Ode to the London of Harrods and Liberty

I was so happy to get to Liberty’s in London, a place I remembered so fondly, the aesthetic of which has stayed with me, and I understand to be relatively unchanged, phew!  It’s interior of dark wood and signature print of peacock feathers on lots of things, done in a wonderfully tasteful and amusing way, just a natural continuation of the turn of the century without skipping a beat, nothing is in virtual quotes, and nothing tongue in cheek.  I guess that the past is on a continuum with the present and the future more in Europe than it is at home in the US, because the past is so deep and rich, and a bit more homogeneous than ours.  After all, we had tribesman on horseback roaming most of our land in the 1860’s, when Dickens was writing about gritty London life and George Eliot about life in the English Provinces, and the Eiffel Tower was being constructed in Paris………..anyway, Liberty’s is the same only different, and just great!  Of course I couldn’t possibly buy the etched velvet and leather handbag, even as a splurge, but I did get a bunch of wonderful Liberty textiles for my Spring Shoe Collection.

Luckily, on our last day, we popped over to Harrod's in the morning, as I thought it might be similarly enlivening, as a big old London shopping institution that retains it’s original flavor (department stores are alive and well in London, there are tons of them).  Well, it feels newer than Liberty’s and I have no idea if the amazing Egyptian Escalator Extrravaganza is Old World or Vegas Style (is Mohammed Al Fayed Egyptian?) but it is more than Old Hollywood Fabulous, as the scale is awesome.  We took it up and down seven floors just for the spectacle, stopping only in toys and in the equestrian section.  Check out my pictures for the Egyptomania and the shoes!

The street that Harrods is on is a great shopping street with a big range of prices and product.  I bought a wonderful pair of Mary Janes with heels at Office, which I had read is a great shoe shop, and this brance had the best selection I'd seen.  There are a few more reasonable shoe shops here too, as well as all kinds of clothes and accessories, as well as the famous Harvey Nicks, which I didn't venture into, only doing the more historical London on this trip. I'm already planning for my next London trip now!

Comments

[Michelle C.]

Hey Wendy! Did you see any of Harrod's Perfume there?