Sunday Up Market -- Brick Lane

Handmade and vintage, that's all that's for sale at the Sunday Up market on Brick Lane. There are more Artistes (with a capital A) selling here than at Spitalfields, but prices are very reasonable and the food vendors are the best I've seen, so far, in any of the London markets.


The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL

Portobello Market -- Notting Hill

It's said that people who like a lot of junk, can make their spaces look less cluttered by grouping their beloved things into collections. Of course, that means buying more junk. Portobello Market is a great place to do it. The vendors considerately group all their wares into collections for you. The junk doesn't come cheap, but hundreds of one-of-a-kind collectibles, antiques and vintage nick knacks fill the stalls. On Sundays, just as many shoppers fill the street.



First aid for collectors? Each one of this interesting set of cigarette cards illustrates a different bandaging technique




Portobello Road, W11
Nearby Tube Stops: Ladbroke Grove Station Westbourne Park Station Notting Hill Gate Station

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Will Tesco Take Over the World?

As long as I have other choices, I will never shift all of my grocery shopping to a supermarket. I love shopping at the open air markets too much, and I like to have small, local grocers all around me.

Even the butcher two doors down is not too offensive. He sells eggs for 99p a dozen, and he's got a lovely butchers' block in his shop that must be generations old. It's hollowed out in the centre from years of chopping and cleaning.

I would be really sad to see the Turkish grocer down the street close. He's less than a block away from me, and it's not only convenience that draws me there. His selection of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cheese is the best I've seen, so far, in London and his fresh fruit is better than Tesco, ripe and ready to eat, instead of hard and half formed. He seems to supply half the neighborhood with groceries, beer, etc, on credit, with nothing more than a slip of paper kept in the cash register. He's also been very kind to me. I'm an easy mark. Anyone who shows kindness has a customer for life.

Even though I wouldn't shop there exclusively, I was happy to discover a 24-hour Tesco within walking distance of my home. As grocery chains stand, Tesco is not my favorite, I prefer Sainsburys, but Tesco is close to me. It's cheaper than many stores. It has its place. There are times when it's nice to be able to drop by, straight off the train, late in the evening, when everything else is closed. Some things, like family-sized laundry detergent can't be bought in small shops.

When I got a Tesco club card, I didn't really pay too much attention to the points I accumulated until one of my cousins told me she paid for a weekend in Paris, Eurostar and hotel, with her Tesco points. She has two sons and probably spends thousands of pounds a year feeding them, but it made me think perhaps I should shop there more. I actually have increased my Tesco shopping a little. It would be nice to have a weekend break, paid for by Tesco. But is it really paid for by Tesco? What is the higher price?

I wounder how many people do this? Is Tesco going to do a WalMart and drive all the little businesses out of town, then raise their prices? Are we enabling these big organisations to create monopolies? I'm certainly not going to stop shopping at Tesco, but I'll try to think about my purchases their a little more closely. Am I buying something because I need it, or because it's a good price and it's double points week?

Maiden Lane -- Union Square

Diptyque. Yves Saint Laurent. Chanel. Do I need to say more?

Lola -- North Beach

Lola of North Beach has a lovely collection of cards that far outshine Papyrus, for a lower price. Quirky, unusual cards, non-traditional cards and just plain nice ones, including some with letterset printing. Picking a card for any occasion a pleasure, instead of the frustrating search it often is, and the employees don't harass you if you spend a long time reading everything before making a small purchase. Lola also sells boxed stationary and small gifts. The best items are irreverent baby clothes with funny sayings like "I might barf."

415 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.781.1817

Yone - North Beach

It seems, these days, that everything is becoming commercialized, mass produced, and turned into plastic tat or pastiche crap. Things that used to be slightly arty have now been dumbed down and sold at Micheal's to every housewife in American who gets a crafty itch. It's happened with knitting, paper arts and certainly jewelry making. Shoppers can buy complete kits from craft chains, with all the materials to make complete necklaces, from the nylon string to the plastic beads to the base metal findings, these kits come with instructions on how to make a necklace exactly like the one on the package, no creativity required.

Not so at Yone. Everything about this store is authentic, from Herman the proprietor, to the beautiful stones, bits of coral and amber, hand carved beads, all types of cording, findings....I could go on forever. You can find things at Yone you thought were not made any more; perhaps they're not. Prices go from surprisingly cheap, to quite reasonable. The open hours are short, opening at noon and closing at 6:00, but if you want longer hours, you can always go and buy a bead kit at Micheals, instructions included.

