Designer, Fashion shopping in London
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Topshop & Topman
Topshop is the it-store when it comes to high-street shopping. Encapsulating London’s supreme skill at bringing catwalk fashion to the youth market affordably and quickly, it constantly innovates by working with young designers and celebrities. It’s the store that famously runs the popular Kate Moss collection. It also does manicure/pedicure and hair-styling sessions, and you can have a consultation with a personal stylist and get tips from a shopping guru.
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Stella McCartney
Does Stella McCartney need introducing? Her floaty designs send many-a-girl’s heart aflutter (as do her prices), Kate Moss makes her jeans the most covetable in the UK and her ‘ethical’ approach to fashion is very of the moment. This three-storey terraced Victorian home is a temple to all things Stella – a ritzy glasshouse garden, an olde-worlde ‘apothecary’ selling perfume, vegetarian shoes and not-leather bags, plus bespoke tailoring. Depending on your devotion and wallet, you’ll feel right at ease or like an intruder.
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Vivienne Westwood
The ex-punk who dressed the punks and created the punk look now says that ‘fashion is boring’ and that she disagrees with everything she used to say. Always a controversial character with a reputation for being a bit barmy (she flashed her privates to the paparazzi after receiving her OBE), Ms Westwood is, thankfully, still designing clothes as bold, innovative and provocative as ever, featuring 19th-century-inspired bustiers, wedge shoes and loads of tartan.
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Urban Outfitters
Probably the trendiest of all chains, this cool American store serves both men and women and has the best young designer T-shirts, an excellent designer area (stocking Paul & Joe Sister, Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label, Hussain Chalayan and See by Chloé, among others), ‘renewed’ second-hand pieces, saucy underwear, silly homewares and quirky gadgets. There is also a Covent Garden branch and a Kensington branch.
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Junky Styling
On retail-friendly Dray Walk, Junky ‘recycles’ traditional suits into sleek, eye-catching fashion pieces. A man’s jacket might become a woman’s halterneck top, for example, or tiny shorts with heart-shaped hot-water bottles for back pockets. Menswear includes short-sleeved half-shirts/half–T-shirts, and jackets with sweatsuit-material sleeves and suit-material hoods. Bring your own clothes to be transformed.
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Burberry
The first traditional British brand to reach the heights of fashion, you’ll know you’ve reached Burberry when you see hordes of giggling Japanese girls standing outside. It’s known for its innovative take on classic pieces (bright-coloured trench coats, khaki pants with large and unusual pockets), its brand check pattern and a tailored, groomed look. You’ll see a lot of its catwalk pieces ripped-off by high-street shops.
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Laden Showrooms
The unofficial flagship for the latest Hoxton street wear, Laden was once ‘London’s best-kept secret’, though a slew of celebrity endorsements have made the showrooms’ reputation soar and the 55 independent designers it stocks much in demand. A perfect one-stop shop for both womenswear and menswear.
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No-One
This boutique, brought to you by the same people as hip nearby drinkery Dreambags-jaguarshoes can be found inside the Old Shoreditch station bar. It’s all ultrahip, with fashion magazines, quirky accessories and shoes, and stocks Eley Kishimoto, Peter Jensen and new labels for women and men.
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Bread & Honey
This unexpectedly located slice of retail heaven on up-and-coming Whitecross St is a great place to buy fun, bright yet accessible clothing selected by the two French owners, Laurent and Laurent. Here you’ll find a selection of mens- and womenswear from Modern Amusement, Stüssy and Lee, among others.
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Hoxton Boutique
If you want to look like a true Hoxtonite, come here for your (women’s) street wear – there’s Isabel Marant, Hussein Chalayan, Repetto shoes and the shop’s own brand, +HOBO+. The boutique is meant to resemble Studio 54, with a mirror ball, white walls and neon lights.
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Beyond the Valley
One of central London’s best places to discover unique new fashion talent, with clothes, jewellery, accessories and artwork on display inside the lovely shop. The Side Room, at the back of the shop, is a conservatory-style gallery space with small exhibitions regularly taking place.
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Pringle
Fabulously classy and somehow sexy at the same time (we’re talking golfers’ V-necks and knitted cardies), this traditional Brit brand turned slightly hip when London rekindled its passion for knitwear. An item will set you back at least £150, however.
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Koh Samui
It’s high-end fashion galore at this little boutique that prides itself on finding new designer talent and specialises in floaty pieces from Brit designers such as Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Clements Ribeiro and Julien MacDonald. You’ll drool over the handsome Chloé bags.
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Lulu Guinness
Female silhouettes, dice, board games and various other playful insignia grace Lulu Guinness’ range of coin purses, cosmetic bags, handbags and totes, while some of her collectable evening bags come in striking shapes, such as fans. Love those feather boas.
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Carhartt
You’ll find hoodies, sweats and jeans at this outlet of the street wear label of the moment under the railway arches just north of London Fields station. Prices start as low as £5. Album launches and other events take place here; check the website.
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Burberry Factory Shop
This warehouse stocks seconds and samples from the reborn-as-trendy Brit brand’s current collection or stuff from last season. Prices can be up to 50% to 70% lower than those on the high street, with the best deals on accessories, especially scarves.
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Aquascutum
Despite the store’s modern look, Aquascutum’s mackintoshes, scarves, bags and hats remain traditional. For men, this means classic gabardine; for women, the look is straight lines, classic fashion and natural beauty, as worn by the super-rich.
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Mulberry
Is there a woman in the world who doesn’t covet a Mulberry bag? They are voluptuous, soft and a massive style statement. The brand followed in the footsteps of its other British design brethren, Burberry and Pringle, and modernised itself in recent years.
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Antoni & Alison
The original independent London fashion house, A&A sell quirky tees, mad floral skirts, gorgeous leather purses and funky cashmere knits among other gorgeous little things in its Rosebery Ave shop. Look out for its brilliant sales.
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Emporium
Each piece is individual at this lovely vintage shop (unisex), where glass cabinets are crammed with costume jewellery, old perfume bottles and straw hats, while gorgeous jackets and blazers intermingle on the clothes racks.
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Paul Smith
Paul Smith represents the best of British classic with innovative twists. Super-stylish menswear, suits and tailored shirts are all laid out on open shelves in this walk-in closet of a shop. Smith also does womenswear.
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Sharpeye
For durable men’s street wear check out Barrie K Sharpe’s collection of loose trousers, tees, shorts and boots with their ‘inna city’ ethos. Lasts a lifetime this stuff.
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