The market down of Ilkley is known for its upmarket status and fine shops so it's no surprise to…read morefind a little piece of Joy like CoCo there. Now we're talking girls because it's bag heaven. All aboard the bankrupt train and don't stop till the final destination. If the bags aren't what you're after then worry ye not. It's an accessory paradise with belts galore, hats and some truly lovely jewellery. It's a really nice lay out too and is lots of fun to go for a gentle wander around whilst planning your next big money spending raid. I find it ideal for gift ideas. It's especially good for gift ideas regarding certain members of the family so with Mother's Day coming up you could do a lot worse than have a look around. What mum doesn't like a nice bag or some bling? Nothing in Ilkley is particularly cheap but sometimes we need to share the wealth.

The Cove is a lovely little fashion shop situated on the promenade of shops just opposite the huge…read morecar park in the centre of Ilkley. It's really easy to find, but be warned, at the moment there is a bit of scaffolding going on in front of the shop which obstructs the signage at the moment - I am sure this is only temporary though! Inside you will find a selection of sharp, snappy clothes, all quite 'young fashion' in style, with some bold prints and short cuts! One little number certainly qualified as a 'little black dress' item making it great for accesorising and decorating to ones own style. They had options for you to do just that too, since there were a number of different handbags and jewels on sale here too! From a delightful crushed velvet handbag, to posh little clutch purses, gold circlets and contemporary sleek jewellery - such as long chains with heart pendents and such! Essentially, I'd hazard a guess and say this one was definitely more for the girls of Ilkley than the ladies but it is nonetheless a great little place to browse.

The Moors is a bit of a strange Arcade in Ilkley. It's located just next to the huge car park of…read moreIlkley and from the outside it sort of gives the impression that inside the doors there will be hoards of shops to go and browse. However, on entering I discovered there were but three or so shops inside. This was one of them! I only got the play on words after staring irritatedly at their shop signage for a little while, and grumbling in my head. It's like my eyes were trying to visualise the extra 'd' and it went something like this: "I can't believe they've spelt address wrong ... They've missed out a 'd'. Grr. Oh! Wait, I get it! A - dress, Adress!" And 'ding' my brain suddenly kicked into gear! Silly me. So, they sell women's clothing and dresses are a particular feature, had you not gotten that yet! It's not particularly my kind of gear, but then I believe that to be largely down to their target customer. Given that they seem to stock Olsen, amongst other brands, my guess would be that they are selling to the slightly more mature ladies of Ilkley. With classic lines, those ever important little sleeves for the more self-conscious woman and safe lengths these garments are a perfect mix of casual and smart for a lady. Some really lovely quality garments, but perhaps not quite my taste.

Ilkley Dress Agency is another one of those quirky one off indie clothes shops of Ilkey, situated…read morein The Arcade. From the window display, and the shop signage, I had thought that the shop might not have been for me. However, on further investigation I found that they had a lot of lovely accessories, clothes, jewellery and handbags etc, that were really rather nice. It just goes to show that one shouldn't judge, doesn't it! I think being in Ilkley the customer is likely to be a little bit of a more refined in taste, and so if you are after young/alternative fashion I wouldn't necessarily suggest this shop. I happen to like quite vintage styled items and so this is why the accessories and such appealed to me - there was a fair amount that agreed with my kind of taste. But this sort of thing is all dependent on your opinion, isn't it? Even so, there was a great range of branded clothing to choose from, so what ever your preference it's always best to nip in and have a quick scan, isn't it? They had a large shoe rack too, with some pretty tempting heels, and of course some lovely hand bags! Similar to Deja Vu of Oakwood, the idea with this shop is that they buy in hoards of designer dresses - including Nicole Fahri, LK Bennett, Prada and more - to sell on at discounted rates. That alone is tempting enough for me to want to come back again for a secondary visit!

Now I'm a giddy kipper. Well obviously I'm not or else I'd be a fish and would have no fingers to…read morewrite but you get my drift. It's shopping baby and it's the Ilkley Dress Agency. Hoorah to it I say. A shop dedicated to dresses. What is a girl to do but spend? What you'll find is a lovely shop with a wide range of high quality, new and pre-owned fashions. Whether you want clothing, accessories, jewellery or footwear it's all here. It really is a great place to have a delve around and you can pick some really unique and top quality goods up. This is a girls dream. All I need now is a pair of killer pins and I'm ready to go. Oh well best come back in a year then. Wonderful shop.

Although this shop is pretty much twinned with the other Eric Spencer, just a few doors down, it is…read morenot quite so special in my opinion. I realise, quite literally, it isn't so special but this is because they sell "country" wear and not formal wear. That alone isn't why I'm less keen, although I must be honest and say that, obviously, I found the formal wear to be pretty darn exciting! The clothes in here are certainly of a really high quality. For a local store which has been nurtured over the years and grown into the reliable label it is, for many an Ilkley-ite, it is pretty impressive. They stock a number of high-end country wear brands that would put any old Fat Face to shame, really. These clothes are for more than show, they seem to be both stylish country clothing (which isn't really my taste as such, I'm not a huge fan of the diamond padded jackets I must say!) and durable outdoors wear all in one. From wellies to jackets to knitwear, Eric Spencer has almost everything of this kind. They have men's and ladies' wear too, so no one can go without. I couldn't really see a more fitting shop for Ilkley, if I'm honest! Eric Spencer surely is king of all Ilkley.

Although, annoyingly, their website appears not to have recognised their existence in Ilkley,…read moreJoules does in fact exist here. It's situated along the little promenade which is opposite the great big car park in the town centre, so it's pretty easy to locate, in fact! My friend and I were having a wander around Ilkley and generally browsing every shop when we came across Joules. We nearly didn't bother going in but she spotted a fleece that she quite liked, and I some wellington boots, so we ventured in. Inside they have loads of casual cosy knits, fleeces, scarves, nautical style shirts and other items and a really beautiful 50s style halter checked dress which totally had my name on it. (That is, until I realised I couldn't afford it!) They also had a number of quirky items on sale, including the sweetest animal faced wellies for kids. I loved the decor of the shop, they had some really lovely feautures such as their pretty lampshades and old school outdoor taps which acted as clothing fixtures. We only had a brief look round, as it was a non-spend day, but I did enjoy having a look round the shop. The chap behind the counter didn't seem overly responsive, but then I suppose that was no bad thing as we were only browsing and didn't want the obligatory "Can I help you?" anyway! All in all, quite a nice little shop!

When I walked into this shop part of me wanted to vomit over the sickly pastel cardigans whilst the…read moreother part of me found itself picking up the pretty floral gardening gloves. This clothes shop is a cross between Fat Face and Cath Kidson, faux outdoor clothing mixed with cutely decorated wellies and dresses, and is perfectly situated in Ilkley where they enjoy horse riding and playing golf. It is aimed at people with enough money to pay for their precious little ones to have flute lessons, and to buy clothes at this shop. So cynical hat aside, there were some nice clothes here. I loved the features that made this shop unique, like the chairs pinned to the walls with clothes hanging from the lower rails. The woman was so friendly that before I managed to leave I had given her my details to send me the next 'catazine' aka catalogue that is also a bit like a magazine (why? I hate junk mail!). I also left with the current catalogue which is shamelessly aimed at mothers with a lot of money and domestic aspirations/duties. There are some cute family shots showing the kids, ladies and mens ware but there are some shots of women wearing Joules clothes doing the ironing or wearing yellow washing up gloves. What? There isn't enough irony in these shots for me to condone them!