Mona on The Go

Westfield London Shopping Centre, located in White City/Shepherds Bush in West London, was opened at the end of October 2008. The centre covers a retail floor area of 150,000m², the equivalent of about 30 football pitches.

Westfield London, with its glass roof providing a bright and airy shopping environment, is said to be London’s largest shopping centre, and the largest urban area indoor shopping centre in Europe.

With a distinctive mix and match of designer and high street labels, Westfield London offers the ultimate London shopping experience. There are more than 265 shops from over 15 countries under one stunning roof – plus 16 brands that have never been seen in the UK before.

It also has a new high-end retail area called The Village, retailing brands such as Burberry, De Beers, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Mulberry, and Tiffany & Co – arguably establishing The Village at Westfield London as London’s third biggest luxury retailing centre after the West End and Sloane Square retail destinations.

Westfield London is designed to bring you the latest trends for all seasons. There’s a huge choice of stores to choose from including all your favourite High Street brands and four flagship department stores including House of Fraser, Next, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer.

Men’s fashion stores include:

* Barön Jon which offer a wide range of designer names and famous high street brands including Versace, YSL, FCUK, Milan Collection, Lambretta & Peter Werth,

* Camel Active, which specialises in masculine and modern casual wear.

* David Mayer Naman for the cosmopolitan man who wants a total look uniting international style with Italian taste.

Women’s fashion stores include:

* Blanco, the Spanish brand, which sells fashion clothing and accessories for urban young women

* Coast which specialises in stunning occasion-wear.

* Donna Ida stocks a constantly evolving line-up of top denim labels and you can expect great service along with up-to-date advice on current trends.

Children’s fashion stores include:

* Atelier de Courcelles, which has an innovative and creative concept dedicated to luxury childrens’ wear.

* Polarn O. Pyret from Sweden focuses on smart, functional and playful clothes for babies and children to age 11 years

* Pumpkin Patch provides the ultimate one-stop kidswear that is totally kid-friendly, comfortable and fun.

There are great facilities within the shopping centre to enhance your shopping experience, including:

* Several restaurant areas including:

The Loft, on the second floor, where you will find restaurants such as Byron, Nando’s. Pizza Express and Spaghetti House.

The Balcony, on the First Floor, where you can enjoy exotic cuisines from Mexico, Japan, Vietnam, India, Italian, Lebanese, and the traditional English Fish & Chips.

The Southern Terrace Restaurants, outside the main shopping complex, include restaurants such as Balans, Ciao Baby Cucina, Del’Aziz, Fire & Stone, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, The Real Greek, Wahaca and Wagamama.

There are also plenty of cafes and juice bars scattered all over the shopping centre – try Apostrophe or Butler’s Chocolate Café.

There are many comfortable resting areas where you can take the weight off your feet and recharge your batteries before continuing with your shopping.

  

Westfield London is a children-friendly environment with spacious, pushchair-friendly malls and plenty of lifts. There are three Family Rooms to help deal with meltdown moments when shopping with kids – two on the Ground Floor and one on Level 1 Retail near The Balcony.

Kiddy Cars are free to hire (up to four hours) to keep your kids entertained, and can be picked up from the Concierge Desk on Ground Floor.

If you are accompanying a disabled person, you can book a free wheelchair or motorised scooter and make the most of the wheelchair-friendly malls and restaurants.

It also hosts exciting events such as catwalk shows. At the end of September 2009, Westfield London teamed up with celebrity stylist William Baker to create a catwalk show – Westfield London Style 2009.

If you missed the fabulous catwalk show,here are some of the images he sent down the catwalk.

Westfield London is a popular shopping complex with the locals as well as visitors. Make Westfield London one of the “Must See” places next time you visit London.

The opening hours, information on how to get to Westfield London and hotel accommodation are as follows:

Standard Opening Hours

              

Mon – 10am – 9pm         Fri – 10am – 10pm

Tues – 10am – 9pm        Sat – 9am – 9pm               

Wed – 10am – 9pm        Sun -12pm – 6pm               

Thurs -10am – 10pm

     

How to get there

By Tube

Four Underground stations provide easy access:

- Shepherd’s Bush and White City on the Central line

- Wood Lane and Shepherd’s Bush Market on the Hammersmith & City line.

By Bus

Bus routes 31, 49, 207, 237, 260, 607 and C1 will run from their current terminus at Shepherd’s Bush via the Westfield Interchange and on to terminate at the White City bus station. Route 148 will run to the bus station via Wood Lane.

Shepherd’s Bush also continues to be served by buses 72, 94, 95, 220, 272, 283, 295 and N207, to bus stops within a short walk of Westfield London.

