{fun shopping in London~Harrods & Liberty}

{Liberty London--all photos mine}

My three favourites shops in London have to be Fortnum & Mason, Harrods & Liberty. I blogged about F&M here...but yesterday I ventured into the V&A (one of my fave museums--more on that later), and then walked around knightsbridge to Harrods & then up to Liberty. The thing I love most about these shops is that they are the only surviving department stores that still have an old-world feel about them, and still are absolutely classy. They still have food markets (save for Liberty) which surpass the poshness of Dean&Deluca, yet they also sell fantastic designer clothes & handbags, & have amazing branded products that are lovely to buy--not tacky at all (well mostly not).
I love the food halls in Harrods--each room themed for what they sell--seafood; fruit & veggies; tea, coffee &  chocolates etc...What I also love is there's bar stools along many of the counters in these halls, offering dining service for shoppers--sushi bars, oyster bars, you name it.

{meat & poultry hall at Harrod's}

{delicacies at Harrods}

{Harrods teas--I love their packaging. their tins are always lovely to keep tea in}

{coffee at Harrods with samovars}

{love this packaging!}

{fruit & veg hall}

{more sweets}

{Laduree chez Harrods--divine!}

Then on to Liberty. While Harrods is a little over the top & one might say a tad gaudy, Liberty is the opposite. Housed in a tudor building, Liberty exemplifies classiness in a paired down elegance. The history of Liberty is pretty interesting. It was started by Arthur Liberty with a 2000 pound loan & three staff. He began  in 1875 selling fabrics & various objets d'art from Japan & the East, and finally in the 1920s the tudor building was constructed from the timbers of two ships, the HMS Impregnable & HMS Hindustan. You can read the fascinating history here.

{lovely liberty of london... & no, I don't think that's Jennifer Anniston in the Chanel top, but it kinda looks like her!}

{wonderful interior decoration displays}

{excellent lighting section}

{the many floors of Liberty--all gorgeous wood}

{funky merchandise for sale}

{sale/clearance area}

{signature floral Liberty prints}

{I love how the place feels like a home--with original fireplaces}

{Liberty floral print origami birds}

{they have an amazing fabric & sewing section with all that is necessary to make wonderful fabric creations--buttons, bunting, & appliques}

{wonderful window displays at Liberty}

{witty signage: more tea vicar?}

{the stationary area is definitely worth checking out}