Roadtrip is the sister store of Trustfund but seems to have a larger collection for men and women…read more The mens collection of shirts over here range from Fred Perry, Penguin and Ben Sherman. Things are reasonable priced and the staff is very friendly and helpful. They do not put things on hold so if you want to get something you're going to have to get it right away or risk them running out of stock.

This store is in the courtyard between Planet Coffee and Librarie Soleil. What I love about this…read moreboutique is their jewelry! It always makes me feel creative. Necklaces have large beads (almost like small ornaments) strung on them, to be stunning with a simple strapless dress. The dresses they have are also amazing. When I was there this week I saw a great dress that had edges with zippers sewn on. There are lots of women's fashions and some men's clothing as well. The staff are really friendly and always greet you. There is even a table to leave you food or drinks on, in case you were just stopping in on your way by.

Adorit is such a cute and fun little shop. It reminds me a bit of Courage My Love in Kensington…read moreMarket in Toronto. It has that hippie vibe and smells of patchouli. It has vintage items but also new items. Their new items are all ethically sourced/fair trade, most are made of organic materials and the designers are Canadian. The owner, Emma, is very sweet and is so passionate about the items she sells. She introduced me to 2 designers that I totally love now: Smoking Lily, and Rabbit & Empee. OMG, why did I not know about these designers earlier? Their pieces are gorgeous! Most of the clothes in the shop are somewhat quirky with a bohemian vibe to them, some with slight steampunk elements, but there are pieces that look more mainstream too. They also have unique jewelry pieces, hair accessories, belts and purses. Prices run the gamut from less than $1 (vintage jewelry) to over $150 (new clothing). New clothing starts at about $35 for T-shirts and goes up to $100+ for dresses. The shop is small and is in an old converted residential unit in the Byward Market. If you are looking for a cool and unusual piece, Adorit is the place to go! ;)

Adorit is a lovely boutique in the ByWard Market that specializes in vintage, Tibetan and designer…read morerecycled clothes. The vintage selection is small and it's the only part of the store that has men's clothing, but they do manage to have some very unique finds. The new clothing is "environmentally friendly" and it's often made out of recycled clothing material with some really great patterns. The clothing is usually made in Tibet (fair trade) or Canada, including some work by local designers. The clothes are usually quite nice and Bohemian-inspired, although the prices run a bit high sometimes. However, they often have a sales rack and trunk with some great pieces, including my favourite coat that probably gets more compliments than any other article of clothing I own. They also have wonderful accessories and Tibet products.The owner is very nice.

it's always a pleasure shopping at Frou Frou. Service is friendly & excellent giving good advice &…read morehonest opinions. The clothes is good quality with interesting pieces & great styles at reasonable prices.

Frou Frou used to be on William St., but it is now on York St. It's now in a converted row home…read more They carry some cool and unusual items, like scarves that look like flower garlands (fair trade from Nepal) and funky jewelry from local artisans. Their clothes are hit or miss. In my opinion some pieces are really neat but some pieces are tacky or matronly. They have a clearance section upstairs which is a little messy but you can find some good deals. They had shoes made in Spain, Italy and Brazil (i.e. good quality leather) for like 70% off. The owner is super nice and she may sell you stuff for lower than the tagged price. Frou Frou is a cute little shop. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

I once read somewhere that Hot Topic's target demographic is suburban kids aged 12-22 who want to…read moreappear counterculture. So needless to say, I do not fall into their target demographic, but I do like some of their items. I would describe their general aesthetics as the way people on the Stage Crew dressed at my high school. A mix of goth, emo, grunge, and lolita. Not all of their stuff is like that though. They have lots of Funko Pops! Yeah, I think they are cute and I collect them. And they sometimes have huge sales, like Funko Pops for $3-5 each. They also have awesome stuff for Halloween! I've picked up a lot of Halloween accessories at Hot Topic over the years. They also carry cool gift items for people who like pop culture stuff. I once got my brother an insulated lunch bag shaped like a Nintendo Gameboy Colour at Hot Topic, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt. They also have random quirky stuff like earrings shaped like giant cherries (love!). If you sign up for their emails you get coupons and special offers. They have 3 locations in Ottawa, this one in Bayshore, one at the Rideau Centre and one at the Tanger Outlets. They are all very similar. Staff are very nice and welcoming of all customers, even those who look obviously out of place there like me, lol.

