by Allison Hall
I just recently returned from a tour of Europe. It was my first time there and all that anyone kept telling me before I left was “Oh my God…the shopping”! So naturally being the avid shopper that I am, I was pretty stoked.
I landed in London. I’ve always felt like I belong in London, so that combined with all the crazy shopping that I’d heard about was why after a 7 hour flight, a 5 hour time change and next to no sleep in over 48 hours I dumped my bags at my hotel and hopped on the Underground as quickly as I possibly could…sleep would just have to wait.
My first stop was Oxford Street. It was a Saturday morning and it was insanely crowded, but it had to be done. You see when you get out at the Oxford Circus tube station, Topshop is right across the street. Oh, be still my beating heart. I have waited years to finally set foot in that store. Floor after floor of clothing, rack after rack of strapless cocktail dresses, even a nail bar, it almost caused me to faint!
Maybe it was the jetlag, maybe the lack of food, but I couldn’t believe how incredibly exhausted I was after combing through all the racks. With my arms overflowing with items that could only be described as “the cutest thing ever”, I made my way to the fitting rooms. Now, anyone that actually knows me is not going to believe this, but after trying on at least 25 dresses (I swear I’m not kidding) I didn’t end up buying a thing. I couldn’t explain it…surely it was fatigue. I dragged my sorry self out of there and headed down the street towards Marks and Spencer.
Not nearly as thrilling a place as Topshop, but I found a couple of things at MS. I tried them on, I put them back, I bought a chocolate bar and I left. What was going on? I was in London, I was shopping and I was buying nothing…very unlike me! Normally I can go into a shop and find a dozen things that I love and the only problem I ever have is deciding what not to buy. I got back on the tube and headed over to Harrods.
Harrods was lovely. The music was soothing, the air was crisp, the displays were amazing and the clothing was just way too expensive. It was fun to dream and I would have absolutely loved to have come home from my European adventures toting a Vivienne Westwood plaid dress (breathtaking) but realistically that just wasn’t going to happen. That’s when it hit me that maybe, just maybe department stores weren’t for me…even the ones with really, really gorgeous designer threads. Tomorrow I would do the opposite, I would go boutique shopping.
I am absolutely obsessed with the 1960s and a dedicated follower of fashion, so naturally Carnaby Street would have to be my first stop. Back to Oxford Circus I went, but this time it felt different. Lane after lane lined with cute shops full of a different kind of designer clothing and accessories, so many unique pieces that made me finally understand what people had meant when they told me “Oh my God…the shopping”.
I spent the rest of my day wandering about aimlessly immersed in my surroundings and that’s when I knew that I was right, I’m all about the boutiques! I think that it has something to do with the impersonality of large stores. The fact that there are thousands of articles and that it’s very unlikely that a sales person is going to be able to help you find the exact item that you’re looking for. It’s not their fault, they can’t possibly be expected to recognize and track down every single piece in the store, but I really just prefer the intimacy of a smaller shop. Also, when purchasing articles from a department store you run a much higher risk of bumping into someone when you’re out on Saturday night wearing the exact same ensemble as you, and really, none of us want that to happen!
Basically, at least in my opinion, it comes down to this…if you go to a foreign country or a different continent and you want to shop for some really cool, unique or authentic duds, boutiques are the only way to go. Don’t get me wrong, you’re very likely going to run into me scouring the racks at stores like H&M or TK Maxx, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about the boutiques baby.