London Calling (Updates)

Hello! I'm still alive, as i'm sure you'll all be thoroughly relieved to know, and i seemed to have survived the Leeds to London transition without any major catastrophe. I hope you're all doing fabulously well. I'm still getting settled in and as such, my posting may still be slightly off key, but i'm hoping to get back to normal as soon as possible.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all of you gorgeous people reading and following, who have kept up with me throughout all of this turmoil! Your loyalty means a lot to me, so keep your eyes peeled, as i have some lovely goodies to give away soon!

Anyway, seeing as i've been relocated to London and i'm going to be here for at least a year, it got me thinking. I'm trying hard to be positive about this move, and honestly, London is such a stunning city for so many reasons! Shopping obviously, being one of them! Keeping in mind that i'm not going to be splurging on anything until i find a job (which i hope will happen asap!) i cannot wait to be re-aquainted with all my favourite retail spots.

Yeah, i know, Camden Town is beyond obvious. Famous for its quirky and alternative style and atmopshere, and rock 'n' roll history, i've seen this town change vastly over the years. I was born and raised in Islington in North London, a neighbour and stone's throw away, and subsequently spent my teenage years trawling the streets of Camden spending my pocket money on band tees, awful overpriced goth apparel and dodgy bars that'd turn a blind eye to our underage binge drinking. Nowdays this town is far more metropolitan and has succeeded in taking advantage of it's tourist allure. Despite this, it's still one of my favourite shopping and drinking spots, and it's absolutely glorious in the summer.

 

Carnaby street! Any mod and hippy worth their salt in the 1960's hung out here, and was first home to designers such as Mary Quant and bands like The Who and The Rolling stones. Right now it boasts some of my favourite stores and boutiques, my beloved Lazy Oaf, David and Goliath, Dahlia, Marshmallow Mountain and as of this month, Johnny Cupcakes! As well as tons of other boutiques and classics like Vans, Fred Perry, American Apparel, Hilfiger, Barbour, Illamasqua, MAC and Size? Wonderful.

I'm particularly looking foreward to hitting up Central London too. There's absolutely nothing like spending a sunny summer's day out wandering the pavements of Oxford Street and it certainly is any high street purveyor's heaven. Some of my finest memories took place here, and the place itself really flies the flag for the capital.

As soon as i come into some money, you'll most likely find me rolling around the Pauls Boutique department in Topshop, crying over the bags and purses out of pure joy. The same can be said for quite a few of the shops on this one street.

 NEWFLASH!

 

Forever 21 is coming to London! I actually heard a while ago from a friend who works at the HMV store in London that it was closing down, but only found out this week what they had planned for it from Laura@That's So Yesterday! Obviously, as a young person who is perpetually skint and feeling the pain and frustration of being jobless, i really feel for the staff at HMV but hopefully they'll move onto bigger and better things. It also saddens me as this doesn't bode well for the future of HMV as an establishment. As one of the oldest and most famous music retailers, they've managed to keep afloat in a dying industry, and their demise is recieved with foreboding. Should i have bought more CDs and DVDs instead of downloading them? Not that it would have made a difference. Being bought out was inevitable in a world where uTorrent is favoured over HMV or even iTunes.

Good news for all the European Forever 21 fans though! I adore this store, and finally we'll be able to physically go in and buy instead of having to utilize the internet! How exciting!

To be honest, there are so many places to go shopping in London that it really is down to personal taste and style. The places i've mentioned i value for more than the wares that they're peddling, as much for their feel, atmosphere and general nostalgia than what money can buy. I've forged some wonderful memories on the streets of London, and i hope there are more to come now that i'm back. 

And if you've never visited London before? Do it, and you'll never look back. That's a fact.

Love always,