London Ladies... seeking help!!

misslola

Member
Feb 10, 2006
969
1
Where else to turn but my fellow TPF'rs for help! We are going to London in July .. where should I purse shop? Can I get a decent price on Mulberry at their store? I've been to Bill Emberg last time ... haven't read anything about him on this forum. Also, off topic, but have any of you heard of this thing called an Oyster Card?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!!!
 
The Oyster Card is a pre-pay travel card. You buy the card, top it up and then just swipe it when you use buses or tubes around London. Very useful to have - you have to buy a ticket before you get on a bus in Central London and it's a pain in the bum as a lot of the machines are temperamental at best and you end up running round trying to buy a ticket.

https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

As for purse shopping - the Mulberry store will probably be full price unless there's a sale on. Which is possible in July. Other places you must check out are Liberty - their purse section is awesome, and also Selfridges on Oxford Street is handbag heaven.

Hope that helps - I'm not from London but I do go down there quite a lot.
 
Heya, definately go on Bond street for some designer shopping... it doesnt come cheap though, you'll find another Gucci, Tiffany & co, Hugo Boss in Chelsea (Sloane Square) Also try out Selfridges - http://www.selfridges.com/index.cfm?page=1182 (a big department store) on Oxford street, Harvey Nichols - http://www.harveynichols.com/output/Page143.asp (another department store)

Im not from london myself but they are the main places i go to for my bag shopping! I hope that helps and have plenty of fun!
 
The Tanner krolle shop is a stones throw from Harrods which is also great for browing around the handbags. There is another Mulberry stre in the knightsbridge area too. For something a bit funky worth visiting the Orla keily flagship store in covent garden - I've never been but intend having a look next time i'm in London. I've only recently discovered her bags!
 
Make sure you visit Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover Street, parallel to Bond Street. It's one of the best shop in the world. Even if you don't buy anything there, it's nice to have a look at their interior design.

Other shops like Matches or Browns are nice to visit too as they carry lots of brands.
http://www.matchesfashion.com/
http://www.brownsfashion.com/BrownsFashionSite/pages/home/default.asp

Apart from Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Liberty, you can also visit Harrods

There should be sales everywhere in July. If you want to get a Mulberry, I will suggest you to check Liberty first as their sale prices are lower than other places sometimes.

Good luck.
 
If you go in July, the sales will definitely be on and may even have gone into further reductions.

Try also Fenwicks on Bond Street. Its a department store that carries not only Mulberry and Orla Kiely, but also Gerard Darel and a large Jamin Puech range.

I second the Liberty suggestion - their prices are often cheaper and they may do the same as they did at the winter sale and sell Chloes at between 30% to 50% off. Of course, Liberty also have their own label bags 'Liberty of London' which are really luxurious and highly covetable.

Finally, there is another Tanner Krolle shop near Bond Street. Its at Burlington Gardens and I find that they sometimes still carry their one-offs from a previous season, that they have been unable to sell.
 
Liberty!! Gotta go to Liberty - it is wonderful and the accessories are second to none. Bill Amberg has great bags - classic but stylish. I'd also put in a vote for Pickett on Sloane Street for some classic British style, Vivienne Westwood for some edgy British eccentricity. If you subscribe to the dailycandylondon newsletter you will get the heads up about all the sample sales in town, many of which will be bags and shoes. I'd also suggest browsing along Marylebone High Street and Portobello Road - the latter is great for Vintage. Don't overlook Covent Garden either - brilliant boutiques carrying a range of luxury goods and unusual designers especially in Monmouth Street. Bicester Village is only a hour and a half from London too - lots of discount stores there including Anya Hindmarch, Mulberry, Chloe, Celine, Dior etc.

I'll stop here, but PM me if you want to discuss further - I could go on and on!!
 
And not sure how long you'll be in the UK or if you'll have a car but if you want discounted Mulberry you could drive or get the train to Bicester Village, they have a Mulberry outlet there and last time I went they had Roxannes for around $600 and I picked up a Blenheim for $400.

Have a look at the website

http://www.bicestervillage.com/bicester/home.asp

Selfridges is by far the best high end department store now. Harvey Nichols has an amazing selection of clothing, shoes and bags but it's looking a little tired inside, although how often do we shop for the ambience.....LOL! Be wary of buying anything in the sales at Harrods because they accept no returns of sale items unless they are faulty, stupid move as I'm sure their faulty returns must have rocketed!

Oh and don't forget to get your tax refunds when you shop!!!

With the Oyster card you pay something like a £5 deposit per card, so long since I got mine, which you'll get back when you return the card. The Oyster card can't be used on any trains though, only buses, tubes and trams. Assuming you are staying in central London where you'll be using the tube this is your best option, however if you are staying a little further out where you'll be getting a train into a London terminus ie. Waterloo or Euston then a travel card is a better option.
 
Thanks - you guys are very very helpful! I just wonder if I'll be able to find these places??? Maybe I can ditch my hubby and kids at a museum and go see the REAL sites!!!
 
Also, it's better to get an Oyster card instead of buying tics each time from machines because it is cheaper. I think for the tube now it's 4 pounds for a ride, whereas having an oyster card is much cheaper, less than 2 pounds i think
 
There's not much I can add to what the other tPFers have already said, except that if you do go to Harrods (and I highly recommend it) they have 3 rooms of bags :drool: on the ground floor, but it's also worth a trip to the ladies fashions on the 1st floor, as there are some more bags up there, particularly around the shoes...Ferragamo :love: for example...the first floor also tends to be a much nicer shopping environment as most tourists don't go past the ground floor, so it's usually nice and quiet. I don't go often for budgetary reasons :sad: but I'm heading there this weekend with my best friend :yahoo: and my credit card is already trembling in anticipation!!!
 
I remembered one thing when Sez mentioned about Ferragamo in Harrods. There is a Ferragamo concession on Ground floor and 1st floor. During sales, visit both Ferragamo concessions before you make any purchases because the discounts are different sometimes.