London, England Fashion Shopping Streets

London does not have one shopping center of gravity; it has a dozen, and each district has its own theme, specialty and mood. Mayfair specializes in luxury goods, Covent Garden rewards quirky and boutique finds, Kings Road mixes trendy labels with Chelsea heritage, Notting Hill deals in vintage and market treasures, and the big shopping centers such as Westfield let travelers spend a whole day under one roof. This guide walks the districts one by one, so you can pick the London that matches your budget and your taste.

The districts are close together but genuinely different in character. A morning among the Bond Street flagships, an afternoon on Oxford Street's high-street flagships and an evening in Covent Garden is a classic London shopping day - while Savile Row, Carnaby Street and Portobello Road each deserve a detour of their own. Wear comfortable shoes: London shopping is walking shopping.

Bond Street, Mayfair and Savile Row

Bond Street is a major shopping street in the West End that runs north-south through Mayfair between Oxford Street and Piccadilly. It has been a fashionable shopping street since the 18th century and is now home to many high-price fashion shops; the southern section is Old Bond Street and the longer northern section is New Bond Street, though the distinction is rarely made in everyday usage. Shops on Bond Street include Armani, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co., Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo, Burberry, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Mulberry, Longchamp, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen and Miu Miu - one of the most expensive and exclusive retail stretches in the world, and ideal luxury window shopping even when the budget says look, not buy.

A few streets away, Savile Row is known worldwide as the home of bespoke British tailoring - the place to come for a handmade suit crafted the old-fashioned way. Henry Poole & Co., credited with inventing the tuxedo, still cuts cloth at No. 15; Gieves & Hawkes, H. Huntsman & Sons and Ozwald Boateng are among the other great names. Nearby Regent Street offers elegant mid-priced fashion alongside famous names such as Hamleys and Liberty, and historic Jermyn Street is renowned for bespoke shirtmakers such as Benson & Clegg and shoemakers including John Lobb.

Knightsbridge, Sloane Street and Kings Road

Visitors from around the world flock to Knightsbridge and Brompton Road for the illustrious department stores. Harrods is the most famous - a huge tourist attraction with roughly 300 departments - while locals often prefer Harvey Nichols, a chic alternative with three floors of designer wear and a large beauty department; be prepared, as both are high-priced and high-quality. Sloane Street, running from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, is where the money-is-no-object designer shopping happens: Dior, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Armani and Alberta Ferretti all keep shops within a short walk of each other, and since the 1990s the street's status has risen to rival Bond Street itself. There is also a branch of Topshop opposite Harrods, proof that Knightsbridge caters to most tastes.

Kings Road in Chelsea is another hot spot: an eclectic mix of trendy boutiques, unique fashion labels, stylish designer shops and high-street staples, plus a vast array of cafes and eateries for breaks. Do not miss the store where punk was born in the 1970s - Vivienne Westwood's shop - or the treasure trove of the Chelsea Antiques Market. Stores along the road include Peter Jones, Next and Russell & Bromley, and shopping is genuinely King's Road's obsession.

Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden

Oxford Street is possibly Europe's busiest shopping street: a major road through the West End running about one and a half miles from Marble Arch to St Giles Circus, home to major department stores, flagship stores and hundreds of smaller shops - over 300 in all, including the legendary Selfridges and department stores such as John Lewis and Debenhams among nearly every well-known high-street chain imaginable. For fewer crowds, slip onto the stylish side streets: St Christopher's Place and Berwick Street are real treats.

Two minutes from Oxford Circus, Carnaby Street - birthplace of the fashion and cultural revolution of the Swinging Sixties - and its 13 surrounding streets hold more than 150 brands plus independent boutiques, heritage labels and new designer names under the iconic arch, with Kingly Court just off the street for food and drink. Covent Garden, meanwhile, is the boutique district: hip fashion, unique gifts and handmade jewelry, urban streetwear and shoes on Neal Street, and a whole constellation of lanes - Floral Street, Monmouth Street, St Martin's Courtyard, Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials and Neal's Yard - that together form London's most distinctive shopping area.

Markets, Pop-Ups and Shopping Centers

Notting Hill won worldwide notoriety partly thanks to the film of the same name, and its shopping justifies the fame: small shops selling unusual and vintage clothing, rare antiques, gifts, books and specialty foods, and the Portobello Road Market, a roughly mile-long street of vibrant stalls set out daily. Nearby Westbourne Grove offers more high-end shopping, with stylish designer shops dotted among boho boutiques, cafes and galleries. In the east, Boxpark Shoreditch - built from stripped and refitted shipping containers in the heart of East London - mixes fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries, cafes and restaurants; opened in 2011 by founder Roger Wade, it is the world's first pop-up mall and the home of the pop-up store.

For everything under one roof, Canary Wharf's Canada Square in the Docklands holds more than 200 shops open seven days a week - major high-street chains alongside designer stores, from Oasis and Zara to Jo Malone - in a sleek, modern setting that is at its most comfortable outside the weekday lunch-hour rush. Westfield London is one of the largest urban shopping centers in Europe, with high-street favorites including Debenhams, Next, Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser and more than 275 luxury, premium and high-street retailers showcasing over 700 brands, including Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, All Saints and Ted Baker; its sister site is Westfield Stratford City in the east.

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