To All My Fellow Travelers...

WGSN's City by City London team, has published a great london guide on their website. You can view it by logging on to WGSN through the F.I.T. library database. If you are an F.I.T. student you can also click one of the areas and log in. Here is a glimpse on the great information it provides about London...

Key areas

• Oxford Street & Tottenham Court Road: London's main shopping street is a one-stop destination for British High Street names. Tottenham Court Road is best shopped for big box interiors and technology retailers.
• Mayfair: For high-end bespoke tailoring, heritage brands, edgy designer boutiques shop the Mount Street/ Saville Row are. Big designer and mid-market flagships are concentrated around Regent Street and New Bond Street.
• Marylebone High Street: A village atmosphere in the heart of the city; Marylebone is crammed with independent boutiques, interiors stores, pleasant cafes and top notch restaurants.
• Knightsbridge & the Brompton Quarter: Aside from two iconic department stores - Harvey Nichols and Harrods - the appeal of this area is broadening, with a growing number of design and interiors stores popping up in the Brompton Quarter, and impressive stores from H&M and Topshop on Brompton Road.
• Sloane Street: International designer flagship stores, luxury jewellers and the chance of spotting minor aristocracy
• King's Road: Home of the original Sloaney pony, King's Road is a mix of mid-to-high end flagships, the Shop at Bluebird concept store, the Saatchi Gallery and plenty of chi chi bars
• Soho & Carnaby: The best area in Central London to shop for youth, denim and streetwear brands.
• Covent Garden: This tourist hotspot has become a mid-market shopping destination; pretty boutiques line the Seven Dials while closer to the Piazza, aside from lots of street theatre, you'll also find a host of international flagships.
• Notting Hill: Part upmarket residential haven, part retail hot spot - Notting Hill is packed with boutiques, specialist shops, antiques stores and the world-famous Portobello Market
• Hackney: You need to go further east than Brick Lane these days to follow London's fashion pack; Hackney and Dalston are now the favoured neighbourhoods of young designers and artists who come here for the weekend markets, vintage stores, cafes, bars and galleries
• Shoreditch: Gentrification has swept through what was once the enclave of London's young creative scene; while there are still independent boutiques and vintage stores  representing this market, there are now more mid-market brands, restaurants, bars and niche interiors stores appealing to a higher-earning bracket
• Camden: Grungey, alternative north London hot spot, which will forever be known for it's plethora of Gothic/ Punk fashion stores and sprawling market in a former horse stables
• Islington: A contrast to it's North London neighbour, Islington has a much more refined vibe, with up-market boutiques, niche vintage boutiques, great restaurants, and lots of bars.
• Bloomsbury: Lambs Conduit Street is growing into one of the must-shop destinations in London; while Bloomsbury's renowned museums and sense of history never fail to inspire.

 City by City London Team. "Areas/neighborhoods." WGSN. WGSN, 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012 <http://libproxy.fitsuny.edu/Areas/neighborhoods/report/City_by_City/Europe/London/new_london_guide/london_city_guide.html>.