More Shopping In London

As follow up to my previous post on shopping in London, here are some other stores that may be of interest to you if you're heading over to the UK.

Desigual

Prior to visiting London, I had never heard of this brand before. One day while I was on my "Hop On Hop Off" bus tour, we were riding down Regent Street and passed a store that caught my eye right away. It had the most colourful funky prints I had ever seen. A few hours later I was off the bus and found the Desigual store which started my love and obsession for this brand.
Thomas Mayer from Switzerland is the brain child that started this wonderful and fabulous brand in 1984. His goal was to make clothes that let people dress in a different way and generated positive feelings. I fell in love with this brand as soon as I walked into that store and can tell you every time I wear a piece of their clothing I get asked about it. Unfortunately they don't have stores in Canada but their brand is sold at numerous retailers here. You can do a search on their store find web page.
If you are desperate to visit a store (like me) so you can shop the whole collection, you can visit stores in Las Vegas and New York City. Its a good reason to plan a trip :) Who wants to start the petition for them to open a store in Canada?
Desigual has 200 stores in over 72 countries. If you are travelling and see one, check it out. I've already turned a few friends into owners of Desigual clothing.

The top and shoes purchased in Desigual London store, starting a new obsession for me

Dune

How can you go to the UK and not buy shoes? I highly recommend Dune. Sold at its own branded stores as well as department stores, the brand describes itself as "Stylish and fashionable designs that blend beautiful materials and detail with in-house design to create the distinctive Dune signature, season after season."
Visit a store while in the UK and take home a nice souvenir for yourself. 
The brand is also available in department stores like Selfridges, John Lewis, and Topshop.

Both pairs of Dune shoes I bought at Selfridges in London

My Flat In London

This one I didn't find out about until I got back from the UK and was having dinner with one of my vendors. She admitted it was her guilty pleasure and frequented this brand when on business trips in the UK. Designed by Jan Haedrich, the collection is inspired by her travels abroad, the line "embodies the spirit of the light-hearted sophisticate. It's a ladylike cocktail mixed in a modern martini shaker, the perfect combination of feminine charm and ultimate modern luxury"
See website for US and Canada store locations that carry the brand.

Fortnum & Mason

I had read a lot about this store before I left for the UK. Apparently it supplies the Queen and Buckingham Palace with stapes. Not sure if that is true or not but after trying some of their tea and shortbread cookies I wouldn't blame palace people for wanting to keep their items on hand. Selling delectable treats such as shortbread cookies, jam and tea, this brand has long been known for quality products. Stopping in at their store on Piccadilly is as much a tourist to do as well as a great place to pick up the most delicious shortbread cookies you will ever have among many other things. I have also developed a liking to their strawberry tea which I have been trying to get replenished. If anyone is going to the UK anytime soon, I have a shopping list for you.

A few of the things I bought at Fortnum & Mason

Cath Kidston

While I was at St. Pancras station trying to figure out where to catch the train to Paris, this store caught my eye. Not my usual style, Cath Kidston prints and patterns seemed a bit country to me, I was still captivated by the colours, styles and prints that were on display. As a sales person described it to me, "it is very English" and I kind of understand what she meant. I didn't buy anything but this store and its unusual products have been on my mind since coming home.
The story of Cath Kidston and the rise of her designs, starting with her first print "Rose Bouquet" inspired by wallpaper she had seen in Wales, is a very inspiring story. Described as modern vintage the Cath Kidston collection now includes a wide variety of prints and products sold all over the world.
Next time I am in the UK, this store is getting another visit and maybe even a purchase!

Selfridges

After having read several stories about Selfridges in my retail courses I was thrilled to finally be able to see the store in person. I went to the Oxford Street store but there are a few locations in London. I was impressed at the brands, appearance of the store and the customer service. First place I hit was the shoe department where I bought 2 pairs on Dune shoes. For anyone retail person who thinks the department store model is dead, they should take a look at Selfridges. There was a lot of help available while I was trying on shoes and making up my mind what to do. Imagine that, customer service in a department store. After I made my decision, I put the shoes on hold so I could walk around the rest of the store not weighed down by bags. I could have spent hours in the women's clothing section (but I didn't). I did buy a beautiful lace skirt from H & M section and crocheted sweater from Selfrides girl brand. After that I wandered through the food emporium which was a special treat. I discovered the Pinkberry frozen yogurt place and gave their seasonal flavour, Watermelon, a try which I highly recommend.
This is a must for any UK shopping you may be doing. Even just walking around the store is an experience. I'll be back.

