Really Nice guy, found this little shop tucked away in the town square, has some quite cool stuff,…read morei would visit again, was really friendly and wasnt trying to sell me everything.

This shop has been around in Chorlton for 13 years now, it sell some interesting and different…read morelabels, most from up and coming new designers and quirky European labels like labels like Ruutsoo. The shop sells clothes for both men and women with most of the pieces being a one off.... so if you like something well enough to pay the rather inflated price, the likely hood is that you will be the only person in Manchester wearing it! The shop is fairly small, but the wide range of stock is neatly placed on east access rails. The only downside is the staff sometimes seem to have been a little distracted when I popped in, I don't know if this is because I am not head-to-toe in designer gear, but I get the feeling it is!

Lovely fashion shop in Chorlton. Great range of small labels. They even sell clothes from the…read moreSwedish Bohemia label! I spent some hours there going through the pieces,nice collection of shoes as well.

While I was working at Spinningfields, I was on fairly decent money. For me, that is. Probably not…read morein the great scheme of things. Hey, I'm a massive budgeter and the only debt I've ever been in revolves around that darn student loan. So when we were doing 'okay', my friend and I decided that we should really boycott Primark. We'd had enough of the hell that comes with shopping there - the long queues, the prams being used as weapons, the stampeding scenesters, the screaming babies, the messy thrown-everywhere clothes. But where oh where would we get our cheap little essentials from? Prior to my friend's Spanish holiday, I took her into Peacocks (or 'Piceaux' as the brunette calls it. She has a nickname for everything that makes it sound cooler). She was impressed. She snapped up the little denim skirts she wanted along with strapless tops, all of which were very cheap... only slightly more expensive than Primark too. This branch of Peacocks is great because its location, right near TK Maxx and Poundland, seems so appropriate for its price range, and it's really done a good job with the display. Everything's easy to find and the window draws you in with brightly coloured coats and nicely put together outfits. It's a great place to grab those last little bits like flip-flops or party shoes, and I think the underwear selection is top notch. It also sells those invisible bras for only about £3. It might not have the same kind of high street reputation a lot of the clothing stores in the Arndale have, but do give Peacocks a try - you might get more than you bargained for.

This Peacocks in the Arndale Centre look a bit like it's trying to be Topman. Its clothes look kind…read moreof similar, generally it looks kind of the same. Only, really when you look closely it's no way near as 'cool.' Sure these are well made clothes at decent prices that are actually way more reasonable than Topman, but just not as trendy.

Ive been dreaming of Jean Genie! A little shop on trendy Beech Road in Chorlton Cum Hardy, it was…read moreconceived by two visionaries : Zoe and Vic and look how their baby is growing up!!! Antique wardrobes stuffed with jeans call out your name. Now, I have always been turned off by shops selling a lot of denim- maybe too much blue puts me in a blue mood. This is not the case at Jean Genie as my denim phobia is banished by the brightly coloured t- shirts which punctuate the room. I saw a fetching red Superman retro design which my liitle boy would have pestered me for. Well established names such as Wrangler, American Appararel,Hilfiger and Levi link hands with less mainstream brands like Junk Food to which I am a complete convert! I was in the mood for something a little different and Zoe showed me the Junk Food Alice in Wonderland t-shirts which had just arrived. How very topical and truly tempting. Sizes are quite small, I am a 10 and need a medium but there are several styles of one genre. Men's hoodies and tee's paternally protect clothing for bambinos, OMG how cute, there are t-shirts for little ones here. Zoe explained to me how they operate a bespoke t-shirt printing service and I think they are onto a winner. Starting from a reasonable £20 you can take in any design you wish, from a photo, to your 5 year old's self-portrait and Jean Genie will transform it into a t-shirt that everyone will notice. Prices increase if the design is hand drawn as opposed to pdf, and also if you want them to use a variety of colours. I left with my £32.50 and worth every penny, Alice in Wonderland top and with an idea for my fashionista daughter's birthday. I was given the shop's innovative flyer( a frisbee) which will give me 10% off my next purchase and as Arnie says...."I'll be back!"

I pity the staff that have to work at New Look. Opening the store at 8.30a.m. with a hangover is…read morebad enough but the lights are so bright in this place they should come with a migraine warning! To make matters worse, the majority of the stock lacks the style of other contemporary brands like H&M and Top Shop. The one saving grace is the men's Giles by Giles Deacon capsule range. Priced £15 to £30 and only available for a limited period, there's some fantastic military cardigans, graphic tees and skinny jeans.