Once voted 'best clothes shop in Wales' by the Western Mail, Havana Boutique is yet Jewel in the…read morecrown of Cowbridge. Knowing they stock Fenn Wright Mason I headed there to buy a gift for my mum's birthday just after Christmas. The sale was spectacular, I picked up a gorgeous printed dress for under £50 (reduced from over £150) and as a treat for being such a good daughter a Betty Jackson dress for £45. I had to be physically removed from a Nicole Farhi cardigan reduced all the way down to a quarter of it's RRP. One of my favourite shops for miles, the prices are just far too good for designer bargain hunters and the quality isn't compromised. I almost feel a pang of sadness recommending it to you in case you take all the bargains for yourself...

Cowbridge high street is filled with little boutique clothing shops that tend to cater for the over…read more30s 'ladies who lunch' type that makes up the population so it's refreshing to see an outsider like 'Blushbaby' in its midst. Blushbaby is the shop equivalent of a rebellious younger sister with the tongue piercing and a vodka stash in her wardrobe. It stocks Christian Audigier, Victoria Beckham jeans and a whole host of other rhinestone embellished goodies. In general it boarders on the 'chavy chic' so it's perfect for orange faced WAGs in training. Not exactly my cup of tea, though I really like some of the evening dresses and find it's great for letting my inner footballers wife run riot for a bit.

Blushbaby may be pitching to the younger generation, something that is unusual for clothing shops…read morein Cowbridge, but it most definitely has limited appeal! Instead of the cool and affordable urban street-wear that you find at Amici, here you will find the kind of designer gear that the wanabes want to wear, regardless of the silly price tags. It's all glitz and kitsch dangling off the rails at Blushbaby! It makes me wonder sometimes where we are heading when shops like this survive the recession and other, more commendable shops like Halcyon Daze, (The Little Shop of Calm), look set to close their doors forever in a month or so... Why? The Little Shop of Calm stocks dresses that are about a quarter of the price and have a load more class... so why aren't people buying their gear from there? We seem to be over-awed by the designer label these days, and are somehow seemingly rendered unable to distinguish between a tag and taste! Perhaps Blushbaby would be more appropriately entitled Bamboozled!?! I don't get it!

Hippy havens is what I so lovingly call shops like these - I feel I can say that because I…read moreabsolutely love this store and any like it (I believe in another life I abstained from wearing shoes, lived in a commune and wove baskets for a living). I guess I also adore shops like these because I hate pretentious shopping experiences with blaring dance music and blank-faced shop assistants (I guess I'm getting older?). Little Shop of Calm is indeed is an oasis in the surrounding bustle of Cowbridge High Street. With so much in this boutique to catch your attention, I could easily spend an hour in here, browsing the clothing, jewellery, bags, as well as the ranges of oils, knick knacks, crystals, and crafts from around the globe. If you're interested in attending concerts or poetry readings or taking yoga, Tai Chi, or other classes, check out their website for more information.

Halcyon Daze Little Shop Of Calm has changed its name, but I can't remember whether this is the new…read morename or old... I always simply refer to it as Halcyon Daze. I've never been very good at remembering names and so it's a wonder that I remember this bit! I wish I could remember the name of the manager that runs this shop, because she's very lovely and deserves to be referred to by name. But I can't! This is the second Halcyon Daze, opened after the success of the Cardiff branch. The owners still man the one in Cardiff, hence the need to employ a manager for the Cowbridge outlet. I'm glad they do. This shop is much smaller in size, but still manages to pack things in. They stock a range of bohemian clothing and accessories, and the usual ornaments and healing artifacts. They also possess a wealth of information. They've got a great notice board as well as a business card table, where it's possible to find out about all of the local alternative therapists. If there isn't a card for what you want, then it's worth asking the staff, as they are incredibly knowledgeable.

Situated in Penny Lane Cowbridge, this shop has a large selection of high quality 'nearly new'…read moreclothes. The pieces on sale have all been professionally dry cleaned, are in excellent condition and are up to only two seasons old. I particularly liked their Karen Millen dress at £45, whilst my friend fell in love with a floaty skirt priced at £50. Althoughthe stock was undoubtedly of very high quality I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay £250 for a suit which has been previously owned. The shop also stocks bags, hats, belts and gloves which are all pre owned and new jewellery. There was a good range of sizes available (8-24) and the clothes available ranged from casual to smart.

