Shopping Spree in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a fashionista’s paradise – from Princes Street to Livingston, from Marks & Spencer to Dorothy Perkins, indulge yourselves (and your wallets!!) to a shopping spree. Download and print our guide to the best shopping areas/districts in the city. Below are the highlights:

Princes Street

Princes Street is home to dozens of high-end retail stores, including the uniquely Scottish department store Jenners. Known as the “Harrods of the North”, Jenners has held a Royal Warrant since 1911, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 1988. It was recently brought under the ownership of House of Fraser. Nevertheless, it has maintained its original position on Princes Street since 1838, and it contains over 100 different departments selling a large variety of goods.

Jenners Department Store on Princes Street

Monsoon and Accessorize, also located on Princes Street, are two of my favorite stores (adjacent to each other and owned by the same company). This shop’s favorite colors tend towards the warm and intense, with lots of reds, deep greens and blues on show. You’ll find quality woolens, pretty summer dresses and a large range of evening wear and ball dresses here. And, of course, make sure you check out their range of accessories which includes hats, scarves, bags, jewelery and lots of desirable embroidered and embellished goods. This eastern-influenced shop has some unusual products at the pricier end of the high street market.

St. James Center

Located on Leith Street, St. James Center is slightly more upmarket than the Princes Mall, this shopping center has the anchor of the John Lewis department store, along with Dorothy Perkins, River Island, and Top Shop. The latter three are my top recommendations for shopping in Edinburgh. Their fashions are extremely stylish yet affordable.

George Street

George Street is the centerpiece of the New Town neighborhood of Edinburgh. It is an up-and-coming area and now boasts high quality shops and restaurants including Browns, Space NK Apothecary, Austin Reed, Cruise, Jones, Phase Eight, French Connection, and many others.

George Street

Flanked by Queen Street and Princes Street, which run in parallel, it is a wide and elegant street with impressive squares at both ends. At one end lies St.  Andrew Square, which boasts the pricey Harvey Nichols store- come here for your Jimmy Choos and Alexander McQueen designs.

Royal Mile and the Grassmarket

The Royal Mile not only leads up to Edinburgh Castle, but also the Old Town’s best souvenir shops. Come here for your whiskeys, tartan scarves,  and kilts. I particularly recommend Ness, which offers tartan knitwear in bold pastels like skirts, sweaters, purses and more – unlike most other tourists, you’ll go home looking adorably trendy and Scottish.

Fabhatrix in the Grassmarket

The Grassmarket, on the otherhand, boasts a quirky array of boutiques including Edinburgh oldest secondhand shop Armstrongs and Fabhatrix, which features hundreds of handmade felt hats and caps, many practical as well as attractive, and some downright frivolous but extremely fun.

Livingston Designer Outlet

Located 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Edinburgh, Livingston Designer Outlet offers upscale outlet shopping with an impressive collection of 90 designer and name brand outlet stores. Enjoy savings of 25 to 50 percent every day. Stores include Calvin Klein, GAP, Armani, Clarks, Reebok, Le Creuset, zavvi, Cadbury’s, Carphone Warehouse, Claire’s, Marks & Spencer, Levi’s, Next (another highly recommend shop!) and many more.

Inside Livingston Designer Outlet

And coming Christmas 2011…

Primark! That’s right, the ULTIMATE clothing haven for UK shoppers, with prices as a low as £1 for some items, is coming to Edinburgh’s Princes Street. Construction has begun but the store won’t be ready until Xmas next year. For now satisfy your urge for deliciously cheap fashion – and I mean really cheap  (be careful, this sometimes extend to the quality of the clothes as well, although a look around is a must) – by traveling to Glasgow.

[Photo Credits: Mannequins in window by Rev Stan; Jenners by Christina Paschyn; George Street courtesy of EdinburghGeorgeStreet.co.uk; Fabhatrix courtesy of Fabhatrix.com; Livingston by Geograph]