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.

Grin, having come to exist here once evicted from the Corn Exchange, is an old time favourite place…read moreof mine to browse. Being one of the original alternative places to shop in Leeds, supplying all the old school goth kids who amassed outside the Corn Exchange with their garments, I am really glad that it survived the relocation. There's definitely a hint of nostalgia in it for me, it was one of the first places that I'd regularly shop at, but having been in Leeds a while it is now more than loyalty that draws me within its doors. I don't usually shop here for many of the clothes, being that I prefer a different style, but for accessories and shoes I love this place. A while back I bought my 'non-converse' trainer boots here and I literally wore them to death. It was only once the backs had entirely ripped away from the heel that I had to give up the ghost with those. They lasted me a year or so, of virtually constant wear, and for forty pounds I think that's no bad thing. They also supply me with a great collection of arm warmer things, cool gloves and interesting tights with which to lift a more standard outfit! Even if you aren't sure what you like, Grin will twist your arm. There is a cool about this shop that just can't help but find its way to you. Contagious style. Just go and have a look - I'm sure you'll enjoy!

The 'alternative' clothing provided by Grin when I was a teenager no longer seems particularly…read morealternative, their products having remained very similar for over ten years and having seen a huge growth then slight decline in popularity in that time. Though providing some of the lacier, buckle adorned, PVC coated items and tiny black and red tutus popular among goths, much of their products now have similar incarnations in the likes of H&M and Tammy at BHS. Oh well. Grin still appears to be Grinning! Despite the seemingly tiny size of this shop I had a bit of an explore and discovered a basement dungeon full of Nintendo and comedy Banksy-inspired hoodies and band T-shirts. While upstairs there is a rather disorganised fancy dress section with a good wing selection, some pretty cool giant comedy glasses and some 'Part Animal' all-in-ones, including a cow, a bear and a bee - a rather hilarious antidote to the pandemic of 'sexy' nurses infecting the nation. My favourite products from Grin are their Stargazer vegan makeup range and La Riche hair dyes, both available in bright and unusual colours. Prices at Grin are pretty cheap - £15 for a tutu and £10-£20 for a hoodie. Not necessarily a good thing as it rather makes you wonder where and how they were made...

I actually rubbernecked when I saw this stall, and that's not something you get to do a lot of…read morethese days. Aesthetically, it is beautiful. Although the stall is diminutive in size, it is so colourful and vibrant; a mix of feathers, netting, ribbons and pizazz. There are many different styles of hat to choose from. The couture hats are extremely elaborate, definitely worn to make a statement. Whether at a formal wedding or ladies day at the races, you would guarantee some serious head-turning when sporting one of these creations. The range of fascinators is fairly impressive. For the weddings I have been to in the past, I have opted for this alternative. A bit more quirky and trendy than a traditional hat, it accessorises the hair elegantly. The stall also sells many items online, the products varying dramatically in price. As I already have two weddings to attend this Summer, I will be keeping an eager eye on Love Hats.

Love Hats is an eye-catching little shop full of wonderfully flamboyant hats and fascinators…read more Brimming with feathers, flowers and bows it stands out a mile among the many disused stalls in this part of the market. The stall owner sits lovingly hand-stitching a weird and wonderful creation- in-the-making surrounded by the impressive evidence of her skills. The headgear is a mixture of fantastically OTT hats that might be worn to the races or a wedding, wildly striking fascinators and unusual vintage-inspired winter hats. Prices vary from between £85 and £850 for the more flamboyant hats, £60 to £170 for fascinators and £32 to £48 for winter hats. Love Hats is an example of a shop in the market really taking pride in its presentation, displaying its wares lovingly and making sure its sign is visible and provides the necessary information. Love Hats is exactly the kind of shop that is needed to breathe life into the Leeds Kirkgate Market, making it appeal to a broad range of people and reflect the creativity and passion that the small businesses of Leeds have to offer.

