So Cleo is a women's retail store, no men's clothes, no kids' clothes. I would describe it as fast…read morefashion office edition. Good to build a professional looking wardrobe on a budget, as they often have sales up to 70% off their regular prices. Their clothes are all office appropriate, no club wear here, lol. Some items lean a bit frumpy IMO, but they have some cute pieces as well, you just have to look for them. Although I have been shopping at Cleo since my twenties I would say that the target demographic is probably 35+ (their sister store Ricki's is more geared towards the under 35 group). They have a petites section, which is good for shorties like me. I don't believe that they have a plus sizes (but I could be wrong). This location at Trainyards is large with a lot of selection. The discount racks are at the back of the store. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

I am a GAP shopper. I stick with my size and know that my clothes will fit…read more I tend to visit factory stores rather than shopping at GAP stores at the mall. I like deals and this store had decent sales happening. You can save up to 60%. This store is at the Trainyards, next to its sister company, Old Navy. I had done some damage at the GAP at Tanger Outlets, so I had already had my shopping fix. I was here to browse. Did you want a California-inspired t-shirt or pineapple shorts? This store is for you. I like the designs. They are fun and quirky, at times. This store was clean. All items were displayed nicely. I had no problem finding a parking spot. Just take your patience with you, as some customers tend to have issue with theirs. (223)

This location is in the Stafford Shopping Plaza in Bells Corners…read more Mark's used to be called Mark's Work Warehouse as they carried things like steel-toed shoes, overalls, reflective strips, coats for sub-zero temperatures, scrubs (medical uniforms), etc., so essentially "work clothes." But they rebranded a few years ago, dropped the "Work Warehouse" part of their name and are marketing themselves as also a regular clothes store. They still sell the same things though. Their "regular clothes" are very basic and functional. Good if you are looking for basic t-shirts, black pants, etc. But not if you're looking for anything stylish, at least not in my opinion. They do carry very large sizes here. I have regularly seen sizes 4XL and 5XL here, and they are usually heavily discounted. So if these are your sizes, you will likely make out like a bandit. Unfortunately for me though, their sizes do not run small. Especially for pants, even their smallest size is usually too big for me (and I'm not THAT small, my jeans are a size 26). However, if you are an average-sized person or bigger, you will likely find clothes here that fit. They carry lots of plaid shirts and t-shirts of every color under the sun. So if you're looking for a specific coloured t-shirt say for a Halloween costume or something, they've got you covered! Clothes here are not my style and generally not even my size, but objectively I'll say that it's a cool store.

This Ricki's is in Carlingwood Mall. Ricki's is a women's clothing store. They sell some…read moreaccessories too like costume jewelry and scarves. I would describe the aesthetic as fast fashion casual and business-casual wear for 30 somethings. They have some cute pieces, but nothing really unique or fashion forward. Quality is satisfactory for the price if you get it on sale. In my opinion, the regular prices are too high for the quality of the items. They have 3 lengths for pants, short (30" inseam), regular (32" inseam) and tall (34" inseam). Their sizes start at 0 and go up to 18 (so does cover the "plus" range of 14+). I find their sizes run big. I can sometimes wear a 0 but sometimes even the 0 is too big (my jeans size is 24 to 26 depending on cut and brand, so I'm not THAT small). Same goes for their lettered sizing (runs big), which ranges from XS to XXL. If they are going to do this vanity sizing then they should carry 00 and XXS. Anyway, this location has a good selection of items and they always have lots in their clearance section.

Oooh! Some nice clothes in here today! I might even go 4.5 stars!…read more I went to Carlingwood mall for something else entirely and decided to go shopping for myself afterwards. I need spring clothes anyway! The Ricki's caught my eye with their splash of spring colours and If that wasn't inviting enough, they had huge sales on too! There was a selection of clothing at 40% off, and Tees were BOGO - buy one get one free - and these were nautical in design. Very nice! I have to say, the staff was stellar - all of them! Very helpful pointing out the best sales, finding the right sizes, and stocking up my dressing room. There was only 1 minor glitch: the 40% off sale didn't present itself on my bill correctly, and I didn't realize this until after I had returned home. So, I returned to the shop the next day, and the people who had helped me were not there that day - it was someone else. So I explained the problem, and the clerk behind the counter said, brightly, "I can fix that for you!" So she did. I mean, she corrected the bill and made the refund, and signed me up for the "Pants Club" (which means: when you buy 5 pairs of pants, you get the next pair absolutely FREE!"), AND she gave me a coupon worth $10.00 off my next purchase!! Well done, indeed! I will definitely go back!

This used to be my favourite clothing store but I've found that the quality has gone downhill in…read morethe last few years. Most of the garments are now made in China, yet remain a little on the pricey side. There are usually lots of good sales to take advantage of though. My review is for my visit to the Trainyards location earlier this afternoon where I browsed the sales racks looking for a couple tops. I tried a couple on and selected 2 tops. One had a stain on the back of it. I was going to ask about a possible further reduction on the price. There appeared to only be one clerk in he store and she was busy with another customer. By the time she was finished with the other customer I had started to browse the store some more and decided I really didn't want to buy the tops I had selected, so I left.

