" When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. "
– Samuel Johnson, in Boswell’s Life
Although I’m usually not much of a shopper, a recent trip to London was an experience in shopping and eating as a kind of high pop culture. Instead of a cultural outing to art galleries or museums, it was a jaunt to check out a sampling of London’s leading department stores, boutiques, and restaurants in the fashionable shopping section of Knightsbridge. I could only salivate over most of the elegant displays, but the stores were busy with clients who appeared to look boldly at items like an $800 pair of boots without feeling intimidated.
Each world city has its own unmistakable scent and sensuality. The sights and smells and tastes of London are very different from New York or Chicago. In lieu of a promised five days of traditional rain and fog, we had four days of sun! only one of rain. London opened its doors, urban and inviting.
A sampling of a few bright high-end specialty stores we visited as we walked along Knightsbridge’s fashionable shopping district included Harvey Nichols, its windows full of svelte models and discreet gold and silver background. It’s a lovely store at which you needn’t even do your own shopping. There’s a comfortable lounge where you can call on a personal shopper for what you want, then sit comfortably with the TV and a glass of champagne, while your personal shopper brings items you are interested in. Courtesy and ingenuity are far from dead in London.
On we went to Hermes, that top of the line establishment with all the beautiful silks and leathers. A friend of mine used to make buying a tie for her beloved husband at Hermes her singly most expensive purchase each time she went to London. Prices range from English Pounds 35 (app. $50) for a pair of socks to $6,000 for a screen-printed leather jacket. At a special demonstration, I became acquainted with 85 ways to tie a silk scarf. Scarves range mostly between $175 and $500.