Don't bother with this place only interested in your money, lie and no after sales care…read more The shop sells previously owned and some new outfits. Not much of a choice but I was lucky on the day I visited. I bought a new outfit for a wedding and was told to return it for the minor alterations (shoulder straps) free of charge I was in a hurry on the day. Pleasant and friendly service when I was buying. When I returned a few weeks later, shop was not very inviting, a bit of a shambles and much less choice if any of new stuff. The owner was very rude and arrogant and implied I was lying when I said she told me that the alterations would be free of charge. I did not misunderstand as I was the only one in the shop at the time with her and another assistant and they were 'gushing' on that occasion and willing to go the extra mile for the sale. I was therefore shocked and appalled by the after service and chose to use a local (to me) service for the alterations. To be honest, I was not prepared to leave my outfit with them as I did not trust the shop to do any alterations professionally to the standard I expected. So whist I was pleased with the outfit after the alteration, I would never recommend this shop. Once they have your cash you're on your own. I also suspect that they will say anything to you when you're choosing (how good it looks on you etc). I doubt that honesty is a consideration

Went to colours today just to have an idea of an outfit for my sons wedding. well from stepping…read moreinto the shop for the very first time i felt i was in good hands, the staff were amazing, friendly, helpful and very professional. Julie brought shoes bag fascinator to show me the finished look. thankyou Julie you are a star.

Cowbridge has a reputation of catering for the comfortably wealthy. This fashion shop is trying to…read morecater for the rest of the population. i.e. The ones who have ordinary jobs and who don't have unlimited money to fritter away. It carries an eclectic range of clothing, which seem to range from dressy suits to casual cardis. I find it very hit and miss as to whether I can find something that I like. The range of sizes it good (it caters for normal people, not just stick insects!) However, the colour ranges can sometimes be a bit gaudy, or a bit too dowdy. Still, it's worth a look if you're in Cowbridge, because you may be lucky.

I am going to apologise in advance for this review... it only seems fair! I really can't find…read moreanything really positive to say about it, which is rather mean, seeing as they clearly know exactly what they are doing, and they do it pretty well... But, that said, here goes! I really dislike the name of this shop! It is one of a couple of shops, aimed at the wealthier more mature lady of Cowbridge and surrounding area, with an indefensible name... and I bet that they are ruing the day that they decided to call it this, since it pre-dates the advent of Wag culture... for sure they didn't name it with Coleen Rooney in mind! There's very little stock in this shop that actually appeals to me... but that's not to say that it doesn't go down a storm in Cowbridge, which being flanked by houses worth a million + on all sides, has the kind of captive market that tends to lap this kind of boutique up. There's no question that the owners know their market pretty well, and have long since figured how to cater to it artfully.

You know what? I've been thinking - it's great that Cowbridge offers a more mature league of female…read moreshoppers the opportunity to buy exquisite clothing in a beautiful setting. Although the boutiques aren't generally aimed at women of my age and social standing (a broke-a*s 28-year-old girl with no disposable income to speak of), I am glad they're around. And so it brings me to Beckis - a designer clothing shop nestled in the high street that boasts ranges from Frank Walder, Basler, and Nicole Farhi, among others. Although the decor reminds me of a 1970's South Beach hotel room, with its pink carpet and wicker furniture, it strangely makes for a soothing shopping experience. If you hit when the sales are ripe, you can grab items like a Nicole Fahri top for less than £55. Bargain! And don't forget to have a look upstairs, as that's where all the shoes are displayed.

There are a lot of female clothing stores in Cowbridge, most of which are very much aimed at the…read more'mature women', with very few exceptions. Thankfully Becki's is one fo the few shops that carries labels that twenty somethings would consider buying, although they would have to be rather well heeled twenty somethings if they are going to be able to afford to shop here! This isn't usually so much of an issue in this extremely affluent area, but a recent visit to Cowbridge revealed that retail sales are down considerably at the moment. (I am gutted to hear for instance that The Little Shop of Calm won't be renewing its lease in November... and they are one of the very few shops that stocks realyy good affordable clothing for people under thirty!) All boutiques tend to have good sales. Becki's is no exception. You can expect to find up to 70% off the reatail price, and perhaps even more of a reduction towards the closing stages of the sale... I love Cowbridge in sale season!

This is actually a unisex clothing outlet that tends to have a bias towards mens clothing. I remain…read moreunconvinced by stores like these as, unless they have an awful lot of floor space, (which this one doesn't) then it's always difficult to pull off successfully. This is mainly because I think that you need to have a fair amount of female stock to have an impact, and this shop unfortunately falls short of the mark. The men's range is better, but again, I'd rather see them specialise in this rather than attempt to all things to all men. It's a strange one... I really like the idea of a unisex clothing shop, and consider it to be pretty progressive, (especially as I have no qualms about dipping into the men's section quite happily... being an apple (as opposed to a pear), mens jeans fit me a whole lot better than the women's do), so I really like it when these unisex outfits are done well. It's just that this shop doesn't quite pull it off in my estimations... but don't take my word for it... take a look for yourself!