A dedicated follower of fashion.. (Oxford Street (W1))

Member Name: carnabychick

Product:	Oxford Street (W1)
Date:	13/07/01 (725 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Every building is a clothes shop, Caters for all budgets, london fashion comes to a climax here

Disadvantages: Busy , unbearable to move about in, few eating places

My gosh just where do I begin with the highs and lows of this street?!

Firstly the street is a long 'un stretching from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch. Reliable sources inform me it takes twenty five minutes to walk from one end to the other. This is minus the shopping you understand.

This Street is permanantly busy. All types of people dominate this vicinity. Students, tourists, workers, locals(just who are they?), passerbys(thrown in for good measure) and celebs (hard to spot). They come here to shop 'til they drop. I have yet to come across the person who simply window shops in this street even the average University student.

In terms of shopping, Oxford St is a fab mix of High Street shops IE H&M, TopShop, New Look and Miss Selfridge and designer labels such as Gap. The coolest in shops are within seconds of each other, quick and easy. However this also spells crowds of people in the same area intent on getting to the same shops as you!! Be warned! Pavement rage is all the rage in this Street...

A couple of HMV music stores are evenly located throughout the street. These are ones that stock every album, single, vinyl/tape/CD, music book, you have ever dreamed of. Yes even that obscure Swedish compilation and the complete recordings of Cliff Richard. Remember HMV offers 10% student discount on production of NUS card! The savingS do add up, especially at HMV (!)

Alternative type shops selling naval studs, badges, doggy collars and such are dotted across the street, particularly at each end. These are the type of shops one would most expect to find in Camden or Carnaby Street. Explore them anyhow.

Bear in Oxford Street is not reknowned for eating out, try Soho, Convent Garden and Piccadily when you're stomach begins to rumble. Thus food wise I am a little disappointed with the Street. Practically every shop is a clothing shop. I can barely name any public houses or coffee houses. The back s
treets of Oxford Street are primarily home to eating out. I can however name a cute chicken and chips outlet near Tescos. The food is tasty, quick and cheap £2-3, takeways only, sorry.
Tescos is handy if you want the odd sandwich or can of coke, at affordable rather than 'touristy' prices.

Oxford Street is a fast, furious and exciting place. After 5pm the atmosphere heightens. What with workers catching the tube or stopping by to chill. Many use Oxford street as the perfect entry to Soho - where many pubs and coffee houses lie.

London fashion comes to a climax here, oh yes. This is evident in the mulitude of characters about. Tatoos, piercings, pink hair, spiky hair, Lonsdale bags, bowling bags, chains, denim flares, skirt/trouser combos, everything and anything fashionable or otherwise goes. Young people who know how to express themselves via their dress sense are never afar. They love the atmosphere and indeed checking out their peers' attire, all harmless, relaxed fun.

Thursday has become the new Friday for many people in the city. After work, almost everyone will hit the town; bars then onto restaurants and perhaps clubs. The air is electrifying; a seat will be hard to find, even one in a park. Oxford Street is hard to move about in consequently. You will be lucky to get to your destination in time.

I am going to be the envy of you all now. I have experienced a completely quiet and serene Oxford Street on TWO occasions.

Firstly after a night's clubbing, there was not a soul in sight. For a joke we kept running across the Road and back, This gave us a King of the Road feeling, that we were the only ones about. Great feeling.

Another occasion was 8am on a Sunday morning. The place was heaven. There was not a soul in sight, the odd car maybe. I could breathe easily and actually breathe for that matter. I found the air refreshing which is something for the confounds of central London. I
could walk as fast or as slow as I wanted, cross the street a thousands time and back, even walk on the road, all things one can never dream of normally doing on such a street.

I entreat the Oxford Street virgins amongst you to give it a go. Wear want you want, look your best, armed with your credit card and comfy yet sexy shoes ready to explore this amazing Street.

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