I think I'm catching on to what shop keepers are up to when they put those sale signs in the…read morewindow... Like the oh so clever "Closing Down Sale" that thrived on Liffey street for years, I'm thinking "sale" probably means "we're open" in Dublin Shop Speak. Why else would Nijou lure me in with flash frocks supposedly marked down but still more than €100? Yes, there's loads to pick from - styles are passable apes of some of the hottest hemlines of the past few seasons - and the tightly packed, narrow store feels sale-season hectic with those crammed racks of filmy mid-market frocks. Great for Debs, semi-formals and window shopping, Nijou fits right in as a side street solution to High Street boutiques.

Got a fancy occasion coming up and have nothing suitable to wear? Never fear, Nijou is here for…read moreyou. This newly-opened boutique is part of the Royal Hibernian Way but actually faces out onto South Anne St. The dresses are quite your standard cocktail and debs wear fare, so this place wouldn't suit everyone's tastes, but it's a safe bet if you need something decent to wear, and fast.

Serena's is where the moneyed, middle-aged women of Dublin 4 come to buy outfits for special…read moreoccasions. The prices are accordingly pitched, and you would be hard pressed to find any item of clothing here for under €80. A designer dress suit could cost anything up to €300. A little hickey and old for my taste, but there's plenty of linens and floral prints here in the summer, and chunky knitted cardigans and wool coats in the winter. My mother has picked up a few lovely wedding outfits here, but only shops in Serena's during the sales, when they have up to 80% off!

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Serena Boutique, in Sandymount!! Marian, who looked after…read moreme, could not have done enough for me. She really knows her trade!! The dress that I purchased was one that I had passed, on the rails, and Marian suggested trying it on. Not only was the dress a HUGE success and an amazing fit for me but Marian went to no end of bother to ensure that I had the "just right" shoes to go with the dress!! I will definitely be paying Serena & Marian a call again!!! Thank you!! Joyce

Tack tack tacky...this is the worst clothes shop I've come across in a long time!…read more The stuff, to me, looks like it's made for eh, how should I say this...ladies of the night, perhaps? AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

There isn't a mid-range dress shop in Dublin that doesn't come with a little tack and cheese; what…read moreI like about Julien is that they work hard to balance that with a bit of style. The sizes run small, and there are a few 90s Teen Movie Prom Dresses (the ones that come with their own scarves) to sort through to get to the good stuff. But rest assured, for all its mall trappings, Julien is working hard to keep shoppers interested. My inner dragarella pulled me in to inspect the while and gold Grecian number, but all was forgotten when I found the slinky Bond-Girlesque black cocktail dress posing vampily by the dressing rooms. The prices on both sent me packing, but as soon as I've got somewhere to wear at least one of these options... you can bet I'll be back.

If you're shopping at No Name then you know that your fashion sense needs fixing. The one person I…read moreknow that loves this clothing store is a 60 year old woman who thinks sequined belly tops and anything bubble gum pink are pretty. Just walking into the shop made my eyes hurt. All neon and pastel made me think that I was hallucinating. No Name might do if you're looking for a costume for a fancy dress party. When I was there, I saw some lovely Sailor Moon outfits. If you don't believe me, look at the photo attached to this review. Besides this fashion faux-pas, there were many others like a Tinkerbell t-shirt that read Miss Attitude and pink and blue hair extensions. Yikes! Ladies, I like a bargain just as much as the next girl but don't commit fashion suicide by shopping here.

Ladies if you've ever shopped at Rainbow or Charade in the US then No Name is very similar…read more What to expect ~Very cheap clothing (5 euro tops, deals like 3 pieces for 20 euro, 10 euro shoes, etc....) ~You pay for what you get. The quality of clothing is a one time wear, maybe, possibly 2 time wear if you hand wash it and be delicate. ~Like Rainbow in the US it has a lot of club clothes, sequin tops, short shirts, off the shoulder shirts, and yes t-shirts and leggings. Why 3 stars? ~Even on shopping night they close at 6pm sharp. ~The staff can be unhelpful. I got lectured from the lady in the dressing room about not being able to bring shoes into the dressing room, and hadn't I seen all the signs upstairs stating so? When I went back upstairs I went back to the shoe section and there was not one sign that said so.... ~The store can be a mess, a rack full of different styles and sizes of black. pants, but none of them your size. ~Quality you get what you pay for....your money might be better spent at Dunnes or Pennys for the same price, just with less flashy sequins.

