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| Covent Garden |
Urban Outfitters, a treasure trove filled with quirky fashion that’s suited to a variety of tastes. Based in Covent Garden, Kensington and Oxford Street it lures the crowds in the busiest places around London. The shop in Covent Garden is larger compared to its fellows, situated in lovely surroundings of bricked buildings next to Diesel and American Apparel. The shop itself is decorated beautifully in a unique retro way with vintage designs to spruce the atmosphere up and generally give off a good vibe to the customers. It has a wide range of clothes for men and women, however I am hasty to add, a casual browse around Urban Outfitters with just a £20 note in your wallet would be pushing your luck. Taking on a shop like this needs serious consideration into whether you want to accessorize your wallet with the smell of a hole burning into the bottom of it. I advise all to take time to think before you decide to indulge yourself and embark on a spending spree here. Wandering into this shop because it looks ‘cheap and cheerful’ is very poor judgement and be warned, the teenage customers will scratch you for the last size. The clothes in this shop are on the expensive side (maybe because I am a student and spend most of my days scrounging for money) but compared to other overpriced shops on the high street it is reasonable. For a t-shirt the price can range from £25-£45 depending on the fabric and design, perhaps slightly outrageous for a humble customer? But the quality of their clothes is unbeatable with incredible attention to detail on some of the garments.
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| Kimchi blue printed dress. |
On entering the shop with a flurry of other customers I was pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting I got by the staff even when they were busy, taking the time out to say hello. Mannequins are dotted around the store to show how the clothes hang but you almost don’t know where to start. I had to plan my route around methodically to make sure I didn’t miss out any sections. There are three floors to this store, menswear is on the first floor and womenswear on the second floor, which includes dresses, vests, blazers, swimwear and knitwear. This section is also joined alongside the sales, which are immense. On the third floor there is the boutique which sells novelties, quaint jewellery stands and picture frames. This floor also has a unique selection of small designer brands that aren’t really found in many other shops like Tatty Devine and Cheap Monday. They also stock bigger, well-known brands such as Acne, Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Anglomania’ line, Paul and Joe, American Retro and Chloe. I noticed they have a section called Urban Renewal which appeared to be a range of bohemian, vintage inspired clothes made up of tops, accessories, cardigans, jackets and dresses. I found in my opinion they were largely more vintage on the fabric side of things as oppose to the actual garment itself. There seems to be a very conscious effort to make themselves stand out and be different. The men's range is colourful but nothing compared to the women's section that takes up three quarters of the store.
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| Sparkle & Fade Cord Boyfriend Blazer - £68 |
I would rate Urban Outfitters as a consistently enjoyable shopping experience with unique pieces that could easily pass as designer items. It is well worth a look if you have never been in before. You might pick up a few little gems!
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| 112-115 Long Acre |
Hobbs, so quintessentially British, priding itself on the quality of its clothes and excellent customer service that seems to be missing in a lot of shops these days. It is the destination for a large range of classic and stylish women’s wear. On entering the store I was overwhelmed by the modern and classy interior with white walls and paintings hanging from each floor. All the garments were well laid out. I was actually quite intimidated to pick some up in case I ruined the neat folding and size order. I would describe the overall surroundings as pleasant and inviting, with a fresh atmosphere. The window display was simply delightful, showing off some of the autumn/winter collection at its best.
There is a clear timeless look to the collection with exquisite tailoring, layering and hourglass silhouettes. Modern military plays into the appearance of these structured garments which show off gold and camel tones for the evening wear. These garments and the shop in general is aimed mostly at women in their 30s and 40s and fit all occasions from smart evenings to weekend wear and business. I adored the short cord skirts and the fitted jackets along with the warm knitted jumpers. Most of the collection they have at the moment is based around florals and offbeat, bright colours mixed into soft luxurious fabrics that are richly layered. Yes I have to admit it does tickle my fancy but doesn't it all seem so...familiar? Hobbs aren't exactly playing on the "cutting edge" of fashion here, most of this has been done before to play safe when it comes to style. However, the Limited Edition that is displayed on the second floor of this three floor store pushes the boundaries a little more with a bold collection made up of bold linear garments and strong shapes.
As many of Hobbs' garments are high quality fabrics like silk or they are finely detailed, you are looking at about £100 for a dress and £60 to £80 for an average skirt or trousers (I can dream on with my student budget) All the clothes, shoes and accessories complement each other perfectly and when I took the liberty of taking garments into the changing room the shop assistants were there straight away advising me on shoes to try on with the outfit and what style I was going for. However, I felt that the changing rooms let the store down slightly looks wise and there were sadly only 5 rooms so I had a short wait in the queue. The space and size was average but I found my door was broken so it would not lock...I think in that situation I would have much preferred a curtain. They did provide a stool and two small rails to hang my clothes on though which partially makes up for the drama of trying to hold the door shut for 10 minutes.
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| Faubourg mac, sapphire - £119 |
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| Augustine Skirt, Navy cerise - £89 |
Overall Hobbs is a good store for a wide range of clothes for different occasions, but it is very set on targeting a particular market group in their mid 30s/40s with a secure job and money...lots of money!
