Showing 1-7 of 7 results
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Harrods
It's garish and stylish at the same time, and sure to leave you reeling with a consumer-rush after you've spent a few hours within its walls. It's an obligatory stop for many of London's tourists, always crowded and with more rules than an army boot camp. And despite the tacky elements such as the wax figure of proprietor Mohammad Al Fayed and weird memorial fountain to Dodi and Di, you're bound to swoon over the spectacular food hall and impeccable 5th-floor perfumery. Harrods 102, across the street, is a luxury food shop that also does alternative remedies and dry cleaning.
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Harvey Nichols
This is London's temple of high fashion, where you'll find Chloé and Balenciaga bags, London's best denim range, a massive make-up hall with exclusive lines, great jewellery, and the fantastic restaurant, Fifth Floor.
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John Lewis
'Never knowingly undersold' is the motto of this store, whose range of household goods, fashion and luggage is better described as reliable rather than cutting-edge. Strong points include its fabrics department.
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Liberty
An irresistible blend of contemporary styles in an old-fashioned mock-Tudor atmosphere, Liberty has a huge cosmetics department and an accessories floor, along with a breathtaking lingerie section on the 1st floor. A classic London souvenir is a Liberty (fabric) print.
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Peter Jones
The slightly more upmarket brother of John Lewis, Peter Jones' makeover has made it competetive with Selfridges and Harvey Nicks. Upmarket china, furnishings and gifts are its forte, though it stocks accessories and cosmetics too. There's a top-floor cafe.
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Prowler
Prowler's flagship Soho store is a gay shopping mecca selling books, magazines, clothes and 'lifestyle accessories'. There's also a discreet 'adult' section selling the usual array of DVDs and magazines, but the overall feel of the shop is one of a respectable gay department store.
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Selfridges
Selfridges is so confident in its consumer appeal that its 2006 winter sale advertising featured the subversive anticonsumerist slogan 'I Shop Therefore I Am' by New York artist Barbara Kruger, as if to poke fun at its shoppers and turn rebellion on its head. Selfridges loves innovation - it's famed for its inventive window displays by international artists, gala shows promoting countries/products, and above all an amazing range of products. It's the funkiest and most vital of London's one-stop shops, with labels such as Boudicca, Luella Bartley, Emma Cook, Chloé and Missoni, an unparalleled food hall, and Europe's largest cosmetics department.
Showing 1-7 of 7 results
