Oliver Sweeney is a shoe shop that specialises in mens footwear. It describes itself as being built…read morearound the "patented Anatomical Last, bringing the benefits of custom made shoes to a much broader market." Bascially, it sells shoes, really stylish shoes at that. Even the look of the store is modish, bright white with minimal decoration and displays. The shoes are expensive and will set you back around £250 for a pair but the quality is second to none.

Oliver Sweeney is a swanky luxury men's shoe designer, also selling a small range of coats and…read moreaccessories. The shoes are designed by Sweeney himself and made in factories in Italy. The look is mainly formal, classic and polished. This brand prides itself on producing high quality footwear built to last. Their staff are highly knowledgeable about fit, and shoe-trees can be bought in the shop to prolong the life of the shoes. They provide a re-soling service and their website features ten tips on lengthening the life of your shoes and declares that 'a good pair of shoes are a life-long companion'. This is a very welcome change from the majority of high street shoe retailers selling shoes that won't last the year and expecting you to return faithfully to stock up on landfill. Prices are on the expensive end with shoes at around £250 but may well last you longer than five pairs bought at £50!

Like a child to a sweet shop, my eyes fixated on this shop as I walked past. The wonderfully…read morecolourful window display trapped me. There were two horses from a fair ground carousel and jars of sweets. And then I noticed the horse was a vehicle to display the actual product being sold in this shop - handbags! Handbags galore! Bigs ones, small ones, extremely colourful ones and very expensive ones! The whole shop was dressed up to create an image of fun. It said to me - if you have one of these handbags you are fun, classy and crazy! I really like this about the shop and went in to have a look even though the handbags are way out of my budget. I didn't feel intimidated as one might going into a shop where you clearly can't afford to buy anything. This may have been because of the female shop assistants who didn't look very intimidating. I'm sure they smirked to each other as I walked out. HOw rude. Luckily I don't need a handbag to express my personality for me. And I guess if you don't have the cash to splash don't even think about it!

Mulberry prides itself on high quality, high fashion clothing and accessories for both men and…read morewomen. The Mulberry bag is always sought after from fashionistas and always a staple wardobe accessory in Vogues capsule wardrobe collections! It's easy to be taken in by all the beautiful, yet quirky designs in store. But, as always in fashion, beauty comes with a nice, fat price. Shoulder bags will cost you around £650 which is way out of my budget it hurts. The quality is impeccable but I just can't justify spending so much on a bag that I will probably get fed up of after six months. Maybe if i'd been born into a ridiculously filthy fortune I wouldn't think twice...oh well! Anyway, the shops nice, nothing spectacular but nice with a few key bits and pieces. There are a few affordable pieces...you just have to look really, really hard to find them.

I get the distinct feeling that I am the odd one out here when it comes to this shop. It just goes…read moreto show that a person's taste can really affect their opinion of a business. I have no problem what so ever with alternative clothing, nor the people who wear such garments, and so I do not dislike this shop. Simple as that really. I'm not suggesting that the items inside are of my taste, but I don't dislike them on the basis that I wouldn't wear them - on the contrary, I think some of the clothes in here are really interesting and cool. My particular favourites, as you'll see from the pictures, are what I have dubbed (in my mind) the 'Beetlejuice trousers'. I think if I actually saw someone walking down the street in those I would not only be rally excited, but also a tad jealous that they had the stuff to wear them! I love seeing anything that escapes the bromidic zeitgeist items that are paraded about town, and this place is certainly somewhere that you can rely on to be alternative. From vampiric dresses, to sergeant pepper jackets, to neon day-glo doc martins and more, this shop has plenty going on. It is definitely one guilty of supplying Leeds' emo-goth-teen reactionaries with their status gear, but once you see past that element you can really browse with intrigue. Not all the items in their are for me, I am not keen on some of their gear, but I love having a browse. Maybe one day I'll muster the bravery to put on one of their fantastic vampire corset dresses, but for now I'll stick with my vintage clobber! Prices, as expected, range but err on the higher side of a twenty pound note. The lady in there can come across as aggressive, but give her a chance as you might anyone, and she's got some pretty decent banter. I mean come on, she was playing Bjork for goodness sake. Anyone who plays Bjork is right on with me. I don't care who knows it! Give it a chance, you might be surprised.

