Perhaps referring to
this topic will give you an idea of what's available in our line of interest.
TimeOut Magazine and their website is the best place to get honest and reliable information about events etc. in the city, because it's designed for people who live there, not tourists. You'll be told about the really impressive places which standard tourists wouldn't really hear about, plus events which are going on at and around the attractions.
As Keifer said, Soho's a good place to start, especially if what you're after is more fetish-related. If you're confident enough, you could even go along to a fetish nightclub or evening do (just for the experience if nothing else). There are plenty of fetish events on every night, especially in the inner areas of London.
With regards to shops which sell gloves, well... it depends which type you're after. Household gloves are all over - you can search all the supermarkets and get your hands in many different pairs from different brands! I recommend looking around Westfield in Stratford (Stratford station), because there are hundreds of shops in there, and you're bound to find at least one which has what you're after.
If it's satin, leather, or anything similar, you're more likely going to find a good choice on Carnaby Street (Oxford Circus station) or Bond Street (Bond Street station), as well as in Selfridges on Oxford Street, but these will have hefty price tags and designer labels attached. Debenhams and John Lewis on Oxford Street (Oxford Circus station) are more affordable and both shops are huge. Also try the Aquascutum outlet in Hackney (Hackney Central station), and pop into the big Tesco superstore just down the road while you're at it, and have a look at their household gloves!!
Time for tour-guide / glove-hunter mode:
For general places to go, have a look around for market stalls in London; these will sell all sorts of things, and a lot of people in London still make a business from crafting their own products and flogging them on the high street (you might even find some hand-crafted gloves). Deptford Market (Deptford Bridge DLR) has a huge array of things for sale (though I can't imagine anything more than cotton gloves would be sold there, but it's nice to have a look if you have the time!). Having been all the way down that street searching for good gloves, I can recommend trying the independent shops as well. If your hand size is a medium+ (mine's not
)then there's a really, really good selection from pretty much all of them. One place in particular sells unlined yellow household gloves from China (but not in small
), and you will find household gloves in more obscure colours such as orange and purple as well. If you like medical gloves, an independent one I would recommend on that street is called Terry's, because that's where I get my boxes of
these from (among others - there is a huge wall piled high with boxes of latex, nitrile, vinyl and plastic gloves). Terry also has some household stock, including some blue household ones which I love (they fit really well).
From Deptford you can also wander up to Greenwich Market (Cutty Sark DLR). It gets very busy on Saturday and Sunday, but there are lots of arts and crafts there - it's a lucky dip for what you'll find on the day, but again, it's worth checking out just as a tourist. On the pier right next to the market is the Cutty Sark ship itself, overlooking Canary Wharf. You can also wander onto the university campus mere seconds away and look around the Royal Naval College and painted chapel (free). If you time it right, you might even be able to see some Hollywood names around the campus, because it's the #1 most filmed location in London (e.g. a few weeks ago I met Morgan Freeman there)! The Royal Observatory, home of UTC/GMT, is a minute's walk away, so you can go up there and observe great views of London.
Other nice markets are Borough (London Bridge station) for food, Camden (Camden Town station) for music, Portobello (Notting Hill Gate station) for clothing and, a few minutes away, Shepherd's Bush (Shepherd's Bush Market station) for exotic food and unique (usually hand-made) household decorations - Shepherd's Bush also has a Westfield shopping centre with an array of high street shops which are worth visiting. There are all sorts of odd and edible delights around Borough market, and while you're there you can go up to one of the restaurants at The Shard for free (don't go to the very top or you'll have to take out a loan from a bank to pay for it) and look out across the city. Alternatively, head over to 20 Fenchurch Street - The "Walkie Talkie" Building (Monument Station), and you can visit the Sky Garden on the 35th floor for nothing, and get even better views.
The rest of the tourist areas you've undoubtedly already heard of, so I shan't bother mentioning them. The above places are all free, so I certainly recommend those, because they're sure to make your day/s enjoyable!
Hope I've helped you.
