I love Noa Noa, and have bought plenty of eveningwear and sweet summer outfits from them. They are…read morehard to resist! Producing individually designed, well made clothes at exceptionally good prices compared to the commensurate offerings from the top end of the clothing chain shops, this Scandinavian shop has my loyalty! I have to admit that I often wait for the sales. They really know how to shift stock fast to make way for the new season. Incredible bargains are their only ploy, which suits me down to the ground!

The problem with me reviewing this place is that I'm not really the target market. I could really…read moresee that from the window display but I thought I should give it a go. In case you are wondering why I would be so foolish, I have my cheerleading ball coming up soon. I had found a dress but then it was sold out of my size. In desperation (after looking at many MANY dresses on websites and driving my housemates to distraction) I turned to the shops I hadn't visited before. The staff were really lovely, though none of them seemed genuinely pleased to help me - this is probably because they knew that I wouldn't buy anything... The fact is, though, that I don't think my mother or grannie would shop here...

I wish I'd known about this shop before my 6th Form Leavers Ball. I didn't go because I knew…read morewhatever dress I wore wouldn't compare to the dress I'd had made for my Year 11 Prom. If I'd discovered this shop before, I'd definitely have gone. This shop sells the most beautiful gowns I've ever seen, and the ones on display in the window change weekly and they're always even lovelier than the ones they replace. They also sell gowns from a size 2 to a size 16, which is a fantastic range, and definitely something I could have done with, having really struggled to find a dress in my size. There are other clothes on sale here besides gowns, and they are just as lovely. The lady who manages the store is really helpful, too, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of her stock which is rare. This shop makes me want to marry a really rich man so that I can go to fancy balls and dinners and wear every single gown from this shop.

Went to Luxor with my best friend, staff amazing with supporting you with what will suit you,…read moreclothes for lots of occasions, we bought some amazing clothes, we are very happy with all we bought. Staff very helpful and kind as usual we are looking forward to our next visit to the store. Thank you Heather and Kavian we love all the new stock keep up the good work making us look lovely at our events. Thank you Lucie and Ceri

Couture is the brainchild of Rachael Corrigan, who only recently relocated her designer boutique…read morefrom Swansea to the quaint corner of High Street Arcade. If you're a Pussy Galore lover, then you'll find Couture is definitely worth a hearty browse of its eclectic kaleidoscope dresses, tops and skirts. Black seems to be the only colour in shortage here. With a Yankee Candle ablaze in the corner and no discernible decor , Couture is one of those boutiques where the clothing rightly takes centre stage. Only the ground floor was available for shopping when I stopped by, and Rachel explained that once the massive delivery of A/W stock arrives, the first floor will open as well (this is where the dressing rooms are hiding). I found a few items that'd suit my small-but-strong frame, but overall, Couture's clothing is a bit ostentatious for my liking, although it's evident the pieces are exquisite and well made. Couture indeed. The shop is tiny (much like the quirky dresses you'll see here), but thankfully you're not overcome with that claustrophobic feeling like when browsing other designer boutiques in the city, thanks to the austere interior and absence of unbounded clothing racks.

This place has such friendly, helpful staff who are always willing to give you an opinion without…read moregiving you the sense that they're simply trying to make a sale. The store itself has a good selection of clothing, which they often have on sale. Plus some really pretty changing rooms!

Coast is a dress shop. It sells lots of lovely, wonderfully pretty dresses and skirts and frocks…read moreand lederhosen and other womanly clothes that I, as a bloke, don't understand. Why is everything so intricate with you girls? Men put on pants and a shirt and they're done. With women, there are like sixteen layers to every outfit you wear and the end goal seems to want to make you look as much like a cake or as much like a cat as possible. As a bloke, I can't offer much criticism of the style. But knowing one of the managers once, I can say she was a consummate professional and, seeing her work, I could tell she was an exceptional sales person for this store. And this has been my continued experience with this shop. When I've entered the store looking to buy something for a ladyfriend, the staff have been incredibly helpful to my lost-in-the-woods little self. They clearly have experience dealing with clueless men, as they know all the right questions, and just how to interpret the equally clueless answers they are bound to get. Nothing I've bought from there has ever been a disappointment, and I can't say that's down to my great taste.

