Happy Sunday!
Today my dashing boyfriend escorted me shopping! We first went to Harrods in the early afternoon, where it was incredibly busy, as it was the last day of their only sale of the year. Before arriving in London, I had heard of how incredibly tacky and ridiculous Harrods is, but I did not find that to be true. When I walked in the first floor, I was greeted with ornate counters of fine make up - MAC, Chanel, Dior, Lancome - all the major brands. I breezed past them, and headed straight into the handbag salon. Each individual handbag boutique embodied the brand without disrupting the flow of the room. I particularly appreciated the large selection of Chanel bags they offered, as you will be hard pressed to find a selection in North Carolina. When I went to the second floor, I found large white rooms with clean lines housing individual boutiques for each designer. The clothes were neatly hung and the beautiful displays showcased the best pieces. There were large sale racks in center aisles with women shoulder to shoulder browsing the final mark downs. When I went to try on two dresses, the sales associate informed me that the fitting rooms were full, but there were more on the other side of the room. When I went to that fitting room, I found a frazzled sales associate. She informed me that the fitting rooms were full, and that I should try the ones the next room over (the ones I had just left). She began to scurry off, but I informed her that they were also full and I was willing to wait. Instead of any of the four associates asking me if I needed another size or what I thought of the dresses, they were all standing around and griping about how they didn't want to work in the shoe department today. I expect much better customer service from Harrods. Strangers in the grocery store are more helpful than the sales associates on the second floor of Harrods. I did like one of the dresses, but left without it because I didn't fancy it enough to buy. I was annoyed to hang the dresses back up without any assistance from the many associates I passed. When I went to the women's shoes, it appeared a tornado had hit Fall/Winter '13 fashion week, and the shoe department was to aftermath. McQueen shoes with black marks on blush suede, bent Nicholas Kirkwood heels, and Charlotte Olympia stilettos with hardware missing for as far as you could see. You could not find a size or sales associate anywhere, so I left shortly after. Harrods as a monument of fashion is not tacky or bizarre, it is a Mecca of luxury fashion. The staff, however, is second rate. Unless you walk in dressed in fur and carrying a Birkin, do not expect an associate to notice your existence.
My boyfriend and I grabbed a small lunch then headed down the street to Harvey Nichols. It was extremely similar to Harrods in appearance and displays. Many designers were grouped in the same manner as they were in Harrods, but the feeling is less grand than at Harrods. Harvey Nichol's shoe selection was much better organized than Harrods, though. In addition to having all the major designers, Harvey Nichol's has a Christian Louboutin shoe salon, complete with red carpet to match the red soles. The shoes were absolutely spectacular, and I swooned over a pair of "Princess Glitter" nude stilettos that I were much more spectacular in person than online.
Harvey Nichol's also sported a gorgeous Jimmy Choo salon, and personally earned much higher marks in the Shoe Department than Harrods. I tried on quite a few pieces, but encountered common problems such as fit, color, and struggling to purchase something that wasn't black. When I made it to the top floor with my handsome gentleman of a boyfriend, I immediately gravitated toward a black dress. It had 3/4 sleeves and an adorable bow on the left shoulder. As I was looking for the size (I am still struggling with UK and Euro sizes), I noticed a sales associate was speaking to me. He was abrasively instructing me that "The sale section is over there" and pointing towards clothes that had been marked down. My boyfriend and I were insulted and disgusted, as I could have easily afforded the dress at full price, and was in fact not looking for the sale section. My boyfriend was also taking me shopping for my birthday (which is Tuesday!) so I would have something new to wear to dinner. After leaving the area that sales associate was working, I found a spectacular Helmut Lang black jersey skirt. It was floor length and has a mid thigh slit that is large enough to show leg and small enough to be classy. My boyfriend insisted that I get it, but I didn't, despite loving it. It was an amazing piece and is very ahead of American fashion. I didn't purchase it because Harvey Nichols does not deserve the business of me or my boyfriend, as their associates treated us with such disrespect. I refuse to contribute to the paycheck of someone who insults me. Overall Harvey Nichols was a majestic department store, but the sales associate instructing me to the sale section when I was in fact, not looking for it, was beyond rude.
Considering Harvey Nichols and Harrods are two of the leading luxury department stores, you would think they would treat their customers with respect. To clarify, I wasn't wearing jogging pants and a sweatshirt, either- I was wearing a dress, black tights, brand new black wedges, vintage gold earrings, and ascot, and a black coat. I did nothing to elicit that type of behavior from sales associates, and they should be ashamed that they have lost my respect and business. I will never shop at Harrod's or Harvey Nichol's again. I can find better customer service at Tesco.
Fortunately,
on the way home, my boyfriend had us take a route so that we could go
back to the shoe store. He bought me a beautiful pair of black suede
Jeffrey Campbell platforms that I am looking forward to wearing!
There is no such thing as heels that are "too high".
xo
BJordan
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