Chain Stores, London

London may be one of the world's most expensive cities, but it's also responsible for bringing designer duds to the masses. In 1993, Debenhams department store convinced high-end milliner Philip Treacy to do a line of affordable hats, launching a retail frenzy that has been adopted by everyone from Target to H&M. Although fashion-world fave Topshop gets lots of press, London is awash in chain stores selling not just designer collaborations but a full range of on-trend clothing and home goods. And no one on the other side of the pond needs to know that your new purchases are mass-produced. We suggest basing your binge along Oxford Street, which houses outsize versions of England's best chain stores. Start at Primark, a sprawling wonderland of fast fashion, and home to the four-quid organic cotton tee. Then continue on to the 26,000-square-foot New Look, where you can score trendy items like a cropped military jacket for the equivalent of just $36. And be sure to stop into Debenhams, where it all started, to check out their new H! by Henry Holland line. But whatever you do, please mind the Gap, and do not buy that which can be purchased at home.

Debenhams
334–348 Oxford Street

Topshop
36–38 Great Castle Street
Tel: 44 20 7927 0214

New Look
500–502 Oxford Street
Tel: 44 20 7290 7860

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