Missy is another absolute treat to for any girls who happen to reside in Horsforth. Situated along…read morethe main strip of shops, this place is an absolute must to visit, for quality, style and value. I feel so annoyed that I went and spent pretty much *all* my wages before finding this gem - as I can tell you, there would have been some spendage. Inside they have a huge range of delightful shoes, handbags fascinators and other little items. The shoes they have in are fantastic, mostly I think, because there is such a range to suit everyone. As well as having boots (both Ugg style and heeled) they had a range of cute little pumps. They had beautiful court shoes and beautiful vintage style dolly shoes. I was in shoe heaven, and so was my friend, who went away with two beautiful pairs of pumps - which were not only half price, but also scented too! Amazing. The handbags were also gorgeous, my favourite being a rather large black faux leather number with embroidered red roses over the top. They had all colours, shapes and sizes - so again, something for everyone! The fascinators were also exquisite. They had a range of simplistic ones, which were bought in, and a range that are hand made by a local lady. In this way you can go in and find the almost perfect fascinator and make bespoke requests - such as, "I love this one, but I need it in jade green!" How handy is that?! Finally, the staff in this shop were particularly wonderful. They were friendly, attentive and not pushy at all. At first I needed to sit down, so the lady welcomed me to sit and had a friendly natter. As we browsed up stairs the manager (I believe) told us all about the stock and the fascinators and then helped my friend purchase her lovely new shoes. The whole shopping experience was a delight! Couldn't be more fond, you have to go and see for yourself!

Running along similar lines to the shop before but dedicated to handbags and shoes and with a much…read moreclassier price this shop, decked in silver and pink is a real girly paradise. From Birkenstocks to Fiorelli handbags, there are accessories and footwear to make your heart flutter with girly pleasure. Enthusiastic staff are here to ensure you find what you need and enjoy handing over your money. Flutter it away on bags bejewelled with fake diamonds, and UGG style boots. P.S. MASSIVE SALE ON!

This is one of those wigs, weaves and hair accessories shops, of which there seem to be a fair few…read morein Leeds. And true to what appears to be the tradition of these shops, every available inch of space is used to display their wares. There are little niches barely wide enough to squeeze down covered floor to ceiling in hair pieces. Bizarrely one of these niches had a car tyre stowed in amongst the shiny packets of hair and one of the display hooks had been used to hang somebody's leather jacket...weird. Due to their clever use of space Busy B manages to pack a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and thus caters well for most hair-piece related requirements. They also stock a range of makeup and nail varnish. The staff seem very helpful and friendly so if you find yourself confused by the huge range of products on offer they will steer you in the right direction.

I fell upon this wonderful shop whilst wandering through the Piece Hall. It had the most fabulous…read more50's dress at only £30. I couldnt believe my luck until I started looking through the rail and found oodles more around the same price. There was a good selection of not onlt clothes but accessories and home bits n bobs too. I will definatly be back on payday or maybe before !!

Took my wife to the piece hall in halifax and we went into this vintage clothing shop where she…read morebought a beautiful evening dress for my works event she'd been moaning about getting something different and couldnt get something from the highstreet so thank heavens we found this something very different and unique due to the fact it never been on the high street production lines! Definitely popping in again (according to the wife anyway!)

I'm sorry Claire's Accessories, I hate you. This shop makes me feel sicker than 20 ice creams…read morefollowed by Space Mountain. If pink were a poison for your eyes all customers to this monstrosity would be dead. They sell tacky jewelery that would sound like Vicky Pollard if it could talk, hair accessories made of barbie dolls old trimmings, and various bits of fake nails or cheap plastic stuff you are meant to stick to yourself in an attempt to look nice. I am not a hater of the younger generation at all. I have a younger sister and can completely relate to the love of random cheap stuff you can get from places like this. But I just wish they would go away. So many embarrassing memories and photographs could be avoided if it weren't for this place. Plus, loads of the customers are adults. God help us.

