Uncle Sam's has been here for as long as I can remember, and I do quite like it, but despite saying…read morethat, I haven't actually bought anything from here. It is a fairly small shop, a beacon to vintage lovers on Park Street. They sell records, leather wallets, jackets, 80s dresses, cut off levis.. anything vintage that pops in your head, they do have it here. You do have to dig abit to find things though, which just adds to the fun. This is somewhere I always pop by to have a browse, always expecting to find something awesome, but never really do. Maybe that is because the prices are quite steep; rising with the rise of the love of vintage fashion these days.

From the outside it looks as though Uncle Sam's is going to be the best offering that Park Street…read morehas. A classic American vintage sign, a window full of Levis and checked flannel shirts, but it's best not to judge a book by its cover. (Or a vintage clothes store by its window!) I love a bit of a rummage through piles of retro clothing, but the interesting finds here are so few are far between that it doesn't make your wait worth-while. On the whole, I find that men do better here than women with some fantastic leather jackets and belts to be had. Just be prepared to pay a hefty price for some of the better pieces. It's worth a look for die-hard vintage clothes fans, but personally I prefer to save my pennies and go rooting around Bristol's fabulous charity shops. Cheaper, with added feel good factor!

I wish this shop stocked men's clothes! Now I don't know if…read moremore mirrors are being manufactured or if it's the result of a subtle advertising campaign but I'm sure more men nowadays are taking more pride in their appearance. It would be a godsend, essentially, if places like RagTrade could be of service to us. The idea is spot on. A shop that gathers, in their own terms, pre-loved designer women's wear. Another delightful name they call themselves is The Recycle Boutique. Think modern feminine Dickensian, with a kind of sexy urban twist. The website, the flyers and of course the shop are all very poetic and friendly, offering services to customers of all age, budget and occasion. With regular discounts and sales they must be, I am sure, popular with the local student market. Indeed it is shops like this, and thus the writing of reviews about, that I sometimes feel I'd have made a pretty good woman. A shopaholic, but woman nonetheless. Roll on the man's Rag Trade!

Rag Trade is simply a lovely, and functional idea. From the outside it looks like yet another…read moreboutique, but their concept is just great. Basically they are a dress agency, who you bring your unwanted designer clothes to, and they price it and put it in their shop for sale. Hence, anyone wanting to find some unique price slashed designer pieces, try here! The clothes stay on the racks only for 7 weeks, in which they get lower in price as the weeks go, if the clothing doesn't sell. After that 7 weeks, they go to charity. So if you are a seller, and if your item does sell in the shop, you either get 40% of the sale price in cash, or 50% of the sale price, in store credit. Ideal for label lovers, or those who are just looking for something non high street. The 7 week rule ensures the stock changes regularly, and I'm really glad that a shop like this seems to be sustaining itself through the more difficult economic times. It's quite inspiring.

This shop exists quite discreetly in a lane off Park Street. Seeing as Park Street has many…read moreclothing shops which are quite popular, every time I try to explain where Seven is, I draw blank looks. When I say, it's right next to The Woods, people usually nod and say 'Yeah, we know The Woods, but I didn't know there was anything next to it..' Well there is! A shop just bursting with flavour, style and individuality. The next time you're shopping up Park Street, or drinking at The Woods, keep your eye out for this graffiti laden shop and enter its grotto of awesome tees, caps, shoes and posters; some produced by the designers at Seven, others by independent Bristol designers and also a handpicked selection of other imports. This is just a really cool shop - small but everything in there is ace.

This place is cool…read more This shop reminds me of the little vintage/independant boutiques I used to rummage through during my time in East Berlin. You access it by walking down the stairs from the front door into a small shop area. There's pretty cool music playing and a small selection of clothes which isn't too confusing to navigate. Check out the little suitcase of vintage items right by the stairs, definitely a few cool finds in there, all for £10, and above that there are some awesome trainers. If you're looking for a designer tee, they print their own, for RRP of £25 but you can find sale ones for as little a tenner. It's a very low-fi shop; they don't even have a till, but appreciate any custom they get and are really grateful and friendly.

If you are lucky enough to have an unlimted bank balance, or Dad's credit card then Reiss is the…read moreplace for you. Located on Park Street, it isn't a suprise that most things are completely out of my price range (you're looking at almost £50 for some leggings!!) Having said that, their clothes are really amazing. You can tell that they are worth more by the detail and quaility of the material they use. It's actually quite a large store (it goes back much further than you'd expect) so they do have a good range of clothes. I also like the fact that they keep the shop really clean and tidy, and there is always an item of every size. I dropped a few stars because window shopping just isn't the same as real shopping.

Shopping for me used to be about going to a shop with a specific item in mind, buying it and coming…read morehome - job done. Fast forward a couple of years and a handful of long term relationships and I've been reprogrammed to take shopping as an experience. It is after all called shopping, not buying. If there was anywhere in Bristol that rams this idea home it is the internationally recognised Reiss. Named after David Reiss and originally a men's tailor in London, the shop has grown to cover various countries across the UK whilst retaining an air of independence in each store. In the Park Street branch of Bristol they are very focussed on the customer service side of things, delivering a more exclusive shopping experience. The shopper is accompanied by second to none styling and tailoring advice through a more luxury, high end store. First it was buying, then shopping, now accompanied shopping. Will the reprogramming stop before I make it to the pub?

