Shopping!

Went shopping today, with Helen (and Lucia came for a bit, later on). There are so many massive clothing stores here, it's retarded. I haven't yet been to a mall (or seen one, for that matter) so it seems like the only places to buy clothing are high(er)-end shops on Oxford Street and similar in Central London or in small, scuzzier open-stall markets.

Both have their charms.

Stores along Oxford Street (and anywhere in the West End, I'm sure) are all designer/brand name stores, or massive "department" stores--think Holt Renfrew, not the Bay. Down any given street are stores such as Gap, FCUK, Benetton, Esprit (in fact, most are down most streets, as they all have multiple locations, and yes, that's confusing).

The stores I like are the department-type stores; they're massive, multiple floors, and have a crazy amount of variety. Think of a store the size of the Bay, then fill three floors of it with clothing, accesories and shoes. Prices vary as much as style. I picked up one shoulder bag; it was 9£. I picked up another; it was 90£. Both were on the same rack. (Guess which one I liked better?) Same goes for clothes: you can find a sweater here for 7£ and three feet over find a tiny tank top for 20 times that.

It's price that makes the markets so much fun. The Deptford High Street Market, a couple blocks down from me, is an open-stall affair that sells everything from food to clothes to electronics. (I'm sure there's a lot of stuff falling off the backs of trucks here.) Every type of clothing--shoes, underwear, jeans, shirts and jackets--are on sale, mostly for very, very cheap. Jeans, 5£. I don't know where one tries them on, but whatever. And buying underwear on the street? Kinda weird.

And that's just a small market. Spitalfields, where we went before, and Camden, where we're (apparently) going Sunday, are more popular (and as such, more expensive) but have some funkier stuff.

Anyways, today, I bought two shirts: a little sweater and a button-up shirt, both from a fabulous store called H&M, that has everything, for very, very cheap, even with the exchange. I still need a pair of shoes tho, so think I might try the market for that... no worries about trying 'em on, at least.