The new millennium marked significant changes and twists in people’s lifestyle and preference especially in fashion and trend. In this vital industry, one very relevant breakthrough is the incorporation of environmental awareness and protection in most clothing lines in the fashion business and it has definitely inspired innumerable designers and students of fashion schools to adapt the concept of fashion with a conscience in their masterpieces. Nowadays and in the coming years, career opportunities are opening its thresholds to green fashion designers to make a pivotal difference in the clothing realm as well as promoting eco-friendly merchandises.

The career outlook for a green fashion designer is good. They make on average $42-$87 thousand a year.

Many venues of fashion and clothing are having endless modeling shows and advertisements glorifying the ingenuity of the crafts of green fashion designers and their endeavors are definitely successful. What is a green fashion designer?

The name itself implies that incredible combination of the green ideals with the world of fashion resulting to a revolutionary career or professional perfectly known as green fashion designer. Young artists in this field are making use of natural resources such as bamboos, organic cottons or other similar fibers in their series of clothesline or collections. Most importantly, this is a trend that has not only started in small-scale businesses but has likewise invaded big and known enterprises in the milieu.

Green fashion design concept is actually not a new and fresh perspective since many fashion designers have already adapted this style or concept especially those in agricultural countries. However, the good thing that happened in this particular trend is that many fashion icons and big companies are collaborating together in order to promote and advocate clothes which are eco-friendly in style and content. How do you become a green fashion designer?

Another salient difference in the trend now is that most fashion schools that train and educate potential fashion designers are including the green concept into their very own curriculum. Thus, for those who aim to succeed and establish a promising career as a green fashion designer, an internship program is very necessary to jump start their pursuit. Most key figures in the fashion world would attest to the importance of getting into an internship first before finally plunging into the deep. This is likewise necessary for green fashion designers where they could add more knowledge and experience to their crafts especially in making use of natural resources for their clothes. Thus aside from the conventional degrees and courses you will gain from studying in accredited fashion schools, it is necessary to add more creativity and resourcefulness in finding the right material for your green collection.

People are not always indifferent in new changes and innovations especially if it benefits the world and the ailing nature. For people and aspiring candidates to become green fashion designers, the passion for their craft and awareness and love of nature are two salient components that would definitely lead them to their fulfillment in their crafts.

Sunglasses are a big fashion statement. In fact, they are the easiest way to go from sloth to sexy, from frumpy to fab. To make things easier for you, sunglasses come in a variety of size, shapes, colors and designs. And every face on the tube, whether it’s the friendly news reporters, glitzy superstars or cool fashionistas, is sporting sunglasses that look stunning. Of course, most of these folks are wearing designer sunglasses that would probably cost more than a month’s pay. And most of us would agree that spending THAT kind of money on sunglasses does not really make sense.

For those who cannot afford to buy costly designer sunglasses but STILL want to look like a million dollars, replica sunglasses are the answer. These look like the real thing and are quite a buy, considering that they cost substantially less while offering the same quality. Of course, you have to be careful when you buy replica sunglasses. Since they are cheaply prized, there are more than a few things that you have to check out.

Replica sunglasses may be of two types: illegal and legal. The illegal ones are what you call ‘fake sunglasses’ This, because they mimic branded sunglasses in design and looks and even carry the logos and markings of these original brands, without the permission of the brand. They are intended to fool people into believing that these are designer sunglasses. Fake sunglasses may look like designer sunglasses, but you have to be wary of their quality. They are made from cheap materials and usually have very limited lifespan. So, you have to be very careful buying theses.

On the other hand, legal replica sunglasses do not carry any markings or logo. They are registered and often, the wholesaler selling them also holds the permission or the trademark. One of the important things that you should do while purchasing replica sunglasses is to ensure that you are buying from a company that sells quality replica sunglasses.

The first thing you have to consider while buying replica sunglasses is carefully check that the replica sunglasses offer sufficient UV protection. Do not fall for the tints. These are not of much value. Check whether the glasses have the requisite UV coating. Next, concentrate on their moving parts. A product’s real test when it comes to quality of make is centered on the durability and flexibility of its moving parts. In case of replica sunglasses, check the temples or arms hinges. This is usually where the problem starts.

The trick is to test both the arms of the replica sunglasses before you buy them. You have to fold the arms down and up several times and choose the replica sunglasses whose arms are not too stiff when you close and open it.

Many people who buy designer sunglasses often live to tell sad tales of how they lost, misplaced or damaged their sunglasses. Replica sunglasses are a much better alternative if you are short on cash but want to look as good as the guy or gal on the poster!