Seeking a decent purse that won't break in a jiffy can be a hard feat when you don't have the…read moredollars. What I appreciate about Strandbags, as they not only do sales on a regular basis, but they have a variety of different purses, bags and suitcases that suit anyone's pocket book. I bought a purse here at the Sylvia Park branch quite a number of years ago, and it's still in really good condition. (under $25) I always pop in to check out their sales when I'm buying for someone's birthday, and the shop assistants are generally very chirpy and helpful.

This is one of my go to stores if I visit Sylvia Park. Great for work, or casual clothes. The…read moreclothes are quality on the whole too.

I didn't like the way the sales assistant spoke with me. Very rude and unpleasant…read more The worst is when the message is said in the intercom reminding customers the store will be closed!!! I hated the experience in store it is so hard to find things as all over the place !!!! Disorganised and the assistant know nothing not helpful!!!! Not coming back to this store!!!

As a blogger I come across different blogs from around the world. On twitter I have met fellow…read morebloggers and the majority of them are in Australia. I always saw cute pieces from Colette by Colette Hayman and after doing some googling I learnt that there wasn't a store in Auckland or New Zealand. No surprise there. So when I went to Sylvia Park with my friend to look for his mum's present and saw the Colette by Colette Hayman store I started screaming. I said oh heeelll naaw walked back and walked again to show that it was real. I walked in and it felt good. It got better that the prices were so affordable. Rings were around $8-14 and earrings starting from $4. I walked around, tried half the rings in the shop and left with two big rings and two pairs of earrings.

My girlfriend bought a travel bag from here, the zip broke about the third time she used it, before…read moreshe had had a chance to travel with it. I went with her to get a refund or replacement. What an ordeal! I must of heard the phrase "But our store policy is {insert policy that fails to meet the consumer guarantees act}" at least five times. After 20 minutes of haggling and the apparent violation of every clause in their "store Policy" they finally complied with the CGA and gave the refund. What a joke. It's a wonder sellers can still get away with having "store policies" that openly flout the CGA. I hate to imagine how many less assertive customers they've swindled out of meeting their CGA legal obligations with.

Second Debut has long been a great preloved clothing shop, and happily it was recently taken over…read moreby the very lovely Mary and Harriet, who have given it a new boost of energy. You have to come here next time you're in this part of town. I'd say it's even worth a special trip if you're serious about your preloved clothes shopping, or if you want to have some clothes sold on commission for you. Second Debut focuses on the mid to upper end of preloved clothes - its not all very high end, but you won't find cheap clothes in here. It's more like quality over quantity here. The new owners alos seem to have brought more of a fashion focus to the shop, which is great. Aside from women's clothing, they have a well-edited range of handbags, jewellery, and shoes. I never walk out empty handed!

So you fancy yourself an Audrey Hepburn, but stifled with modern fashion and fluoro colours that…read moreobnoxiously scream at you from nearly every shop window? Well, your search for something that suits is at an end. Forever New is filled with classy outfits with an array of pastels and formal colours. It has fancy jewellery, bags and shoes to suit your budget, but not quite as cheap as your everyday Diva items. I love coming in here and finding some unique items that are good quality. Unfortunately, the clothes are a bit pricey sometimes, so I would recommend heading to the Dressmart Forever New if you can't quite make up the dollars for a must-have item. There you will find even better bargains! This one is great for convenient location, good service and oh so wonderfully colour co-ordinated areas.

I used to be a fan of Forever New but now I just don't have time for their over priced shit. I…read moreremember when the chain first came to New Zealand I was in love, it was finally something that catered to women's fashion, plus the stores were so cute and shiny. After a while I began to study their clothing and came to the realisation that it was just cheap quality clothing that is overpriced. The accessories are those ones you find in the Asian stores, so shit! I say get of your high horse Forever New and start charging $10 for you clothing instead of $80.