This really is not a shop that I expected to find something in, but a pal had a lovely dress on and…read morewhen I asked where it was from she said Soraya's. So I ventured out. I was a little surprised as this really was not the sort of shop she would normally shop in either, but it had a fair amount of stuff. It is certainly what can be termed as cheap and cheerful, and may not be everyone's cup of tea. It is very much with the highstreet and seems to have embraced the eighties style, but also has some things you wouldn't find anywhere else! Unfortunately, as the merchandise is pretty cheap, it means the fabrics and tailoring aren't great and I couldn't really find anything that would forgive my lumps and bumps. However, the lady in the shop was really friendly. We had a bit of a chat and talked about the clothes and what would suit me, how they didn't make clothes for real women etc. and the next think I knew I was on my way to the changing room with hangers! The lady helped me decide and was tactfully honest and I actually came out with a jumper. Not what I would usually buy but it has come in handy. This isn't a shop I'd suggest you rushed to in your lunch hour to pick up something classy, but if you're on Albany Road for a mooch you don't know what you might find!

If ever there has been a shop that doesn't know it's target audience, this is it. When I first…read moreentered, I was assaulted by an array of short, cheap-looking clothes. The fabrics were all horrid - shiny, stretchy abominations of fashion. The service was horrendous. I was not greeted, I was not smiled at, I was not acknowledged. I did not by anything - for obvious reasons - but I watched the interactions between other buyers and the staff. Shocking. Venturing further in (the things I do to write reviews...) I found that there were some odd pieces that weren't quite as awful. Now there's a recommendation for you. You may think you're saving time by not going into town to shop, but you'll end up just having to make two trips. Bypass.

Pussy Galore simply screams WAG to me, though I love what Tiffany said about Katie Price (she'd…read morecertainly feel at home in here). The clothes in my opinion are rather tacky and agree with Laura that they're fairly pricey compared to the high street. Despite all this however, I have a slight soft spot for this place. Whilst I would categorically never buy anything from here (let alone wear anything), many a time I've dragged a friend in here, as everything from the clothes to the very name of this boutique, simply amuses me. Trust me if you're after a laugh visit this store, you won't quite be able to believe that people actually wear and pay for these clothes.

Ah, this shop has not gone down well with my fellow female Yelpers. Yeah, I will admit that when I…read moreused to walk by the window and saw the clothes on display, I usually just kept walking. But then, one day, knee-deep in my closest mate's closet, I kept pulling out exquisite dresses in emerald, subdued silver and rich onyx colours, and I kept asking, "Where did you get this?!" And strangely, they were all bought from Pussy Galore (she kindly let me borrow one for a work summer ball and it was nice to wear something a bit more unique that wasn't seen on three other ladies). Admittedly, you have to hunt to find a few that aren't covered in embellishments you often see on one of those ridiculous dog outfits, but I'm going to go against the anti-Pussy tide and say there is quite a nice, albeit small, selection of beautiful, well-made dresses in that shop. And I like the shop name, actually. I admire boldness, even if it borders on tacky and obscene. I think that trumps a boring, unimaginative retail name like "Dorothy Perkins" any day.

As I'm somewhat of a fashion obsessive, I always thought I was quite in the know when it came to…read moreclothing boutiques (or lack of) in Cardiff. However on a recent jaunt down the Castle arcade, I discovered this fantastic little boutique that I never new existed. By Cardiff standards Lunacy has a real sense individuality to it. They sell many quirky brands with fabulous names such as: - Chocolate Rain, Eucalyptus, Frilly by Lily, Lolita Karma and many, many more. The clothes really have an individual and vintage feel to them. Even better they come in a wide range of prices. You can buy some really beautiful dresses which would set you back around £200, but I also saw plenty of cute little skirts which only cost around £30, so I think a good rummage is in order. Unfortunately I didn't really have any time to much shopping, which means I'm going to have to get back here pronto (with plenty of cash).

