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Oxford Street Apr 10, 2006
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When Girlawhirl's in London, the first place she heads to for some serious shopping is Oxford Street. Full of fabulous fashion, from High Street shops to the department stores full of designers, and with Top Shop located at Oxford Circus, she never leaves the street without the weight of many shopping bags… It makes sense to take a linear approach to Oxford Street, so Girlawhirl tries to start on either end of her favorite strip, from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch. She's worked it from both ends, and finds that honestly, it's best to end up at Oxford Circus and Top Shop because she almost always walks out with a large shopping bag, and this way she's not dragging it along the whole day.
And so she begins at New Look near Marble Arch. Full of fast fashion at its best, Girlawhirl can always find a version of a runway look at a price so wallet friendly that she's free to indulge even though she'll only be wearing it for a few months. Shoes here are particularly trend right and very well priced.
From there Girlawhirl always heads straight to Marks and Spencer, where basics have always ruled, but lately, with the introduction of lines like the Limited Collection and Per Una, fashion and color, but nothing too over the top, take up much more floor space than in the past. Here she often finds office appropriate adaptations of the trends, like great trouser jeans and cashmere sweaters. No trip to Marks and Spencer would be complete without some time in the lingerie department. From basics to beauties, the offering is staggering.
Right next door is Selfridges, which Girlawhirl could spend a whole day exploring. Everything from hard to find cosmetics to the equally spectacular food hall and candy assortment competes with an unrivaled selection of designer clothing and accessories for her attention. She always lunches here, whether it's a healthy meal at the Lab Café where smoothies and juices, great salads and other light meals are available or a full on Moroccan extravaganza at the Momo outpost.
From there she heads towards Oxford Circus stopping along the way at Debenhams where high end designers like John Rochas, Matthew Williamson and Jasper Conran, among others, design lower priced lines for the store. Girlawhirl always finds something whether it's a cool handbag, or more recently, swimwear from Williamson's Butterfly line.
High street shops line the street—French Connection, Monsoon, even Zara and H&M—so there's plenty to check out along the way. At Oxford Circus, where Regent Street crosses Oxford Street, there are even more shops, Benetton, Mango, a Niketown (where Girlawhirl often finds flashy sneakers that are designed for the European market and not available in the US), and the wonderful Top Shop. Famous for its clairvoyant interpretation of the trends and ability to somehow get them on to a shop floor faster than its competition, Top Shop is a fashion shopper's dream. With rack upon rack of ideas, outfits and up to the moment silhouettes at reasonable prices, it's become the fashion destination for Londoners and the international fashion flock.
Between what she buys at Top Shop and other shops along her favorite stretch of Oxford Street, Girlawhirl is usually so laden down with packages that she has no other option but to find a taxi to take her back to her hotel.
Go Do It! For a complete list of Oxford Street stores click here.
020 7927 0188 Selfridges
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With a floor of accessories at street level and two cavernous floors full of fashion, vintage, shoes, and even a café downstairs, Girlawhirl often loses track of time here. Upstairs is a men's collection and adjacent to the first floor is a Miss Selfridge shop, which keeps the right off the runway vibe going.
