Carry on buying

London is shopping heaven. If you have the wallet to match your flights of fancy. The traditional upper crust experience awaits you at Fortnum & Mason (Piccadilly, don’t forget the hamper!) – Harrods, Burberry and Harvey Nichols (Knightsbridge), the place for style junkies, with Chalayan to Versace, McQueen to McCartney. And the funky Selfridges (Oxford Street) now has a permanent line of Indian designers, Abraham and Thakore and semi-precious jewellery from Amrapali. Fashion freaks can also go berserk at Browns (South Molton Street); the eclectic Koh Samui (Monmouth Street), avant-garde Tokio (Brompton Road), old-timer Whistles (St Christopher’s Place) and the trendsetting All Saints (Earlham Street), where you can rub shoulders with Jay Kay, Graham Norton and Kate Winslet. Awesome jewellery at Dianoor and sexy make-up for glamour puss shoppers like Samantha Mumba, Donna Air and Anna Friel at Pout (Shelton Street), a frivolous beauty boudoir.

For street cred, it’s Soho, of course, with Bond International (Newburgh Street) with its baggy b-boy threads, the unbearably trendy The Dispensary and Shop (Brewer Street) for funky, retro clothes. Poste Mistress (Monmouth Street) is shoe heaven, an improbably kitsch boutique, with shoes by Marc Jacobs, Michael Perry and Lulu Guiness – Kirsten Dunst and Emma Bunton love it. And the Natural Shoe Store (Neal Street) has environment-friendly, cruelty-free and ‘Vegan’ shoes. Wow!

What’s hot – David Linley’s bespoke furniture store (60, Pimlico Road); a temple to craftsmanship. Son of the late Princess Margaret, there’s an unmistakable touch of the royal about his work. Sublime.

Season’s Must-Haves: Strippy scarves in vibrant colours (DKNY and Missoni), Capelets, Cropped trousers (Nicole Farhi), Jewel-encrusted arm bands, Kurtis or ‘Bollywood Blouses’ (Joseph), Feathers on jewellery (Tiffany’s, Harvey Nichols). Browse, Bargain and Buy: Camden Town, Portobello Road, Brick Lane, Brixton Market, Petticoat Lane, Riverside Walk, Greenwich Market.