I could spend all day on this topic but for now, I am just going to give a quick run-down of some options that would be helpful to know in a time of need.

WOMENS AND MENS GENERAL: A QUICK OVERVIEW

• If you need basics, trendy items or anything, really, and it needs to be as cheap as possible, and you can handle large crowds, go to Primark. Quality is on par with a place like Old Navy, maybe slightly lower than that. You can find young men’s and women’s styles for everything here: dresses, jeans, tops, trousers, leggings, sweaters (jumpers), bags, shoes, accessories. They also sell children’s clothes. Primark is a mad house and the low, low prices are the reason why.
• If you are looking for something a little better made and more conservative in styling, check out Marks & Spencer. All types of womenswear is sold here (it’s not young, cheap fashion like Primark) including lingerie, swimwear, shoes and M&S brand cosmetics. They carry different styles for their varied customer demographic but I don’t buy much clothes here as it’s a little too conservative for me. I did find a light, simple trench coat here for 35 pounds.
• If you want something cool and fashion-forward, and Primark quality isn’t worth the spare change, Topshop and Topman might suit you and the Oxford Street flagship is a destinations in its own right. (I find Topshop isn’t quite what it used to be, but that’s a subject best saved for another time.) The men’s suits at Topman are surprisingly nice considering they’re relatively low cost and they all have modern fits.
• Men needing reasonably priced clothes for a new job or interviews (smart clothes) can, in a pinch, find something at Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, T.M. Lewin for shirts and ties.
• My personal favourites for relatively inexpensive clothing for women is by far Zara, followed by Topshop. Zara is a Spanish chain and is great for shoes (average price is 60-70 pounds), bags and coats/jackets. They sell through items quickly so if you see something you like, buy it then as it’s not likely to be there when you go back. Although you could always go to one of the other several Zaras in London to find it. I also really want to love COS, H&M’s cooler, older sister, but prices are just a wee bit too high, considering. (Have I mentioned salaries in the UK are lower than they are in the US, and we’re taxed higher in the UK, as well?  It’s very true. And when you give the “play money” thing time to rest, you’ll soon feel the European pinch and change how you spend your disposable income! Low taxes and high salaries are definitely an American-only phenomenon.)

DEPARTMENT STORES

There are places like Harrod’s (not a personal favourite but it is internationally known–very crowded) and Harvey Nichol’s (same neighbourhood as Harrod’s), but my favourite department stores to shop or browse are Selfridge’s and Liberty. Unless you’re looking for specific labels, these big department stores all carry essentially the same brands and designers so it’s really just a matter finding which is most appealing to you.

I think Selfridge’s has a cool, younger vibe and in addition to clothes and cosmetics, they have an amazing stationery/gift section and food hall. Liberty is modern classic all the way, and the shop building itself is what you will likely appreciate most. It is simply a visual pleasure to walk around the place; kind of like a cool, wealthy and eccentric great-aunt to Anthropologie.

Other less exciting department stores include House of Fraser, Debenham’s and BHS. Personally, I don’t often find reason to visit these so I can’t say much to recommend them. They are similar to smaller Macy’s or JC Penney’s.

AMERICAN CHAINS

There are a lot of US chains here, from Gap/Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie and American Apparel. I have to admit I do buy jeans/trousers from Gap here, if only because I am accustomed to the sizing/fits and, for some reason, I’ve convinced myself it is cheaper here. I don’t bother with Banana Republic (an English colleague of mine described the clothes as ‘old lady’!) even though I relied on them for work-basics back home. The cost is too high and it actually is very conservative and mature compared to most of the English brands.

When I first moved here I avoided American chains because I wanted to build my English-branded wardrobe instead. I was living in London, why shop from the American chains?! But now that I’ve been here for a few years and have no plans to return to the US anytime soon, I’ve let go of that rule and just shop around for whatever I like, though at the moment I only visit Anthropologie for housewares.

LONDON SHOPPING CENTRES / MALL

If you, for whatever reason, have a hankering for an American-style mall, visit Westfield Centre in London. It’s a new complex, built by the same developers that have bought and renovated several shopping centers in the US. When I lived on that side of London (west), I made the journey to Westfield more than a few times for some one-stop, rain-proof and/or air-conditioned shopping!

Westfield has all of the high-street stores (typical chains) you’ll find on Oxford Street or King’s Road but you won’t have to jaunt around town to find them. So if you’re only in town for one or two days and want to visit all of the London shops you’ve heard about, you can visit Westfield and  take care of it all in one go. This center also has some Spanish chains and other shops that would be a litte more difficult to source out in London. The offerings range from low/mid (Topshop) to high-end (Gucci, etc).

The best part is you can easily reach Westfield Shopping Centre via the Shepherd’s Bush Underground Station, or any bus that goes to Shepherd’s Bush station. It’s only a few steps around the corner of the station to reach the complex. It can get busy there but I’ve never found it to be as crazy as it gets on Oxford Street.

There is another shopping centre I frequently visit and it is Jubilee Place, located next to the Canary Wharf Underground station. Unless you are based near the City or Canary Wharf, there won’t be much reason to go out that direction, but it does have most of the London chains so you can avoid Oxford Circus, etc. Information on Jubilee Place can be found here.