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Feature: Jenny Coggins
ESTABLISHED in 1877, RD Franks has been providing fashion
heaven ever since.
Specialising in style magazines and books, this is a shop that
manages to be just as captivating as the industry it promotes.
RD Franks has outlived many ridiculous fashion trends in its
time, proving that it is a staple classic for your bookshelf,
as well as for your wardrobe.
Shops don't come much more specialist than this one. While comic
books stores have been available to their fans in mainstream shopping
areas up and down the country, there is practically nowhere a
fashion lover can go to get their favourite magazines other than
the local WHSmiths.
This is one of the many reasons the shop should be celebrated.
Franks has a dedicated following of fans: on any particular shopping
day, you are likely to share browsing space with anyone from fashion
industry types, to girls discovering it in on their way back from
Topshop to the Stella
McCartney's of the future.
While the staff are dressed as you would expect, in cool and
kooky looks, this is one place in fashion where you do not have
to be a size 4 and in designer labels to walk down the catwalk
come shopping aisles.
The staff happily help anybody and everybody in the shop, and,
likewise, leave you in peace if you are caught up in marvelling
at the great selection.
A vast variety of fashion mags are sold, from Vogue to Glamour.
Also, you can pick up European editions of the top mags.
Other style magazines can also be bought here, such as Another
Magazine and GQ. If there is something that you are after that
seems to be missing, then a subscription service is available.
Lining the book shelves are a diverse range of literature on
fashion.
You can take in some fun and light reading with titles such as
"A Glimpse of Stocking - a Short History Of Stockings"
(Yvonne Deutch, £6.99) and "Bras - A Private View"
(Rosemary Hawthron, £8.99) or read up on theoretical writing
on fashion.
"Appearance and Power" (Kim P Johnson/Sharron J Lennon,
£14.99) asks if appearance determines the treatment people
receive and how it affects their life experience.
"Kimono- Fashioning Culture" (£7.99), by Liza
Dalby, who has written elsewhere on Japanese culture, in particular
Geishas, discusses the significance of the garment throughout
history.
If you are all about the labels then you should check out the
coffee table books on fashion Gods and Goddesses, such as Manolo
Blahnik (Colin McDowell, £30), and Vivienne Westwood (Catherine
McDermot, £9.99).
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If you have fetish for a certain item, but can't afford to buy
any more of the real thing, then you will drool over the section
of books dedicated to shoes, handbags and other objects of your
desire.
Get 100 years' worth of handbags for a fraction of the price
with "A Century of Handbags" (Kate Dooner, £24.95).
That certainly doesn't leave your existing bag light of change!
If you want to do more than just wear the Sixties revival this
season you will find a good selection of books on fashion history.
You can see how it really was done back then, and go back and
compare it to the high street's take on it.
If you want to take a further step back into the fashion wardrobe
of time, there are also good research books on Victorian dress,
such as "Victorian and Edwardian
fashions for women 1840-1919" (Kristina Harris, £19.99),
or further back still, "Chinese Clothing - An illustrated
Guide" (Valerie M Garret, £42.50), which looks at over
600 years of Chinese dress.
If you are seriously into fashion, there's a range of dressmaking
and sewing books here to choose from. Some are obviously more
advanced than others, but the levels are usually flagged up on
the books themselves.
If you are looking for inspiration from a fashion icon, there
are books on Audrey Hepburn, so why not try "Audrey Hepburn
- A Woman, the Style" (Stefani Ricci, £19.95), which
has some beautiful photography of the legend herself?
Opening Hours
Trades only on weekdays: Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. Doesn't
get out of bed at the weekend.
Refund policy
Only books can be returned and that must be within five days of
purchase and with a receipt. Magazines and directories are strictly
non-refundable.
Switch and solo are accepted.
Phone: 0207 636 1244 or visit www.rdfranks.co.uk
Location/Nearest tube
Based on the corner of both Market Place and Great Titchfield
Street. The nearest Tube is Oxford Circus.
Currently undergoing some building work, so do not be alarmed,
the shop is open for business as usual. No hard hats necessary.
Other specialist mag / Book shops
MurderOne
Crime, science fiction and romance specialist Murder One has
been a great place for detecting books for twelve years now.
Just to make sure no untoward or criminal behavoir happens in
the highly stacked shelves, there is an eerie life-size Sherlock
Holmes figure that looks down on you.
The shop also sells crime magazines, such as True Crime and True
Detective. Events are held in the shop and you can stay ahead
of what's happening by visiting their website at: www.murderone.co.uk
Opening hours: Monday-Wednesday, 10am-7pm, Thursday-Saturday,
10am-8pm.
Located at Charing Cross Road.
Comic Showcase
Situated only a couple of doors down is this great comic book
specialist. There's pretty much all kind of mainstream comics
on sale, from Manga to ACME to Star Wars.
There is space, however, devoted to underground and new animation.
You can pick up figures as well here and also stickers.
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 10 - 7pm, Thurs-Sat 10-8pm and Sunday 10-6pm.
There's no website, but you can contact them on: 020 7836 3697.
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