London shopping

[taz]

I'll be there next July, hope to catch end of season sales
my friends recommend Covent Garden to spend time in...any comments?

[susie_bubble]

Originally Posted by Fabulyss

I'm going to England for my spring break but will only be in London for 3 days. I live in Chicago so I've already been to places like Lush, H&M, etc. Can anyone recommend some good one-of-a-kind must see places that they don't have in America? I really don't want to miss any of the "must see stores" you know?

Obviously Tophshop is a must. Kingly Court on Carnaby Street is a really cool open space mall with loadsa unique boutiques. Def. head to the Hoxton/Shoreditch area on a Sunday, can do a one stop shop - Spitalfields Market, UPMarket, all the vintage stores on Brick Lane, Public Beware on Dray Walk, and also the general flea market where you can pick up anything and everything. Great food too!

Also:
Any cheap consignment shops with good designer threads?
There are quite a few designer consignment stores in London - some better than others. Doubt you will be able to trek out to Angel but I usually go to the ones around that area. Can't really pinpoint addresses coz I just know them by sight and walk in. They're not cheap though. In fact, I would skip them altogether if you're tight on budget. I usually go to Paris for designer consignment shopping or obviously you would fare better at London sample sales. If you give the your dates of arrival, I can check whether there are any sample sales as they're usually held monthly.

What is Dover Street Market? Portobello and Camden Market? Are they stores? Are they shopping areas? What do they sell? Whats the price range?
Dover Street Market is a concept store - not a market at all but like a v. high-end department store selling Comme Des Garcons, Lanvin, Boudicca, Undercover and other more hard to find designers. It's quite pricey - £100 and above.
Portobello and Camden Market are actual market areas. The Camden area comprises of several street markets selling vintage, punky clothes, streetwear - it's a v. touristy kinda area and I don't go often but it's good for a wander around. Portobello Market is actually an antiques street market that stretches along Portobello Road but when you get to Westway (a flyover bridge), that's where the fashion market starts and is a great place for buying some more unique designers and vintage clothes. Prices can range from £5 to £100 - depending on the stall.

How expensive is Paul & Joe?
Mid-range - between £50-£300. Marc by MJ prices.

Any cheap, and I mean really cheap, but yummy restaurants/bakeries?
Depends on how you define cheap. Most meals will cost £5-£10 including drinks and everything. Unfortunately, spending under a fiver on a meal means not eating well at all. I will give you some recommendations for Central London (I'm assuming that's where you're staying). Misato (Wardour Street) for Japanese food - cheap and hugh quantities. Stockpot (Old Compton Street) - standard British grub. There are v. cheap Middle Eastern restaurants on Edgware Road (can get a lamb wrap for about £3). Chinatown of course for wonderful bakeries (pastries and buns for about 70p) and cheap bowls of noodles. The 24 hr bagel bakery on Brick Lane is pretty dirt cheap. Spitalfields Market also sells the most wonderful cheesecakes and also has pretty good food all for under £5 (only open Thursday and Sunday though - maybe Saturdays as well). Lots of ethnic food stalls - Thai, Indonesian, French crepes, falafels etc. Cafe Espana on Old Compton Street has really cheap Spanish tapas. Actually, Old Compton Street and the streets off it in general has quite a few cheap-ish restaurants. Of course food in Central London is gonna be more pricey but I'm guessing you don't have time to trek out further afield to find the real food gems!

What neighborhoods are most chockful of boutiques (so I'm not running around all day)?
Depends on what kind of style you're into. Covent Garden and Soho are within walking distance of each other and have the highest concentration of boutiques. (Souvenir, Pineal Eye, Dispensary, Arrogant Cat, Rokit, Motel, Poste Mistress to name a few). Hoxton and Shoreditch are a bit more spaced out in terms of boutiques but well worth the walk as you find more unique designers. This is where the London 'fashion' crowd hang out and it's a nice vibe.

