If you didn't make it out to the tents of London Fashion Week, or don’t wish to feel out of place in the high-end designer boutiques, fear not:  we have the insider scoop on London fashion. 

The High Streets

Easy to find and positively rammed on the weekends, there is more than one High Street in London to drain your wallet.  Chock-full of your big name stores, high streets are a good place to get your feet wet.

Emerging from underground at Oxford Circus tube station can be hectic, but use this as your starting point for exploring high street stores.  Crowds file in and out of stores like Topshop, French Connection, Zara and Reiss regardless of the time of day, or day of the week.

Window display at TopShop

If you want to hit up the stores while avoiding the crush, join the locals who wait patiently outside of Topshop’s flagship store, eagerly awaiting the opening of the doors at 9am every morning.

I have only done this once, swearing that I wouldn’t make a habit out of it – but it is truly exhilarating to be the first one through the doors.

The Markets

London has so many fantastic markets, offering everything from vintage clothing to antiques to international cuisine.  A trip to London requires time set aside to explore.

Camden, Portobello Road, Borough, Brick Lane – all offer market stalls that will not disappoint.  Leave some time for vintage hunting.  Knowing where to find the vintage stalls is just half the battle. 

Camden

Knowing whether or not that dress is a gem or just plain old requires careful consideration under the dim lights of the Camden Market caverns.

The Swinging 60s

Step back in time, to a glimpse of a more recent London historical era.  Camden Town and Carnaby Street still retain some of the charm and cheese of the Swinging 60s. 

The stores on Carnaby Street have been updated, and are interspersed with chic cafes.  But it’s still worth a stroll down the cobble stone street.

If you really want to step back to the 60s, take the tube to Camden Town.  Fashionable, quirky, and delightfully sleazy, Camden is a world away from high street fashion.

The weekend is packed with tourists, but the weekdays attract off-duty models looking for their next vintage find.  Even if goth and burlesque costumes aren’t your thing, it’s still worth a look.

The Avant-garde

Fashion in London is not restricted to the shops.  Exploring some of London’s many museums and galleries is a refreshing and chic way to spend the weekend. 

The Victoria & Albert Museum has dedicated an entire wing to fashion exhibitions.  In one room you can trace the history of London attire, gawk at the full-length pearl gown worn by Princess Di, and see emerging designers show off their skills. 

The V & A
Artist fantasy at the "Walking In My Mind" exhibit, displayed at the Hayward Gallery

A quick Google search reveals a multitude of galleries showcasing photography exhibits of London legends like Kate Moss and Twiggy.  Fashion and rock photography exhibitions are never more than a couple tube stops away.

The Best Shop in the World?

With so much to do in the capital city, how do you decide where to end your fashionable travels?  My advice is to save the best for last.  Make the final stop on your shopping list, arguably, the best store in the entire world – Liberty. 

The building itself is reason enough to go.  Four stories of Tudor Revival architecture, beautiful staircases and rich wood lifts replace glaring metallic escalators. 


The cultural icon presents itself as a museum as much as it does a store.  The gallery-inspired presentation makes you feel a little less out of place while gawking at high-end designer collections from Christopher Kane, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, Burberry – the list goes on and on. 

It’s hard to even talk about the shoe room without getting a little emotional.  It’s just so beautiful.  Those with a shoe fetish, beware.

Not everything in Liberty is completely out of the normal price range.  The gift shop has notebooks, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, and headbands, all done in a famous Liberty print. 

In a city that bustles and moves at lightning speed, once inside those Tudor walls, you really do feel the calming revelation that nothing could go wrong at Liberty. 

by Heather Loney
all images by Heather Loney