RETAIL THERAPY

I HAVE just returned from a very successful shopping spree. Retail therapy is, I confess, one of my weaknesses. However, thanks to the brilliant concept of high-street shops copying catwalk trends and bringing them to us mere mortals in a realistic and wallet-friendly form, if you know where to go you can shop till you drop without blowing the budget…

It’s Monday morning and a bank holiday, which makes it the IDEAL day for a quick trip into town and — for once – it is free of Londoners. I’ve been looking forward to this for days.

Bank holidays are always quiet in town and what you can do is limited as a lot of shops are closed or only open for a few hours. Given that the sun is gracing us with its presence this morning, I have a feeling that most of those who have stayed in town will be in Hyde Park with a picnic, so the streets will be even MORE empty and the racks and the changing rooms will be clear.

My first stop is the latest New Look store in Marble Arch in search for swimwear. It’s big and bright and is playing Madonna as I walk in. Bikinis, tankinis, hot pants and bathing suits with matching towels are displayed along the centre of the store. Bright colours, and girlie motifs (hearts, cherries, ice cream) are all the rage. It seems that there is a high school USA theme throughout the season, and I can’t resist buying a bikini with hearts all over it and a t-shirt saying ‘I Love Surf boys’ — perfect additions to my sunshine wardrobe.

My next stop is Top Shop in Oxford Circus (where else). Here I really feel like I have died and gone to heaven, particularly in the accessories section on the ground floor, where there are more handbags than you could ever dream of.

I force myself away from them and go downstairs to their summer dresses. There is a fabulous trend this season where all things Greek are chic. This Grecian trend is being embraced by designers such as Roland Mouret, Louis Vuitton, John Galliano at Christian Dior and Sophia Kokosalaki, using draping, pleating and the contrast of chiffon and satin to awaken the Hellenic goddess within. At a starting price of £2,000 for the real thing, I am grateful for Top Shop’s £50 rivals. Here you will find all the colours, textures and designs imaginable, guaranteed to sweep you off your feet. I found the most delicate knee-length peach chiffon dress with braded straps and loose pleats.

I buy the dress and take the escalator up to ground level. The atmosphere in Top Shop is so vibrant that it’s the closest experience to going clubbing in the daytime: huge video screens playing the latest chart music and a DJ hosting the music.

Outside it’s still sunny so I decide to buy get myself a hat, after all a girl needs to stay clear of all those UV rays. Conveniently, Miss Selfridge is next door so I pop inside to find the perfect white straw hat. It’s wide, very Audrey Hepburn- light and fresh.

I can’t believe my luck: the right items, the right sizes, and hardly any other customers in sight. To celebrate I decide to meet my friends in Café Rico on Westbourne Grove which: a) serves a killer espresso and b) has outdoor seating so I can wear my hat.

We meet, we talk and we compare notes on our sunshine wardrobes. The evening drifts on and slowly the sun goes down. London is a wonderful place to be in the summertime — if you can bare the socks and sandals look that is.
Laia Farren Graves

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