I have been shopping in Oceanlane since it first opened. Although I have now moved from St Albans any time I am back in the city I try to drop into the shop. I would estimate that over half of the clothes I have were bought here. Over the years they have stocked brands I have not found anywhere else locally (Edwin Jeans, Hartford shirts for example). Of course it's 'horses for courses' if what they sell fits your style then it works. I have found that they have consistently been in tune with what I wanted especially as I got older, better off and grew out of River Island, Gap, and Zara. The thing that I have noticed is that the clothes are fairly classic 'smart casual' which means that they are good (for me) for work as well as going out and there is often a bit of unusual detail in the clothes that gets noticed. They sell suits as well and if you pick the couple of times per year (after Christmas and late summer) when they have a sale on you can pick up a bargain when they knock 20% off everything as opposed to simply slashing seasonal stock prices. As for the assistants and owner, well I can take them or leave them as long as the products are good, but the regular assistant who has been there for years is always pleasant and very helpful. read more