Where to Shop
Sarah has shopped with clients in London (where she set up her business), Amsterdam, Brussels (where she lived), Paris, San Francisco (where she lived), L.A. and Atlanta, and offers remote consultations on-line. Here are some of her favourite finds: Apparel WebsitesTopshop is the ultimate brand and store to visit in London. Looking at going global, they now ship to the U.S. Their flagship store at Oxford Street is 4 levels of cutting-edge inexpensive designs and designer collaborations, with the likes of Kate Moss. The one thing I miss most about London! Anthropologie is a unique store that offers the natural feminine girl lots of choice; with detailing and trims that fit into this seasons Woodland theme. Online shipping also available. San Francisco. Net-a-Porter is a fabulous online boutique that offers the top end designers and ships within the U.K. and to the U.S. within 3 days of purchase. I bought my wedding dress - a Paul Smith butterfly dress - and it arrived in the most exquisite box. They are the leading boutique I believe on the web and few can touch their professionalism and range of designers. They have their own Jimmy Choo shoe boutique for a start! Shop Intuition is the online store where the Hollywood elite shop. Full of the latest fads and quirky items, matched to the celebrity wearing them. Great items! ASOS is a great UK website that offers clothings styles to match celebrity styles. They find a celeb style they like and they make a similar version at affordable prices. They are fantastic and I have purchased a few dresses myself for £30 each that have been my favourite items of the season. UrbanOutfitters have stores globally in main cities but their websites is great source and access to their entire collection. Young, hip and funky, they represent street-savy style. Mango is one of my favourite stores to visit in London and you can now shop on-line globally for their european young designs that are uber-trendy. Target is a superstore that sells everything from furniture, to electronics, to clothing. And their clothing is extremely inexpensive, trendy and current and they often bring in international designers such as Paul and Joe to design limited edition collections for them. A great place to visit (give yourself plenty of time to peruse this store!) and you can leave the shop with several pieces and not break the bank. U.K. BoutiquesIn London and want to know where to shop? Head for the following tube stops - Bond Street, Oxford Street, Notting Hill, Kensington High Street and make TOPSHOP your first London experience. Selfridges - my favourite department store in the entire Universe. Yes, it may sound dramatic but there is no store anywhere that is quite so modern, ahead of the times or as consumer-friendly or offers a range of designs and price tags. And all this for both men and women. View their website. Forget Harrods - a tourist nightmare and a complete maze. Matches - an upscale boutique with haute couture. Spot the celebrity on the trendy streets of Notting Hill. On Ledbury Road, home to other great boutiques like Diane Van Furstenburg's store, Paul and Joe and Emma Hope, to name a few. View a map of boutiques for the Westbourne Grove area. View Matches website. Jigsaw - a privately owned high street boutique that offers great textures and fabric finishes for the middle price bracket. Good for suiting or that casual summer or cocktail dress. Several locations in London, including Oxford Street and Bond Street. View website. H & M - a Swedish chain of inexpensive but trendy designs with large stores in London and international cities. This store is great for picking up cheaper versions off the catwalk and fun colours with a diversity of styles. Madonna and Kyle both have designed collections for H & M. A new store opened up in San Francisco a few years ago but no stores in the south of the U.S.. View their website. Zara - another European (Spainish) large chain with inexpensive but more classical designs. Located in many European cities and South America. View their website. Pied a Terre - a trendy shoe store with reasonable prices and more off-beat or one-of-a-kind designs. In various London locations including Selfridges or a stand-alone store on South-Molton Street. View their website. Sixty 6 – Marylebone High Streets delightful feminine vintage boudoir stocking brands Anonymous, Just in Case, Velvet… A petite boutique that specialises also in a few personal designs such as the Sarongs and exquisite handbags. Sixty 6 - Review, Map and Local Information. Retro - a group of shops in Notting Hill that sell second-hand vintage pieces is a haven for interesting designer style finds. Both men and women stores on Pembridge Villas at Nottinghill Gate. Directions. Dolly Diamond - a vintage clothing store with unique finds from the 50's, 60's, 70's in particular. I bought a fur collared suede 70's Bang Bang - vintage store with unusual finds and own-brand jewellery. Haute Couture pieces from the likes of Vivenne Westwood, JPG, Biba. Directions. U.S.A. BoutiquesShopping in the U.S? Check the cities best boutique listings before you leave, but wherever you go Target and Nordstrom will keep you busy. Nordstrom is one of the better U.S. department stores with an excellent shoe selection and price range. View their website. Sandpiper is a small, stylish boutique in St Simon's and Atlanta GA, with our favourite lines like C & C, Splendid, Ella Moss, but with also some classy pieces from Nanette Lapore and Burning Torch. View website. Deliciouz is exactly what this unique shoe store conjures up! More like an art gallery with its colourful interior and decadent choice of shoes, Tamara Vladic owner of the store says "I always dress starting with my feet and up! After all, your feet ground you to earth and keep your body standing". If you want to invest in a great shoe, she is the expert that will find one for you. 1506 North Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA. 925-933-7489. Website. Shoes can be shipped to USA or European locations upon request. Elizawen is a stylish San Francisco boutique in the heart of Pacific Heights with a sister store in Walnut Creek. Run by L.S.E. graduate Elizabeth Wen, her eye for style and business know-how gives us the perfect options for San Francisco style. View website. Located at: 2512 Sacramento St at Fillmore, San Francisco. Azalea is a young, hip boutique with a great website and web newsletter. In Hayes Valley, San Francisco, it caters for the University arts crowd and trendy wannabees. The owner, Catherine, is a young up and coming entrepreneur and has taken the market by storm since the opening only a few years ago. View website or shop on-line. European BoutiquesUpdated soon...Other Favourite Websitestubechat.co.uk - london travel chat london's original underground commuter's chat and meeting place - the London commuter chat website...gossip can « Back to The Wardrobe Shrink Forum ©2007 Sarah Whittaker [www.TheWardrobeShrink.com]. You have my permission to copy this article for your website or publication, so long as this entire byline remains intact. I'd appreciate a quick e-mail to let me know where you're using it. Thank you! |