478 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.986.1424

Alternative Fashion Week -- Spitalfields

Felicity's Fetiché / Foot Worship - Polk Gultch

The funny window displays and fantastic sign make Felicity's worth mentioning.

This stripper supply store is well stocked with fishnets, stage costumes, plus plenty of naughty nurse and French maid costumes for those who are not in the trade. Upstairs Foot Fetish is well stocked in lucite shoes sized for girls and trannies.

1214 Sutter St
San Francisco,
CA 94109-5517
415.474.7874

Prada -- Soho

Prada often gets a bad rap. A favorite of label whores and counterfeiters alike, the streamlined, subdued nylon bag favored by these two groups is what many people envision when they hear the word Prada. True, some low-end bags still have that silhouette, but Mucia is so much more than that.

The New York flagship store in Soho showcases all that Prada has to offer. Much of the floorspace showcases architectural elements, not fashion, but as with all forms of art, isn't fashion also about context and setting?

575 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
212.334.8888

Buffalo Exchange - Haight Ashbury

When it comes to recycled fashion, Buffalo Exchange is one of the best. I would go so far as to say it is the best second hand shop on the Haight for everyday wear. It's not full of cheaply made new clothes like Crossroads, or costumey like Wasteland, yet the selection is better honed, and of better quality than the Goodwill on Haight. In addition to a full range of clothes for all sexes, it has a good selection of shoes, bags, belts and other accessories.

1555 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.431.7733

American Rag - Civic Center

Interesting small labels share the racks with big, yet still stylish labels like Comme des Garçons, Pucci, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The front of the shop showcases new clothes, surprisingly divided nearly evenly between men's and women's fashions. The back is filled with vintage, clearly picked with the swing set in mind.

The selection changes often, so the Moscow rule of shopping is well-advised here. American Rag always has a nice selection of denim, including those übertrendy styles that may not look good on every figure, but, I'm sure, have an audience. Shoes are fashionable, yet walkable, from dressy flats to Pumas and Vans. My favorite section of the store is the jewelry, much of it made by local designers.

1305 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.474.4553

General Woodwork -- Stoke Newington

Since I've been in a DIY frenzy lately, I had to mention General Woodwork Supply on Stoke Newington High Street. They carry everything an urban do-it-yourselfer could need and offer a valuable service: custom cuts. Bring in your pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit around those strangely shaped Victorian plumbing fixtures, and they'll cut them for you.

76-80 Stoke Newington High Street
London, N16
020 7254 6052

Fad or Trend?

What is the difference between a fad and a trend?

In fashion, the word "fad" seems to hold negative connotations, while "trend" is up-to-the-minute good. Vogue publishes "trend reports," not "fad reports."

Literally, a trend is meant to be the beginning of a cycle, or movement, as in "the downward trend in real estate prices is escalating," or "the trend in eco-friendly appliances has carried over to electricity providers." Linguistically speaking, the word "trendy" is often used wrongly. In most instances "faddish" should be used instead. Big shoulders were a fad in the 90s, fancy jogging suits in the 00s.

What's the fad of 2007? Uggs are not considered trendy anymore, but they're still around, so perhaps they were actually trendy, not faddish. The same applies to Crocs. I have to admit to owning a pair of those. They're so ugly they're cute, and anyone who's tried them on has to admit that walking in Crocs feels like walking on marshmallows. I have to draw the line at wearing them with dresses, though. That's just wrong.

Can something be trendy, even if it was naff the year before? Vera Bradly bags come to mind here.

I've got it! The new trend is to dress like a granny. My shopping trolley should be right in style soon. More on that later.

Samsonite Black Label - The City, Sloan Square, Oxford Street

If Webstats are to be believed, Samsonite Black Label is more popular in the UK than the US, perhaps because of the collection designed by Alexander McQueen? It's certainly more expensive. Shoppers who want to buy this designer line of the tried and true workhorse of travel have several options in London. The boutique on Sloane is modern and minimalist, while the boutique in The City is a bit more traditional. The basement of Selfridges also has a nice collection of Black Label in stock.

The displays at Selfridges are, as usual, true to brand, adopting the decorating schemes of many Black Label boutiques.