Selfridges store in London

Lace skirt from H & M collection at Selfridges

Shopping in London: Portobello Market

Before leaving Toronto I did a lot of reading and research on what London had to offer in terms of shopping. Knowing I would be by myself the week I was in London, the last thing I wanted to do was end up alone in a dodgy area. I also had the benefit of having a lot of Twitter followers who are quite familiar with London. Between their recommendations and the tour books I read I had a rough wish list of places to visit before I even left home.

 

One of the places that was at the top of my list was Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Not usually one for flea markets, the write ups and recommendations from people made me feel like this was a must see. I was told I had to go on a Saturday as that is when clothing is the main attraction. So off I went. Figuring out of my own what tube station to get off at (Notting Hill Gate) and then following the crowd to the entrance of the market I was pleasantly surprised to see the wide variety of wares for sale. Booth after booth of clothes, accessories, antiques, food and art, even if I wasn't interested in shopping the atmosphere and variety of products would have made it worth the trip.
I didn't have anything in particular in mind to buy, I really didn't know what I would find when I got there. I found I got caught up in the atmosphere though and pretty soon I was trying on dresses over my clothes, trying to judge the look and fit through some tiny mirror someone held up for me and turning over 13 pounds for a nice dress I have yet to wear but hope to this summer.

My finds at Portobello Market, 1 dress, 2 scarves, 2 pairs of earrings. Total spent: 24 pounds

It felt like this street went on forever and even though it was late afternoon, the crowds were still out in full force. I walked the entire street to have a look at everything being offered and then on my way back to where I started picked up a few more items. I bought 2 scarves, one for 6 pounds and another for 2 pounds, and 2 pairs of earrings that were 2 pounds each. I could have bought a lot more but it was only my first day of shopping and I wanted to save some money for later in the week.

 

In addition to Portobello Market, the retail shops in the area were also open and they had some cool things as well. I was drawn to a Kurt Geiger store with all their shiny shoes on display as well as the Allsaints Spitalfields store where the walls of antique sewing machines on display made for some very cool decorating.

 

 

All in all I loved my afternoon in Portobello Market. If you get a chance to go leave lots of time for the market itself, you don't want to rush through it and then take some time to visit the regular retailers in the area. I also walked around taking pictures of Notting Hill. The homes were so stunning!
Here is my favourite one, I loved the colourful townhouses:

Chances are if I find myself back in London I will definitely be back at Portobello.

Portobello Market is also known for great antique shopping. If that is something you are interested in its worth a visit. Here is a website for more information:
http://www.portobellomarket.org/

My London Shopping Adventures

Last year I was fortunate enough to have a friends wedding to attend in the UK. When comtemplating how long I was going to stay, (only go for wedding or stay on extra days), one of the main reasons for using up all my vacation time in one shot was I wanted to see London, England. It was never on my wish list of places to see but being so close to the city and hearing such good things about London from others, I felt I couldn't pass up the opportunity. And since you never know what life has in store for you I figured I should take advantage of already being in England, bite the bullet and fork over the cash to add a week's stay in London post wedding events. After having experienced this fabulous city I can say it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Of course at the top of my list was seeing what London had to offer in the way of shopping. Also mindful of the very expensive exchange rate (1.6 to every Canadian dollar) I wondered if there was anything I would be able to afford. I should never even have questioned this. For London being the great city it is, shopping truly exists at every spectrum of budgets. I did a variety of shopping from street markets, to high streets to department stores and found great things everywhere.
My next series of posts will outline in detail all of the great areas of the city and shopping destinations I saw. I'm sure there are many I missed which is why I hope to get back some day. It's worth it to make trips to London just for the shopping which you know I would gladly do if I can get it to fit my budget.