RW & Co is a clothing retailer. They have both women's and men's clothes, but no kids' clothes…read more They sell mostly office attire, with a few fancier pieces for semi-formal events. In my opinion their clothes are more fashionable than places like Reitmans, Cleo and Ricki's, with quality being about the same or maybe a little bit higher. I really love their dresses. The cuts are usually very flattering and they often have an asymmetric element to them, which is totally my style, lol. They only have regular sizes here, no petite or plus sizes. They often have sales of 20-60% off clearance items. I've gotten really cute pieces here for less than $10. This location at the Ottawa Trainyards is big, with lots of selection. Their fitting rooms at the back are unisex. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

This is a very upscale boutique with unique high end brands. The staff is always very friendly and…read morekind. They have a cute kids table at the back for colouring, which I thought was very considerate and welcoming for families. Expect high prices here. I am always disappointed when boutiques have so many small sizes. Larger people like nice things and have money too ;) (just sayin')

Schad and Schad Blu are 2 stores that carry some of the better fashions and threads in this city…read morefor men and women. I'm glad Ottawa has some clothing stores with styles outside the GAP, AE, Old Navy, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with those stores but they're pretty boring. Schad carries a nice balance of North American and European brands. The unfortunate thing about some of the North American brands is that they've been run into the ground since the Jersey Shore phenomenon! Brands like Ed Hardy and Affliction are carried here and unfortunately Dom Rebel (based out of Montreal) has been styling a lot of shirts like them recently. Some of the other brands that I'm glad they have include Diesel, Energie, Sand and J Lindeberg. It's not for everyone but I do get complimented regularly. I believe there is a slight mark up on these brands compared to some of the other stores I've been in that carry these lines in Toronto and Montreal but it's not that much and the store owner and the staff are super friendly and super helpful. To get an idea, Chantel (the store owner) once tried on a dress for me that I was purchasing for a friend to give me an idea of what it would look like while being worn! That's pretty damn awesome!

This Marshalls is a combo store with HomeSense. I am not a huge Marshalls fan, but it's growing on…read moreme. I found a lightweight Puma baseball cap. It's grey with white trim and dries easily. It also has an adjustable Velcro strap at the back, which this person with a big skull is thankful for! The price was right, too. On the HomeSense side of the store, I managed to get a silicon cleaner set to clean tall water bottles and flasks. It also came with a smaller brush to clean reusable straws. They all work well! As with any Marshalls-HomeSense store, you can line up at the shared cashout area and you're good to go. The woman helping me with my purchase was great. She was so friendly. It was nice. (280)

This is a cool place to visit experience a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. The reviews are very…read moreaccurate, you receive an excellent product for a fair price. And if you like real potato fries, they are excellent. Of course, so is the pickle served on the side. Very simple and unmemorable store front but not a bad place to enjoy a delicious sandwich.

This might be the first clothing chain I have ever given a five star to, but let me tell you - it…read moreis well deserved! Fairly new to Ottawa, this unassuming store in Carlingwood offers killer selection of clothing, shoes and accessories along with some of the most helpful and kind staff I've ever encountered. My first experience here was a few months ago with a group of girlfriends. We sauntered in on a Sunday afternoon drawn in by a great sweater in the window display. Soon, all four of us (with pretty different styles) were eyeing the accessories, stroking the sweaters and trying on boots. The staff were sweet and helpful but what stood out that time was the vast array of clothing from zeroes to plus and styles for work or play. After popping in a few more times with my sister (who has become a devoted fan), we encountered Diana, truly a one of a kind sales girl. When she found out we were looking for jeans she set us both us in change rooms told us to drop our coats off and get ready to find the perfect jeans. She was brilliant. Once she grabbed our sizes she asked what kind of fit we wanted and we were both sent to try on a stack of jeans each. She was attentive, adorable and super sweet and we both found amazing jeans that we loved (I think this is the first time we've both found jeans in the same store...ever.). This is my first stop next time I need jeans. The prices are more than reasonable and they have an awesome selection. I also scored a super cute pair of ankle boots - hurray! Note: they have a loyalty rewards program and just private shopping parties. Unreal.

This was the first Maurices to open up in Ottawa and although one later opened up in Place…read mored'Orleans that one has since closed, so this one in Carlingwood Mall is the only Maurices in Ottawa. Maurices is an American chain from Minnesota. It sells women's clothes in regular and plus sizes (sizes range from 00-30 or XXS-4XL). Their pants come in regular length, tall, x-tall, short and x-short (although x-short and x-tall are a bit rare). Not all styles have all lengths, but I do appreciate being able to buy pants off the rack without having to hem them. The style here is definitely casual and the target age group I would say is teens to twenties, so younger than me. Quality is that of fast fashion like Zara, Forever 21, H&M, etc. The clothes here are not really my style in general, but I do like their x-short and short inseam pants and jeans (although a lot of the jeans styles are too "distressed" or "rippy" for me, haha). Staff are friendly and helpful.