up as Churchill and James Bond did in the past. Pick up a shirt to go with it from Jermyn Street



Kensinton High Street
According to the blurb I read Kensington High Street is functional and stylish and can be less crowded than the Wesr End.



Vintage Shops
London boasts plenty of vintages stores, a few where you can buy things for a tenner, most where you can be true to the city and spend a small fortune. According to Time Out here are some of the good ones:
Absolute Vintage Boutique
Fashion Exchange
Little Pad
Peekaboo