Lunacy is one of the more accessible quirky clothing and accessories boutiques nestled in the…read morecity's arcades. For such a small shop, Lunacy really packs it all in. Every available space was marked by a kaleidoscope of colours - flamboyant wallpaper featuring Matryoshka dolls, trunks with an assortment of belts spilling out, splashes of pinks in all hues, and of course, a wide selection of women's clothing, jewellery and accessories. For what you'd expect from a boutique, Lunacy's prices were pretty reasonable, and the sales girl behind the counter left me to wander without watching (I hate feeling like I'm under surveillance). I walked out of there empty handed, but only because I didn't have enough time to try anything on. Lunacy is luckily open for a few hours on Sundays, making it a perfect lazy afternoon hideaway. In any case, it's definitely one of those shops that's worth a second look. If you're heading toward Swansea and fancy some retail therapy, Lunacy also has a boutique in Port Talbot, a haunt that will definitely be on my radar the next time I head out west.

I bought a wonderful wedding outfit and was given first class attention from Anna…read more I have purchased before and will definitely purchase again Jan R

Italus is the kind of shop that doesn't put price tags on the items used in the window display…read more.. so you know that the consequences of browsing from the street could potentially be a tad expensive! If you are anything like me, or Emelda Marcos, then the chances are that you will see a pair of shoes that will eat into your psyche over the process of time, making the need to return to Italus to buy them increasingly urgent. Those shoes will spawn a torrent of whispers that will grow every more audible, seducing you by saying things like, 'is it so bad that your children go to bed hungry? Isn't it about time that you treated yourself? So what if the electricity bill is printed in red, and comes with a none-too-subtle warning that if you don't pay up within the next seven days your supply will be cut off?', and, 'No self respecting woman would be seen dead in last seasons sling backs... do you want to be shunned by the public forever?' No amount of distracting techniques will subdue the voices inside your head; you can hum until your dulcet tones peak at near hysteria, and you can plunge your head under as many pillows as you like, those shoes and the accompanying inducements to buy them, will be waiting patiently for you the moment you come up for air! Thankfully, Italus sells shoes and clothing for the more mature ladies of Cardiff, and so by the time the stock they carry has grown sufficiently appealing to be deemed 'must have' items, their kids are likely to have flown the nest, thus avoiding the chances of near starvation! Yes, Italus is a little pricey, but the designer brands that carry are, by and large, worth the money.

@ Fab are a bit of an anomaly to. They seem to have a confusing array of stock that does not adhere…read moreto any kind of focus or logic. 'Random' is possibly the word that best describes the fashion choices that they espouse, but may be this is due to the fact that they appear to be trying to appeal to absolutely everyone's tastes, from kids to teenagers, 20-somethings, young professionals, middle aged women, and of course, centenarians! Every time I glance into this shop I wince a little. I think that it makes it worse that the little segment of Wellfield Road that @ Fab occupies is populated by businesses that really know how to specialise. Noa Noa and Luxor, to name but two of the well focussed and targeted businesses that flank this inconsistent boutique that defies definition, although 'pretty awful' would be a good generic start to the proceedings! They have a few A4 posters by the entrance, offering to 'price match' identical items found at other shops... but I guess that they are pretty safe in this territory, and are rarely called to, if ever, sell clothing at a lesser price than is advertised on the label... there really aren't too many other outlets that are stocking the same clobber!!!

The main thing about this shop is that the window displays sometimes seem to suggest that there are…read morenice clothes inside. Then, you'll find that there are actually none at all. At other times you will think that the window display is hideous (at all times the display suggests that the shop is stuck in the 90s, but there are moments of brilliance) but the stock inside will be pretty good. The staff are lovely, which is more of a must than a plus, when the stock is so hit and miss. However, the prices are cause another problem. Some items are cheap and some are more expensive - too expensive for what they are. The only way to shop here is to search long and hard, check every price and every label. However, once you get to the till and talk to a staff member, you'll be happy again.

To be honest I'm not really feeling Madame Butterfly. Whilst this store does have some nice…read moreclothes, it's very much of the same thing as everywhere else; I really don't know what makes Madame Butterfly special. I will admit that I do own one of their day dresses, but I've never really worn it. On a positive note prices are cheap, compared to many of the nearby stores, so it is worth at least taking a look here, you never know you might find something you like.

I write to reiterate everything that Sarah has said. The clothes here are nice enough (though they…read moredon't really feel as though the material is particularly nice and I've seen a few loose threads just when browsing) but they are very similar to the things that you get in the places around here, especially New Look. New Look also has student discount so... Having said that, I agree - it is worth a look because some of the dresses are just lovely. The bags tend to be a little cheap looking though. However, the service is really good - really friendly.