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in London
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Asprey
167 New Bond St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
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Best behavior required for a trip to this historic purveyor of London’s finest luxury goods.
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Bentley's
204 Walton St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Exclusive, eclectic antique shop packed to the rafters with vintage trunks and other intriguing finds.
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Bond Street (Old and New)
Old Bond St.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
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For almost three centuries, elegant Bond Street shops have been catering to London’s upper crust.
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Browns
24-27 S. Molton St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Fashionistas flock for Browns’ smart picks from the latest runways.
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Bruton Street
Bruton St.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
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Fashion-forward Bruton Street brings younger designers to Mayfair’s exclusive shopping district.
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Daunt Books
83 Marylebone High St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
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Cute travel bookshop packed with everything from atlases and field guides to cookbooks and poetry.
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Dover Street Market
17-18 Dover St.
London
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Department Stores
Chaotic, industrial-chic mini “department store” housing hot designer labels.
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Fenwick
63 New Bond St.
London
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Department Stores
A hip one-stop-shop break from the endless haute couture boutiques on Bond Street.
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Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
London
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Department Stores
The world’s most decadent foodstuffs line the glass and marble counters of this historic venue.
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Grays Antique Market
58 Davies St.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
19th-century WC showroom turned quirky upscale antique and curio market.
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Harvey Nichols
109-125 Knightsbridge
London
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Department Stores
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Glam celeb fave famed for its fabulous fashions and trend-setting window displays.
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Jack Wills
184 Portobello Rd.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Ever-so-trendy Jack Wills deals in classic-yet-cool casual duds for the under-30 set.
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Liberty and Co.
Great Marlborough St.
London
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Department Stores
Iconic emporium known for its extravagant and eccentric fashions and furnishings.
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Marylebone
High St.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
Cute cobbled neighborhood packed with stylish boutiques, specialty shops, and cafés.
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Matches
60–64 Ledbury Rd.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Luxe chainlet of designer-ware boutiques known for impeccable trend-spotting collections.
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Matthew Williamson
28 Bruton St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Cheery boutique chock-a-block with colorful beach-inspired couture.
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Mulberry
41-42 New Bond St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Devotees of Mulberry’s iconic British bags range from well-coiffed ladies to rocker-chic teens.
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Nicole Farhi
158 New Bond St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Laidback Bond Street flagship of Nicole Farhi’s classic, pared-down fashion line.
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Notting Hill
Portobello Road
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
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Once famed for its artsy alternative vibes, Notting Hill’s now got a distinctly upscale groove on.
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Penhaligon's
16-17 Burlington Arcade
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Historic perfume emporium known for its rare and antique luxury fragrances.
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Pickett
32-33 Burlington Arcade
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Tiny, exclusive boutique with an eclectic range of made-in-Britain handcrafted luxury items.
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Selfridges
400 Oxford St.
London
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Department Stores
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Historic department store known for its cutting-edge fashions and innovative exhibitions.
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Silver Vaults
53-64 Chancery Ln.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
Eclectic silver market dealing in much more than just your grandmother’s teaspoons.
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Smythson
40 New Bond St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Historic London stationer famous for its iconic pale blue paper and leather-bound diaries.
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Spitalfields Market
105a Commercial St.
London
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Markets & Neighborhoods
Fashionistas rub elbows with bargain hunters, collectors, and foodies at this busy East End market.
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Stella McCartney
30 Bruton St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Get cozy with Stella’s lovely pieces in this homey townhouse boutique.
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Topshop
216 Oxford St.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Topshop’s fabulously hip haute-high-street designs are easy on the eye and the wallet.
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Trilogy
33 Duke of York Sq.
London
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Boutiques & Design Shops
Insider denim boutique stocked with an outstanding range of ultra-hip jeans.
Like New York, Milan, and Paris, London is a fashion and design mecca. Figuring out which shrine of conspicuous consumption to worship at can be a tad overwhelming. Great shopping is spread throughout London, so you can't let mere geography be your guide. Instead, you must settle upon which type of shopping excursion you most fancy. A one-stop-shop department store? High-end designer flagships? Independent neighborhood boutiques? Unique markets? Choosing your desired destination is a little like choosing your favorite Beatle: everyone has her preference, but in the end they're all essential to the experience.
When it comes to London department stores, there's the Fab Four: Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Liberty and Co., and, of course, the legendary Harrods. We heart Harvey Nicks for its mix of emerging and established designers, a frothy blend of the young, trendy, and fashion forward. You'll still find the latest and greatest at Selfridges–one of only two good reasons to visit the tourist trap of Oxford Street (the other being the legendary Topshop)–but the focus here is just slightly more on established brands and designers. Things get even more refined at Liberty, where the smaller, more exclusive collection is housed in an elegant old Tudor building with wood paneling and floors. If you decide to brave the ever-crowded Harrods, be prepared for a Lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds experience of kaleidoscopic proportions. You can buy everything from a treadmill to a bottle of perfume here, but we say skip all that rubbish and just hit the Food Halls and Urban Retreat spa.
Fan out into London's neighborhood crannies for more distinctive shopping experiences. Bond Street (both the "old" and "new" sections) is a who's who of the British fashion invasion–with luxury boutiques by the likes of Asprey, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, and Nicole Farhi– and international houses like Tods, Chanel, and Hermes (ahem, this is no Penny Lane). We'll understand if you decide Stella McCartney is, in fact, your favorite Beatles' creation. Moving onto Marylebone, you'll find independent stores with local charm such as Daunt Books, a travel book purveyor ensconced in an Edwardian storefront replete with oak galleries and stained glass windows. Head to Notting Hill for a taste of gentrified bohemia. The sprawling Portobello Road antique market is no longer the only draw here–Westbourne Park and Lonsdale Roads are crammed with specialty boutiques, bars, and restaurants.
Speaking of antique markets, round out your tour of the fashion forward with something, well, old. Score amazing vintage jewelry in one of over 200 vendor stalls at Grays Antique Market near Bond Street. Other notable bazaars include the Silver Vaults and the Chelsea Antiques Market. With so many shopping options, and so little time, you'll be wishing there really were eight days a week.
Photo of Liberty and Co. courtesy of heatheronhertravels on Flickr Creative Commons