I was wandering along Sparks Street one very chilly afternoon and saw all the warm-looking sweaters…read moreand hats in the window of a shop. I went in to check it out and discovered the wonder that is Quichua International. The store sells only products manufactured by native peoples who live in the Andes area of South America. There are all sorts of colourful ponchos, sweaters, hats (with handy ear muffs), gloves. They also have a GREAT collection of very colourful children's sweaters. The store also sells musical instruments, toys, jewelry, and art. They even sell those cool wrestling masks you saw in the movie Nacho Libre! I have seen some of the same goods at markets around town and I wonder if there is a connection. Anyhow, the prices are moderately high (wool hats for $20). But, the goods are authentic and have traveled all the way here and not all the way from China!! The store is located on a cobblestoned street free of road traffic. So, you will have to walk to it - no parking, senor!

So Flock Boutique is this cute little shop in my 'hood that sells cool indie Canadian brands and…read morealso Canadian brands that have made it big(ger). They have clothes by Jennifer Glasgow and Miik. They have soaps and body care by Purple Urchin. They also have jewelery by local designers and weird knick knacks like hand puppets of Canadian prime ministers, lol. So funky and weird! This store is more neat, clean and upscale-ish, a la "Yorkville" (Toronto reference) and not like Adorit in the Byward Market (that also carries local and Canadian designs, and some of the same brands, like Miik) which is more, a la "Kensington Market" (sorry, another Toronto reference), but meaning more bohemian and smelling of patchouli. Prices are high, but your getting good quality and supporting the Canadian market.

I will definitely be going back to this trendy boutique soon. I have been looking for a wedding…read moredress (something trendy and artistic and untraditional!) and I found several options here. The great thing about Flock Boutique is that the clothes are made by Canadian designers, the majority of which are women! They try to bring in lots of fashions from Ottawa and Montreal also, to be local. The accessories here are amazing! They have lots of colourful pins and earrings and some great bags! I really had to control myself, or I would have had an empty wallet when I came out. I did see several dress options, but was tight on time, so I couldn't try anything on. One of the girls working in the store patiently showed me several dresses and answered all my questions about the designers and the store. The people who work here clearly know what they are talking about. It is also great that so many of the designs are by Canadian women! For someone who wants to dress artistically, this is the perfect spot to shop.

Workshop is part of the original revival of Dalhousie Street as a relatively new shopping…read moredestination in Ottawa. The shop is chalk full of stylish Canadian labels, crafty accessories and handmade lines of jewellery. All of the designers are women and Canadian (many of which are local) which makes this store totally unique in Ottawa. Some cool labels include: Annie 50 and Soit Disant (both out of Montreal) and Dagg & Stacey whose latest collection feature tweeds in collegial cuts. There is also a funky line designed completely out of recycled sweaters! The store environment is inviting and chilled out with nice familial chatting amongst staff and customers. Something else worth noting is the community spirit that the shops on this street seem to have. They all seem to know each other and don't hesitate to recommend a visit to their neighbouring stores for something specific you might be looking for. I find this to be a totally refreshing take on retail and a great reason to visit this store.

If you want beautiful, original, quality clothing and great, honest service, this is the place for…read moreyou! My closet is filled with Workshop clothes and they are real treasures. They are the kinds of clothes you can wear year after year - they are so well made and so unique, they don't go out of style or fall apart. Plus, it just feels so good to wear clothing that is made and designed in Canada, and is bought from a store owned by two fabulous local women.

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!