I don't know about you, but I don't tend to dress up as a prisoner from Alcatraz too often. If you…read moredo, then go to Soho. They do a fine line in Alcatraz branded shirts. In all shapes and sizes. Weird? Am I the only one? I guess this is a shop for a very niche market. It must sell some of these shirts, or else why would they dominate the entrance area? Do you have one? Please, message me reasons why you've got one. And I might alter this rating. If you convince me. Thinking about it, Soho is a good place to go for fancy dress. Or maybe fancy dress ideas. As these not-novelty-but-should-be garments don't come cheap. Maybe I'm being too harsh, just because I'm not in this alternative niche. Perhaps it's because I'm left out. And I can't afford an Alcatraz tee. Go if you're a signed, sealed, delivered emo/goth. If not, steer clear. Unless you've got a fancy dress bash coming up.

A new addition to Leeds Kirkgate Market, the vibrancy and warmth of colour which glows out of this…read moretiny stall is mesmerising. The products on offer are all sourced from India, and they both look and feel decadent. The scarves and pashminas are striking, with gold thread sparkling through their rich tones. A glass cabinet at the rear of the shop houses various pieces of ethically sourced jewellery. There were a particular pair of silver and turquoise earrings which I have mentally reserved as a gift for a friend, a bargain at only £5. Beautifully crafted leather bound diaries and notebooks occupy a section of the shop, this would also solve a present buying riddle for many people. Amongst the wicker baskets of prettily packaged incense which are strewn on the floor, a stunning collection of leather bags sit nonchalantly, waiting to be discovered. The lovely man who ran the stall informed me that they were genuine leather, but there was really no need, their authenticity was unmistakable. A particular leather laptop bag caught my attention, expertly crafted in the style of a satchel. The aforementioned man who is called Manzoor was extremely helpful and disclosed that should I wish to return, we could negotiate a price to suit both parties. I may just take him up on his offer.

This nice little shop caught my eye as I walked into the market recently. It is the first shop as…read moreyou walk in one of the many entrances and is filled with colourful scarves, bags and tops. Its a little bit more exotic than most of the stalls at the market, selling items from Kashmir, India. It has a nice aroma of incense, which it sells also. The scarves are marked at £20 each but I can't decide if this a reasonable price or not. Each one is unique and all the way from India, they are wider shawl-sized scarves but then they are only scarves. At least it is nice to see something a bit different in this part of town.

Swish, Damn Swish - no, not a famous line from a swashbuckling James Bond rip off, this arcade is…read moreincredible. A whole Victorian street in the shopping heart of Leeds enclosed by a wonderfully modern glass covering. OK, so the shops are all designer, the ones everyone loves to look in, sometimes go in to have a look at just how much some people are prepared to pay for t-shirt....but boy the designers have designed a perfect place for designers to come sell their designer bits 'n bobs. little bubbling fountains, coffee and bagel huts for that quick pit stop and belly filler. I sat in here for about an hour, just sipping my cheap filter coffee and commoner's bacon and egg bagel getting a good view of how the other half live. I didn't mind, I was content, in such a place I find it hard to believe anyone could feel otherwise.

The Victoria Quarter is the Leeds hotspot for chic shopping. I'm sure it would object to being…read moredescribed as such but that's tough, cos it's be that's writing it so ner. In all seriousness, The Victoria Quarter is the opulent home to some of the more high end brands of the Leeds shopping arena, and with it comes certain prestige in being housed here. The little independent stores like the French Revolution and Rose & Co gain a little kudos in being located here, as that is the effect the Victoria Quarter has on a business here. It is really rather easy to get lost in the annals of the walkways, be it through gawping at all the lovely shopping enticements, or be it from the identical high vaulted ceilings and archways criss crossing across one another, identical fountains, and sympathetic shop signage so that it doesn't interfer with the original features and feel of the Victorian decor. Depending on which entrance you take you will find fountains tinkling delicately, or small tables with coffee service, or even a small but assuredly delicious pattisserie. Benches are also dotted around and if you take the time to perch, and knock your head back you'll see the bizarre yet beautiful glass decoration. A worthy attraction all on it's own.