Where can I get the best vintage?
I could write pages and pages about this. What do you mean by 'best'? Best as in 'cheap' or best as in 'designer'. If you're after designer vintage then Rellik (Golbourne Road) and One of a Kind (Portobello Road) in Notting Hill are your best bets and Steinberg and Tolkein on King's Road are a must-see. If you were staying a week, I would recommend going to Greenwich because that's where the real CHEAP and good vintage can be found. But since you're only in town for 3 days, your best bet for cheap-ish vintage would be Beyond Retro (most London stylists use this place incessantly) on Cheshire Street, near Brick Lane. It's a massive warehouse full of v. cheap vintage. Also there are several vintage shops on Brick Lane itself. Absolute Vintage on Hanbury Street, also near Brick Lane is the best for shoes and accessories (literally vintage shoes in every colour). Wow Retro on Mercer Street (Covent Garden) is a good stop if you're in Covent Garden (a must-see shopping point). Avoid the vintage section in Topshop at all costs (overpriced and overrated). Portobello Road also has lots of vintage market stalls but I think it's getting overpriced nowadays. (Obviously a good place for showcasing London's smaller designers - the Preen store is in Portobello Green shopping arcade).

I will probably have about $500 to spend for shopping, so that is my price range.

Thanks!

Also, the other 3 days I'll be spending in Kettering (w/ my boyfriend's family), what kind of city is this? Any shopping?
Have never been to Kettering but I should imagine you'll find all the normal high street stores.

Also about the REN skincare - I think Harrods stocks Ren. In fact, I think there is a Ren store on Crawford Street. I'm not sure though.

Edit: Selfridges stocks REN. Forgot to add - Selfridges is a must-see department store - great for a bit of everything.

[Baizilla]

Where does one find Raf Simons in London?

[susie_bubble]

^Dover Street Market will have the most complete collection of Raf Simons - Selfridges and Harvey Nichols will also have a smaller collection.
Can't guarantee that the prices will be pretty though - have heard it's cheaper in the US.

Just remembered - Browns on South Molton Street should have some Raf as well.

[Baizilla]

thanks!

[D Lovely]

next week i am going to london and i really want to go to Steinberg and Tolkein on King's Road but i dont know how to get there. When i tried to find kings road on streetmap.co.uk there are a million kings roads but what is the right one?

i have another question is it true that shoreditch is only open from 7-10 and 3-7?

[Meg]

don't know about shoreditch but steinberg and tolkien is a. not open on Sundays or Mondays and b.Kings Road is SW3 (or is it SW1?) and take the tube to Sloane Square tube station and from there you head left, past sloane square and the street sort of divides but Kings Road is very obvious. Lots and lots of shops there. You need to head down a wee bit though to get to Steinberg and tolkien. It's a great shop though

[susie_bubble]

^What part of Shoreditch do you mean? Shop opening hours are generally 10-6.30 anywhere.

[impossibleprincess]

covent garden antique market (monday mornings) is amazing, I've picked up some great things there-mostly long gold chains, etc.Not the one in the main market, you have to go to the building next to Covent Garden wagamamas. if you miss it, most of the same stall holders are at spitalfields (nearest tube liverpool street) on thursday mornings.

[Little Star]

Originally Posted by Little Star

I'm going to London in December, and being on a 17 year olds budget (and in addition $100 my currency is 260 pounds!! argh!) I was wondering if there are any nice 'highstreet' shops/chains stores worth looking at. Being from Australia, I'm sure even these would be quite different to the usual, however I'm definately not after junk! Has anyone got any ideas?

Ooops that would have been nice...I meant that 100 pounds is $260 my currency.

[taz]

Originally Posted by impossibleprincess

covent garden antique market (monday mornings) is amazing, I've picked up some great things there-mostly long gold chains, etc.Not the one in the main market, you have to go to the building next to Covent Garden wagamamas. if you miss it, most of the same stall holders are at spitalfields (nearest tube liverpool street) on thursday mornings.

thanks for the tips impossibleprincess..seems to be a cool place ...can't wait

[D Lovely]

thanx meg for the directions im going to london from thursday(did i write that wrong?) to saturday so the shop is open yeeh!

about shorditch i meant the metrostation i read it on internet somewhere
is it true that it isnt open during the middle of the day?

and is it also true that topshop is open till 7 on a thursday?

[susie_bubble]

^Topshop is open till 9 on a Thursday actually.

Shoreditch the station is open at funny times. But I would walk to Hoxton/Brick Lane area from Liverpool Street or Aldgate....much easier coz the Shoreditch station runs on the East London line which is very dodgy and unreliable.

[susie_bubble]

^Topshop is open till 9 on a Thursday actually.

Shoreditch the station is open at funny times. But I would walk to Hoxton/Brick Lane area from Liverpool Street or Aldgate....much easier coz the Shoreditch station runs on the East London line which is very dodgy and unreliable.

[Meg]

ugh the shoreditch station is a pain to use. Do not use it. I find the quickest for me is to walk from East Aldgate.