Haberdashery

Well, today was another shopping day. When you're setting up house and the sales are everywhere, there isn't much choice!

I know, I know: using an Evening Standard headline is pretty predictable, but their headlines are always such an exercise in excess that they never fail to amuse. A great little London 'zine did a photo-spread a while back about all the uses of the word "chaos" in Evening Standard headlines and it was pretty funny to see all the types (tube, educational, financial--you get the picture) of chaos apparently plaguing London.

Today we got two laundry hampers, after scoping out quite a few in various shops. I can't remember the last time I shopped for a laundry hamper in Vancouver, but there certainly wasn't this type of selection. Storing one's dirty clothing seems to be an art here (with prices to match). Speaking of prices,

I went into Liberty for the first time today. From the imposing Tudor exterior to the equally moneyed wooden interior, it's one place that's definitely out of my price range, even with the 50% off sale. I saw a lovely handmade tea cosy (so cute! so great!) that would have been a great partner for our newly purchased £5 teapot, but for £52 I gently set it down and walked away...far away.

In spite of such ridiculousness, or maybe because of it, shopping isn't as devoid of cultural worth as this roll shutter, spotted just off Tottenham Court Road, suggests. For example, I heard a word today that I've never heard uttered aloud, when a shop employee gave directions to the escalator by suggesting a left turn at haberdashery. Haberdashery! Okay, maybe I'm the only one who gets such enjoyment out of that word. Anyway, it's also fascinating (if exhausting) to witness which daily norms quickly get erased (such as standing on the right on escalators to let people pass on the left; and studiously avoiding bumping/pushing/crashing into others) and which remain firm-- queuing is still the rule. My favourite moment was in a department store elevator, which we decided to take since the one item we wanted to look at was on the top floor of the shop. As one woman very aggressively shoved her way to the back of the elevator, stepping on a man who was nicely holding the door open for the rest of us, he muttered, "I'm here too!" without getting any response. When the same woman pushed her way back to the front of the packed lift to get off at the very next floor, the same man yelled, "Oh, just going one floor, are you then? Well done! Excellent! Cheers!" The elevator was full of smiles as the doors closed.