London for Magazine Freaks
There are so many, oh so many magazines out there; yet most newsagents, and even W.H. Smith, with its floor to ceiling shelves groaning with millions of magazines, catering to everyone from cat lovers to PC lovers, only stock a tiny percentage of them. When it comes to fashion magazines, if you don't want to buy Grazia or Vogue, you need to know where to go, even in very central London. Mapped here are some of the best in the very center of town, where the selection is international and broad. There's nothing better than losing yourself for a few hours flicking through obscure foreign fashion publications; all in the name of research (or maybe that's just me). Feel free to add to the list via the comments.
Selfridges
400 Oxford St London W1A 1AB
In the store where you can buy anything, of course there's a well stocked magazine department (there are inmost of the big London dept stores). The few indifferent … salespeople mean that it's great for uninterrupted flicking; not so good if you need to ask for something you can't find. Well organized, with trashy gossip mags on one wall, English-language mainstream fashion mags on another, and French, Italian, Spanish publications etc grouped together. Hardcore glossy fashion bibles are also in their own area. There's also a large selection of interior and food magazines. [link]
Vintage Magazine Shop
Brewer St
London, Greater London, W1F 9, UK
This kind of landmark in Brewer Street is easily overlooked. In addition to magazines, they also sell movie posters, life-size celebrity cardboard cutouts and T-shirts … with Elvis or Che Guevara on. But they do have a huge amount of vintage magazines as well. You just have to bypass the erm, tack. They have over 250,000 magazines going back to the 1930s in stock. A vintage '60s or '70s Vogue will set you back about £25. It's not the cheapest place in town to find one, for sure; but they're all in good condition. [link]
Borders
122 Charing Cross Rd
London, Greater London, WC2H 0, UK
Borders in Charing Cross Road seems to be slightly superior to the one in Oxford Street, perhaps because it's right across the street from Central Saint Martins College … of Art. And they often have magazines the Oxford Street branch doesn't carry. As well as all the fashion titles, there's a good selection of international design and interior magazines. I also heard you used to be able to take magazines and read them in the cafe upstairs without any bother, then put them back. But you'd never do anything like that, would you? [link]
Claire de Rouen
Charing Cross Rd
London, Greater London, WC2H 0, UK
[link]
R.D. Franks
Winsley St
Paddington, Greater London, W1W 8, UK
Franks is THE fashion magazine and fashion book shop in the capital. They have moved from their Market Square location to around the corner in Winsley Street. Everything … from rag-trade business publications to all the glossies from around the world, bridal magazines, trend forecasting, menswear, childrenswear and sportswear is here. You'll also find books on textiles and rare fashion books. If it's not here, the knowledgeable staff will almost certainly be able to order it for you. There's good reason why this is where fashion industry people offload their expenses. [link]
Magma
Earlham St
Camden Town, Greater London, WC2H 8, UK
Always worth stopping by, the Covent Garden branch of design bookstore Magma has an impressive selection of magazines. The only Vogues they tend to stock are the Paris … and Italian editions, which is a good enough indicator of their fine taste for me. You can bet that if a new magazine comes out and you've had trouble finding it, it'll be waiting for you here, even if it's self published and hand photocopied. Magma also has some great books on photography, typography, design and advertising and sundries like Sukie notebooks. Don't miss the Magma design goodies boutique further down the street. [link]