Cooshti is an awesome shop on Park Street that sells some really cool clothes and ranges that you…read morewon't find anywhere else in Bristol. It is probably the last really cool clothing shop left on Park Street. The style and clientele Cooshti caters for is definitely more urban that many high streets shops in Bristol. You'll find baggy jeans and some over sized t-shirts and shirts - quite unlike most shops nowadays. They also sell some seriously cool trainers which again, you'll struggle to find elsewhere in Bristol. I rarely buy stuff from Cooshti, but thats because its not really my style and unfortunately park Street doesn't have the appeal it used to for fashion/. But when I'm in the area I'll always go in and check out what they've got. It will be a sad day if Cooshti ever dropped off Park Street.

I first new Cooshti on Park Street as the best place to pick up Don't Panic packs, helicon magazine…read moreand free club flyers. It took at least three visits before discovering that there was a women's department in the back of the shop! There's many labels on display here; Nike, Levis and Diesel to name but a few, all accompanied by a designer tag. The men and women who work here all look fantastically cool and wear their stock to the best of their ability. There's a great mix of footwear, dresses, t-shirts and hoodies with the odd one-off. Sizes are fairly small (nothing above a 14) which is disappointing, and I would say it's better for boys than it is for girls. Bit too label loving for my blood, but worth a look if street wear is your bag.

Park Street is hardly short on independent and vintage shops, but one of the best of the bunch is…read moreClothing Federation. Sat halfway up the hill, this shop is equally good for girls and boys stocking a range of dresses, jeans, shoes, belts, sunglasses, hats and jewellery. At a price that won't break the bank, it's a great place to pick up something for weekend that no one else will have. The girl's accessories are particularly good, with some stylish handbags in fifties and sixties styles. The quality of the goods can vary, so check them out thoroughly before you buy. If your budget is limited - head towards the reduced section at the back where you'll need to rummage to find the hidden gems.

This shop is much better for accessories than for clothes. If you're after earrings, bangles,…read morebelts, badges, rings, this is your place. It's all very affordable and student-friendly. For clothes, it doesn't always come up trumps. It has some market-stall style boho stuff, but then quite a lot of very cheap-feeling tops and jackets. It's got quick turnover, though, so it's always worth a look to see what the new stuff is. It's split down the middle into men's and women's sections, and the whole front half of the shop is taken up with accessories, rather like a big jewellery market stall. The shopping atmosphere isn't particularly glamorous; it can feel a bit dark and dingy. I think for clothes I'd always prefer to shop in BS8 down the road, but for accessories this place would always be high on my list.

Jigsaw - another shop I can rarely afford to even step into. I just know the minute I go inside…read morethat I will find something I absolutely love and then all willpower goes out the window and I start irrationally talking to myself about how I don't really need lunch everyday anyway. Unless you have a spare £100 in your pocket I would suggest walking straight past as they have some really lovely dresses and cardi's in here. Obviously they have more than that, but those two items are my failing point. I also really like the lighting in there. It's dark, moody and kind of romantic. And most importantly they have well positioned lights so you can actually see what you are holding (those who have visited the new Hollister at Cabot will understand this point).

Another one of Park Street's fashion boutiques, Jigsaw is the dark red fronted shop near the top on…read morethe right of the street if you're walking up. The store is usually quite quiet; you can step away from the bustle of the street into a calm environment. The clothes here are really well made and certainly pricey (a mere scarf costs between £30 and £40), but definitely worth the investment. I particularly favour the accessories range, I dream of being able to afford the shoes, but for now I'll just treat myself occaisionally to the odd pair of luxury tights.

If you like quirky, floaty and truly feminine clothes then you should love Noa Noa. Yes, it is a…read morechain but their shops really have a lovely boutique feel to them. The Bristol branch is very small but still well stocked. The staff are nice and very helpful, which is a bonus. The clothes aren't cheap but they last well and look gorgeous.

Some of the best indie and alternative clothes in the city! A really outstanding selection of…read moreoriginal and themed pieces ranging from Goth to the best 1950s American chic I have seen anywhere in Bristol. They actually have Goth gear with real character, almost funky, fun Goth fashion. And my favourite the American 50s chic short sleeved shirts with pictures of cars or skeletons playing guitars on (you have to see the shirts to appreciate their magnificence). But some of the dresses were literally a real slice of 50s Americana, some even had a Latin twist, with one dress depicting a 50s couple in a comic strip. They were some seriously cool clothes. I would recommend a trip down to this branch of Shrinking Violet to anyone with an eye for fun, chic or with an original style that they would like to add to with some stylish new clobber.

Ok, now for a little history lesson (sorry I wouldn't do this unless it was very interesting). The…read moreClifton Arcade, a beautiful Victorian version of a shopping mall, was buried under 60 tonnes of debris (including a caravan) until just 20 years ago. The story goes, when a builder was working around the site twenty years ago and started drilling into a wall, his drill went all the way through, meaning it was hollow inside; he made the hole big enough to look through and saw this beautiful old Victorian parade of shops, untouched for decades. Now I don't know how much of that the complete truth, but pretty cool is nonetheless. As far as shops go, they are suitably useless but fit in with this special building. They are lovely little independent businesses. There is an amazing little Mexican shop that only sells, well, Mexican things. Like wrestlers masks. Nacho Libre!!! There are art shops & a really cool vintage clothes shop (woman only, dam!). The biggest shame is that the brilliant little record store that used to be at the far end has now closed. Dam, now this arcade really is only suitable for woman, mothers and grannies who can literally get lost in their for hours. Some peace for the rest of us.

This is kind of symptomatic of everything that's good and bad about Clifton Village. You enter by…read morethe Promrose Cafe and stroll through this beautiful arcade, though I have to say, I'm struggling to think of a time that I've ever bought anything here. Pretty much everything in here - bar the music store - is high end, which means, especially in this day and age, that it's all a little rich for my blood. Always worth a quick stroll when you're in the area, but you may want to encase your wallet in concrete before you enter.