There are four big department stores on Oxford Street, all between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. Of these, Selfridges is by far the biggest and best, but John Lewis — closest to Oxford Circus of the four — has a treat or two for perfumistas.
Along with all the standard department store fragrances, John Lewis has a little cache of niche surprises — at present Acqua di Parma, Annick Goutal, Banana Republic, Creed, Il Profumo, Juliette has a Gun, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, Rance and The Different Company.
The sales assistants are entertainingly uninformed about these fragrances, I must warn you. They also don’t carry whole lines, but this means that there are occasional sell-off bargains to be had.
The store also carries a good range of skincare and cosmetic lines, including BeneFit, Bobbi Brown, Dr. Hauschka, Dr. Sebagh, Eve Lom, Korres, Laura Mercier, Liz Earle, Ren, and SK-II.
Getting there: Oxford Street, London W1A 1EX. Tel +44 (0) 207 629 7711. Website.
John Lewis is about five minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus tube station. Walk west from the station (towards H&M) on the north side of Oxford Street.
Nearby: Selfridges is five minutes’ walk further on; Liberty about five minutes south of Oxford Circus. The big Top Shop flagship store is right on Oxford Circus.
— image & report filed by Nina.
See also: Perfume Shopping in London