LONDON, UK – Ranging from concept stores, boutiques to antique shops and bookstores, we selected for you our favourite shopping destinations in the city. Make sure to check them out in case you are planning to go on a shopping spree in London.
Dover Street Market
17-18 Dover St, Greater London
W1S 4LT
http://london.doverstreetmarket.com/
The hype is there for a reason- Rei Kawakubo’s incredible utilitarian masterpiece, sat bang in the middle of Mayfair, which has left a lasting impression on the London fashion scene, it’s not so much a market as it is a well curated gallery installation-esque shopping space, spread across 6 floors, stocking everything from Alaîa, Céline to Gosha Rubchinsky, this is a landmark well worth seeing, even if just for the gluten free chocolate brownie in Rose Bakery on the top floor, no shopping trip is complete without swinging through DSM.
LN-CC
18 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston
E8 2EZ
http://www.ln-cc.com/
A concept store on all levels, LN-CC which stands for Late Night Chameleon Cafe, trades on an appointment-only basis and hosts a library, gallery and record store. An all encompassing, next level retail experience which hosts brands such as Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann to Lanvin. Don’t let the “appointment only” clause put you off, appointments are easily made via e-mail or phone. Well worth a visit.
Opening Ceremony
35 King Street, Covent Garden
WC2E 8JG
http://www.openingceremony.us/
The eagerly awaited London branch of Opening Ceremony opened just over a year ago in Covent Garden, the edit is refined and the collaborations are worth visiting for alone, from £3 keyrings to £3,000 jewellery, there’s pretty much something for every budget, housing brands such as Mugler, Proenza, J.W Anderson to street wear brand HBA as well as a small selection of coffee table books and numbered prints.
Vertice London
16 South Molton Street
W1K 5QS
www.verticelondon.com
Vertice is a unique space in London’s Mayfair for style-conscious men, offering a wide range of international menswear designer brands from Uma Wang, Yohji Yamamoto, Balmain, Avantoi and Baris Bidjan Saberi. Its avant-garde and smat offer (clothing and accessories) makes it a must in the city’s shopping destinations.
Machine-A
13 Brewer Street
W1F RH
www.machine-a.com
Machine-A opened last Spring in the heart of London’s Soho as a collaboration between London’s fashion PR Ella Dror and world-famous stylist Anna Trevelyan. The tiny boutique offers a wide range of young (Nasir Mazhar and Louise Gray) and more established designer (Mugler, Sibling) clothing and accessories.
Layers London
16 Conduit Street
W1S 2XL
www.layerslondon.com
Layers is a concept store on London’s Conduit Street is a space where fashion, literature art and music are fused together in order to provide its customers with a unique and all-around shopping experience. Offering both womenswear and menswear, Layers feature brands such as Rick Owens, Helmut Lang, Mugler, Theyskens Theory, Garet Pugh, Kris Van Assche, Damir Doma and many others.
Hostem
41-43 Redchurch Street
E2 7DL
www.hostem.co.uk
Hostem has been in the earth of East London for over 10 years, offering avant-garde tailoring and the best international names for suiting, formalwear, fine jewellery and shoes. The store’s own magazine is a periodical printed biannually; each issue is named after a different man, priced at £20 it covers arts, lifestyle and fashion.
Storm In a Teacup
366 Kingsland Road
E8 4DA
http://www.storminateacuplondon.com/
Probably the best store in town for vintage designer clothing, Storm in a Teacup is a small boutique in between Dalston and Shoreditch, offering a very refined selection of pre-loved garments to the likes of Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Comme Des Garcons and many more.
Claire de Rouen Books
125 Charing Cross Rd, Greater London
WC2H 0EW
http://clairederouenbooks.com/
Neatly hidden above a sex shop on Charring Cross Road, upon entering the store and creeping up the maze like stair case, you’ll be greeted by a small gallery space with a well curated selection of rare art prints and signed pieces. Although the doyenne of fashion books; Claire de Rouen herself sadly passed last year, a mill around her store will show you her legacy and selection lives on, inspiring fashion and art students for generations, as the only specialist fashion & photography bookstore in London, you’ll find everything from Diane Arbus to Gyula Halász.
James Smith & Sons
Hazelwood House, 53 New Oxford St
WC1A 1BL
http://www.james-smith.co.uk/
Open since 1857, James Smith & Sons is credited with being the oldest and most revered Umbrella store in Europe, from the Victorian exterior to the products itself, this is a beautiful slice of british history in it’s most eccentric (and practical) form. A family-run business that has survived 2 world wars and sits on New Oxford Street amongst the litters of cheap perfume shops and phone shops. Made-to-measure canes, umbrellas, walking sticks and parasols starting from £30 ranging to the thousands.
Hirst Antiques, Portobello Road
59 Pembridge Road, Notting Hill
W11 3HG
https://www.facebook.com/hirstantiques
A treasure trove of costume jewellery, from Art Deco, 1950s bakelite bangles to vintage Chanel, Hirst Antiques is a specialist vintage jewellery store with a difference, not only is everything incredibly reasonably priced, it’s all thematically displayed by colour way, style, designer, clearly priced and dated- for those of you that dread getting stuck in rummaging for hours.
General Eyewear
Arch 67, The Stables Market, Camden Town
NW1 8AH
http://www.generaleyewear.com/
Formally known as ‘Arckiv’ General Eyewear has by far the best vintage eyewear collection in London. With every frame imaginable, from 50s cat-eyes, unisex 40s brow lines to their own line of frames with self explanatory names such as “The Kafka”, General Eyewear has supplied glasses for TV & Film, with museum level stock spanning every decade from 1800-1999.
Article by Samira Larouci, Emanuele D’Angelo, Gaia De Siena