8 Sloane St
London, SW1X 9LE
020 7245 8261

7 Royal Exchange
London , EC3V 3LL
020 7929 3944

Hamleys -- Regent Street

Hamleys is one of those magical toy stores that can drive even the most well-behaved children into a frenzy of greed, while causing adults to wax nostalgically for the nonexistent "good old days" of childhood. There are no new-agey ideas that boys and girls should play with the same toys here. The fifth floor, labeled "Boys Toys" is chockablock with toy weapons and action figures. The third floor, "Girls" is a pink riot of baby dolls, Barbies and arts and crafts sets. Computer games and Lego are wisely placed in the basement, along with science toys. Perhaps as a nod to the adults buying things for themselves, train sets dominate the floor called "Hobbies."


The non-PC Golly seems to be banished from the shelves but it still seems to be OK to sell prostitute dolls to little girls.



Is it my imagination, or does Superman have breasts?

188 - 196 Regent Street
LONDON, W1B 5BT
0870 333 2455

I'm a Top Shop Girl -- Oxford Circus

I knew that if I waited long enough, Bea Arthur's fashion sensibility would eventually come into vogue.

Top Shop has always been one of my favorite High Street chains, so I was not surprised to see the shop stocked with items that seem to recognise Bea's, until now, ignored role as a fashion icon. Strangely, these clothes still manage to be trendy. Acrylic fruit on chains and flowing dresses in Mod prints hearken back to the Maude era, while slouchy boots and jersey caftans remind us of Dorothy, in The Golden Girls.





216 Oxford Street
London , W1D 1LA
020 7636 7700

Caravan -- Spitalfields

I suppose this place is called Caravan because it is filled with all sorts of lovely trinkets that an especially stylish travelling gypsy might collect, homey with a touch of magpie and a hint of bordello. The price range is broad, but everything seems to be carefully chosen. Plastic, larger than life, ravens share shelf space with hand blown light fixtures and silver ceramic cookie jars. I hate the overused word "eclectic," but in this case it truly fits.

11 Lamb Street
Spitalfields, London
020 7247

Gift With Purchase

In the US, gifts with purchase are usually limited to the makeup counter and fast food outlets. They're certainly important in those markets. I don't know a single woman who hasn't, at some time bought a lipstick, on an unguent because it came with a free set of makeup, purse, umbrella, perfume..... I'm sure that every child in America knows what a Happy Meal is, unless she has never seen television, nor been allowed to mix with other children. Where would McDonald's be without them? It's a pity that most US manufacturer premiums seem to be limited to cheap disposables or those bought from vintage tchotcke vendors on eBay.

In the UK, it's all about the gift with purchase, with everything. Every weekend, the Newsagents are chock full of free premiums offered by publishers. This Saturday alone, the London Times was giving away a free DVD of The Killing Fields with purchase of the newspaper, The Independent was giving away one of a series of banned books, Time Out London's Literary supplement was giving away a free book too. Glamour was giving away a free umbrella with the purchase of this month's magazine.

It's not limited to publishing. Branded premiums are available every day in grocery stores. PG Tips is currently giving away a free toy monkey in specially marked boxes of tea. It ties in with a new ad campaign, which pays homage to their old "monkeys' tea party" ads. They seem to be flying off the shelves. I've noticed some are up on eBay already.

This Web site gets about 100 hits a day, so I know there are readers out there. I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever bought something because there's a free gift with purchase? What was it? Am I one of the few swayed by these type of marketing ploys?

SFMOMA Store - San Francisco Airport

With the additions of the SFMOMA store and Sephora, shopping is improving considerably at the San Francisco Airport. The restaurants are improving too, but that's another blog.

The SFMOMA store has lots of cute toys, books and decorator items. It's a good place to spend your last US dollars or to buy last-minute gifts for arty people back home. Most of the things are designer-inspired & certainly beat a key chain or t-shirt grabbed on the way the the gate.

Spitalfields Market - Spitalfields

It seems that much literature mentioning Spitalfields focuses on poverty and deprivation. Children of the Ghetto,
Jack London's melodramatic The People of the Abyss and then there's The Satanic Verses. True, it has been the site of large cemeteries, starting with the Romans. True, the name came from some illiterate pronunciation of hospital. However, now the area has become so gentrified that it is no longer a haven for the poor, the disenfranchised and the artists. They've all moved to Hackney.

There is one place, though, where artists abound: Spitalfields market. Open every day except Saturday, it's the place to buy and sell handcrafted clothes, bags and bric-a-brac, as well as vintage housewares, books, records and general truclaments. Usually the artists, themselves are selling their wares so if you need another size or want something in a different colour, they are often willing to accommodate you. Last time I was at the market, I bought a necklace that was a bit to long for me, so the designer sized it on the spot.

Old Spitalfields Market
105a Commercial Streeet
Spitalfields, London E1 6BG