Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
street in Soho, London (Westminster), in mid-1960s lined with fashionable boutiques and clothing shops, hence used figuratively from 1964 for English 1960s stylishness. It was named for Karnaby House, built 1683, from a surname or transferred from Carnaby in Yorkshire, which is from a Scandinavian personal name + -by (see by).
Wikipedia
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in Soho in the City of Westminster, Central London. Close to Oxford Street and Regent Street, it is home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques.
Streets crossing, or meeting with, Carnaby Street are, from south to north, Beak Street, Broadwick Street, Kingly Court, Ganton Street, Marlborough Court, Lowndes Court, Fouberts Place, Little Marlborough Street and Great Marlborough Street. The nearest London Underground station is Oxford Circus tube station (on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines).
Carnaby Street, also referred to as Carnaby Street International, is a radio programme broadcast on Manx Radio on Saturday mornings and features music from the 1960s. It is presented by Chris Williams and generally comprises music and news from two chosen years. The programme is produced by Blackpool Bullet Productions for Chris Williams Entertainments and is sponsored by the Isle of Man Railways. The show is broadcast throughout the Isle of Man on FM and MW frequencies and across North West England and North Wales on 1368 kHz AM (219 metres medium wave). It is also broadcast worldwide through the Manx Radio website.
The title of the show is taken from Carnaby Street, seen by many as the epi-centre of Swinging London in the 1960s.
The show commences at the conclusion of the 8:30am news bulletin and begins with the playing the show's theme tune, Crunchy Granola Suite by Percy Faith & His Orchestra. Williams then gives a brief outline of the chosen years of that week's show, together with the artists which will be featured, and concludes his introduction with the phrase; "Let's get on with it!"
Usage examples of "carnaby street".
A couple of turns later and he stood in an alley off Carnaby Street facing the green, peeling shopfront of a fifty shilling tailor.
Especially in New Haven during this ancient era when even Carnaby Street was just too far-out for all of America northeast of Time Square.
Manfred, who, contrary to his usual custom, had spent the night at the workshop in Carnaby Street, watched the dawn from the flat roof of the building.
The Lilliput had the great advantage that it could be concealed practically anywhere on your person, even upside down in a spring-loaded clip in your lower left sleeve - if, that was, you didn't get your suits cut in Carnaby Street.
He spent half his pay packet and his Sundays in Carnaby Street and the other half on week nights chasing girls.
The fact that it spoke excellent English and dressed like a refugee from a Carnaby Street fashion closeout only added intrigue.
I paused in New Carnaby Street to look in a window at the closing down sale of the Macco Man's Boutique.
Marc could bring some of my friends from Carnaby Street and we could get into our mod clothes and give the house the shock of its life.