I adore Topshop. But I hate Topshop. I promise myself I'll be good. I'll just go in to look and…read moreI'm allowed to buy one thing. 30 minutes later I've walked away with two jumpers, a top and trousers that I know I can't afford. The clothes are so nice! They have affordable jeans in every colour, shape and size. Ditto for t-shirts and vests. They also have a huge variety of every other type of clothes you could imagine. Great for dresses and going-out tops. They have shoes and accessories too. It's a favourites spot for picking up some pumps for me. They give a discount for student all year around, they have a personal shopping service, it's a huge store and they do speciality tall and petite clothes. It's the complete shopping experience! Just be careful!

This is one of the larger TopShops that I have visited. Not quite the size of the one in Manhattan…read morebut close. Right now the USD/EUR exchange rate is quite good for the US. You can see evidence of this on the price tags where they have the $, £ and € listed. I'd be remiss if I left the EU without buying anything from here so I got a pair of Ivy Park sweatpants. I saved about 25% by buying it here instead of the US which is nice. The upstairs had this Miss Selfridge collaboration. I wasn't a huge fan of the styles but maybe it's for you. One thing that I find cool about UK sizes is that their small sizes are actually quite small. Sometimes even the US size 0 is slightly too large for me but the UK size 0 is even smaller and sometimes just right. (Or sometimes ungodly tiny)

UK retailer Next is a shop I seem to keep coming back, they've a lot of shite but also the…read moreoccasional good item.Their style varies from ultra trendy, H&M like i.e throw back to the 80's to classic suits, shoes and 'leisureware' aka jocks n socks. They have more then men's clothes of course I just never really go anywhere else in the place, and their website tells me they even do furniture, electrical and wine. Mostly in the UK branches though. Good for jeans and basic suits, can be a bit on the dull side shirt and t-shirt wise but ok for general clothes none the less.

I used to turn my nose up at next as a place for 'mum's' to shop and I hadn't set my foot inside…read moreone of their stores for about 5 years. But I recently got a voucher as a present so went in, glum faced, to spend it. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw but chose a couple of things to try on and I was really surprised with what looked back at the from the mirror. I ended up getting two really nice tops. Things really do look nicer on than they do on the hanger!

I discovered Penney's while perusing the buzzing neighborhood near my hotel. As soon as I walked…read morein, it reminded me of Primark. Lo and behold, I found out they're a part of the same company/brand. How cool!! Same great products, same great prices. They even had a fully operating hair and nail salon inside. I barely had any vacant space in my luggage, but I absolutely had to grab some good deals and exit quickly lol. The store is huge and the various sections are easy to browse. It was also easy to spot employees walking around if you needed to ask for help.

So great, so affordable, friendly service... I love visiting Penney's when we visit Irelandread more

Amazing people and clothes, good vibes, the people on the counter were so nice :D Good prices! (Not…read moreexactly cheap but really good for the quality) Loved all the styles, great for alternative/goth. Overall really great!

I'd read two glowing reviews on Yelp so I was pretty excited to check out Retro at the George's…read moreStreet Arcade. But, when I got there I was stricken immediately with disappointment. I was expecting some lovely vintage inspired frocks. What I found was a store I would call goth girl heaven. There were lots of corsets, short skirts with crinoline that peaked out the bottom, striped thigh-high socks, plaid pants with attached straps, bells and whistles, and even velvet bell-sleeved atrocities that looked exactly like the way I pictured adult witches wearing when I was 12. Yes, amongst all this was a healthy selection of retro-inspired dresses. They were much more 40's inspired than 50s or 60s, with the main thrust being the nu-pin-up look. I will say that I LOVE the pin-up culture and style of dress, and this would be a great place for modern day Betties to come find their wardrobes. But overall I felt the shop was just way too costumey and not wearable enough for the average gal.