stores
Shopping
Persephone Books
This bustling little publishing house reprints work (fiction mostly, but also cookbooks—all of it witty and modern) written by women between 1914 and 1950. Most volumes are lined in patterned paper duplicated from fabric of the era. 59 Lamb’s Conduit St., 44-207-242-9292, persephonebooks.co.uk
Shopping
Folk
Find a sublime edit of pared-down, sharply cut offerings from small European labels like Sessun, Acne, Humanoid and Won Hundred. Folk’s own line of ankle boots and pretty platform sandals should satisfy any Rachel Comey shoe lover. 53 Lamb’s Conduit St., 44-208-616-4191, folkclothing.com
Shopping
CoS
H&M’s sister label excels at chic, Jil Sander–meets-Marni basics at High Street prices, which makes this a great place for workwear that’s cool but not too-cool-for-corporate. The dressing rooms are fantastic: spacious, with a 360-degree-mirror setup and soft, flattering light. 22 Regent St., 44-207-478-0400, cosstores.com
Shopping
Darkroom
Everything here is a play on scale, materials and form—the store’s essentially a rec room for accessories- and interiors-loving grown-ups. Authentic African design pieces sit alongside the house label, inspired by the Dutch de Stijl movement (think Piet Mondrian). 52 Lamb’s Conduit St., 44-207-831-7244, darkroomlondon.com
Shopping
Elphick's
Visit Columbia Road on Sundays for the amazing flower market, and stop in here for super-affordable (£12 and up) pop screen prints by artists (including owner Sharon Elphick) from all over Europe. 160 Columbia Rd., 44-207-033-7891, elphicksshop.com
Shopping
START
The edit of edgy designer labels local (Christopher Kane, Markus Lupfer) and international (Carven, Sonia) is unmatched by any other in the city. Make this shop number one on your list. 42-44 Rivington St., 44-207-729-3334, start-london.com
Shopping
Wolf & Badger
A crumpet’s toss from Dover Street Market is this slick new space spotlighting indie British brands in homeware, objets d’art, fashion and accessories. 32 Dover St., 44-203-627-3191, wolfandbadger.com
Shopping
Topshop Oxford Circus: The Lucky Attack Plan
This global flagship has, hands down, the absolute best of the brand. It’s also loud, crowded and crazy. Here’s our guide to getting the goods without losing your mind.
Shopping
Strut
Most of the goods at this vintage store have an ’80s slant (loads of Vivienne Westwood and Balenciaga) while most of the decor was salvaged from the iconic ’60s Mary Quant store on Carnaby Street. 2B Ada St., 44-207-254-8121
Shopping
Show Studio
Upstairs is the studio where Nick Knight directed Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video and runs his astronomically hip fashion website, showstudio.com. You can’t go up there. But you can hang out in the shop downstairs, where rotating themes dictate what (astronomically hip) goods are for sale. 1-9 Bruton Pl., 44-207-399-4299, showstudio.com