I have to say, Claire's Accessories is not my usual place to shop. I dislike the way everything is…read moreso close together, and essentially it is all tat. However, recently I had to get my ears re-pierced ahead of a wedding. I briefly flirted with the idea of shoving some piercing studs through myself (ah, to be fifteen again!) but in the end common sense prevailed and I decided to go to Claire's and get them done. Evidently ear piercing is a very serious business nowadays. I had to fill out a form and discuss how to clean my ears. However, I have to say they took great pains to make both sides match and three different members of staff checked them to match sure they were fine. It cost 26 pounds, which was more than I had anticipated, but I have no real benchmark. They are clearly more used to doing children's ears as two people did the piercing simultaneously, presumably before I realised it hurt and started to cry. I must say, I've had no problems with my ears at all since then. Given that I allowed the holes to grow over in the first place because they kept getting infected, this overcomes any horror I felt at being displayed as an official Claire's Accessories customer as yes, they do pierce you in the window. If you can cope with that though, here is a perfectly adequate place to be pierced.

There is a man in a suit standing at the entrance of this shop just to make you feel a bit awkward…read moreincase you didn't already, whilst going into this super elegant yet ridiculously over priced bag shop. It has a stifling feeling that is not nearly as fun as Mulberry, a few doors down, who sell equally priced handbags to people with too much money. I honestly expected to be more impressed than I was with the handbags, luggage bags and wallets in here. They may be of excellent quality but the majority had the same design - brown with golden 'LV' symbols all over the place. I find this a bit boring. But if this is your style then you'll be please to know that the staff are extremely helpful, probably because you're spending loads of money.

Lawdy lawdy lawdy, GET OVER YOURSELF. Stepping into Louis Vuitton is like walking into a crowd of…read morecheerleaders when you're one of the geeks. When I first went in, a friend with too much spending money actually went in for a bonafide gander in the branch that specialises in over priced dog shyte holders for a birthday gift from her to herself, in the form of a handbag. My response, "you're off your rocker", despite the ridiculous price tag the quality of the leather in these bullions with handles is exquisite, however, when you've got pop trash across the globe carting one of these bad boys around in the crook of their arm, it screams to me "run the other way". Anyhoo discourage her I could not, so on we ventured, if looks of derision could kill we'd have been dead where we stood, and from that moment on I willed any one of the sales assistants, yes people sales assistants, you're sales assistants, not mocking it, I've been one myself, but that's what you are, you run around chasing sales and assist. End of story. Oh right I was willing, I was willing one of the slick Rick's to hit a patch of their own fallen hair gel and splat on their rear end. Sadly this did not come to pass, but as one of the Ricks went up a step ladder to fetch a large suitcase, half of me wanted him to fall, the other half wanted to push. I didn't. I was good. Friend on the verge of being mortified if I opened my mouth did her best to press on with her enquiry, and she did so elegantly, she was torn between two and said she'd think about it, wanting to check out Harvey Nics for alternatives to LV. Out of pure principal I urged her to go Donna Karan before she went Vuitton. Anything to avoid unworthy commission to one of the smug assistants. As I said, the brand is beautifully crafted, and the leather is exquisite, but with snotty sales assistants and celebrity endorsements, you start to wonder what's a help and what's a hindrance.

Wow! Check out the window display! I would have taken a photo regardless of requiring a pic for…read moreYelp! Endless lotions and potions are stacked tetris-style on shelf after shelf covering all the available window space and making your head spin with the seemingly infinite hair pampering options available! If you have afro hair and like to coax it into any style of your choosing then I can't imagine you could go away empty handed! They also sell hair dryers and styling tools, hair dye, wigs, weaves, clip in hair extensions and a huge range of hair accessories. On top of this they have a huge variety of body lotions and skin creams and a selection of makeup. It would be easy to feel pretty overwhelmed by the vast array of products on display, but the staff are helpful and friendly and will point you in the right direction. Sihala provides many products to be used by all women but specialises in a range of products for black people that would not be found in most high street cosmetics retailers, which often tend to overlook the specific needs of black customers. Go Sihala!