In theory, this place should be my favourite shop ever. For some reason, though, there's something…read moreabout it that simply doesn't click. I love bags, I love hats, I'll find any excuse to buy a new scarf. And yet, this place is never the first, or even third, place I'll go to look for such items. I think it goes back to when I was younger and couldn't afford to shop here, but there must be something more. No matter how hard I try, though, I can't seem to put my finger on it. Don't get me wrong, they have lots of lovely items from which to choose. Their bags are great and often a little bit different or unusual - nothing like the same old Primark totes that everyone in Glasgow is dragging around. Accessorize is probably a great place to impulse buy all sorts of rings and gloves and purses; but I haven't really given it that chance. I think my problem is that I go here when I have money, not to browse. Whatever my issue is, Accessorize remains a great high street shop with a huge selection of all manner of accessories. If nothing else, it's great for window shopping.

It was my friend's wedding this summer and she asked that our outfits 'please include headwear'…read more Hmph. I love my friend, but didn't really fancy leaving the house wearing a bird on my head, or forking out my hard-earned cash for the privilege. Luckily I stumbled upon Accessorize on Buchannan Street and their ample selection of fascinators (that's the bird-like things) which started at very reasonable prices. The shop itself it is a good one too- it's much bigger than your average Accecorize store with bigger selections of jewellery, hair things, bags, some shoes, and now that winter's on its way- hats, gloves and scarves!

Monsoon. Clothing for the slightly richer people among us. Also, styled for a slightly older…read moreaudience, I wouldn't say Monsoon is bang on trend, however, but they do have a few gems, like their dresses! Oh, the dresses are gorgeous - expensive, but lovely lovely lovely. From the LBD to the emerald green cocktail number, they really do have a wide variety, which makes me very very happy, and a lot of other people very very happy. When it comes to sales they know how to do it - 90% of stock gets 75% off. How brilliant is that?!

Although it's rather pricey, Monsoon is always, always full of gorgeous dresses. As Darryl noted,…read morenot always bang on trend, but definitely the place to splash out on something special. It's a popular choice for prom dresses, especially for more quirky girls who don't want to buy the same red satin ballgown as the other girls in their year. The sister store, Accessorize, is also amazing - but in the same turn merits its own review. Either way, most things sold at Monsoon are high-end and, if you're under about 35, strictly for dressing up. If you prefer to buy something more expensive in order to know it will last or feel a bit more chic, Monsoon is the place for you. Although it's out of most high street shoppers' price range much of the year, the sale is always worth a go round. Lovely well tailored pieces, great for business casual and dressing yourself up a bit.

This teeny store (if you can even call it a store) is Rain Mania's first shop. I was delighted to…read moresee it in Princes Square as I have been a fan of the website for a while. They sell really lovely umbrellas, wellies and cute kiddies raincoats. I bought myself an adorable little kid's umbrella recently and I love it! Luckily I am tiny enough to fit under it! I bought an ex boyfriend an umbrella from Rain Mania once. One of those old fashioned gentlemanly one. You know the kind, they have curved handles and a pointed tip you could stab somebody with! He really liked swanning around with it because it made him feel important and cool. Kind of how wearing sunglasses makes you feel in the summer! Rain Mania is definitely worth visiting if you like to treat yourself or your loved ones to little quirky, but practical gifts!

What a place, guy who owns it! Wow..... Fantastic knowledge of his stock and how to complement your…read morewardrobe with his exquisite Italian umbrellas. Just a pity he closed it up after such a successful run at providing the rainy city of Glasgow with his fabulously unique range of umbrellas. Would Definitely recommend this

It was by chance that I wandered into the Cambridge Satchel Co. store on Saturday; their store…read morewindow happened to catch my eye with their eye-wateringly low sale prices! Not that I'm cheap, I just can't routinely afford to drop £120-£150 on a handbag! Kris and I were greeted warmly by the 2 sales staff, and left to peruse the bags. After 5 mins, one of the ladies came over to offer help and advice on the 2 bags I was humming over. She wasn't pushy and offered honest input on my decision, which was very refreshing. I eventually settled on a navy leather and tartan satchel (I'm reliably informed this was exclusive to the Glasgow and Edinburgh stores.) and so I headed for the till. The 2nd sales lady was equally lovely, commenting on my choice and explaining that something was wrong with their POS system so they couldn't print a receipt. However they took my email and sent it to me instead! I feel more shops should do this - receipts do become a waste of paper and this seems a more eco-friendly way; and means you can print it only if you need to. I genuinely felt so special shopping in the Cambridge store, definitely pop in if you have a chance!

I absolutely love the bags at this store, I have 3. Two of them I bought in person and the…read moreexperience was amazing. I just bought my grandma a bag online. The site said free shipping with $155 purchase, but my total came to around $150. I went to my cart and starting the purchase process, just to see how much shipping was - in case I wanted to add on a key chain for the free shipping instead. The website charged me without ever giving me a total or shipping cost. I didn't confirm the order or the amount. The bags are awesome and great, but beware before you start the purchase process online. The shipping was about $23.

I am a big fan of Zara and I think this store on Buchanan Street is one of the best, although the…read moreSilverburn Shopping Centre branch is also a great store. Zara does some fantastic tailoring which has a quirky twist to it and the colour palette is often quite muted with the likes of beigh, khaki, black, grey etc which I like because Zara clothes make a great base on which to build an outfit. I had been searching for the perfect mac for yeeeears and finally found it in Zara this week. It was £70 and I will wear it for years to come as it is very classic looking and will never go out of fashion. In fact it makes me feel like a sexy female spy during WW2! Or inspector gadget! One bug bare with Zara is that the clothes are sized as xs/s/m/l/xl and it is a bit of a pain trying to work out which size you are. I finally realised that I am an extra small (which I really shouldn't have been surprised about as I am a midget) but some of Zara's clothes stop at a small for some bizare reason. I've heard a lot of complaints about the length of Zara's trousers and jeans but a little known Zara fact is that they will tailor any of your purchases for free! Zara is a Spanish company and in Europe women don't think twice about getting all their clothes tailored to fit them perfectly. Zara have brought this ethos over to the UK and thus purposly make their trousers quite long to accomodate tall statuesque types but can also alter them for free for munchkin types like myself.

For me Zara is always a bit hit or miss, sometimes I will see stacks of clothes that I like, other…read moretimes I can't so much find a hair band that tickles my fancy. A few years ago Zara was one of my favourite shops, I bought pretty much everything out of here but I've recently grown out of it for some reason, I guess my style has just changed. I have a few really cosy knitted jumpers from here that have lasted a good few years and only cost around £20. I have to admit, many of clothes at Zara are great value for money and you can get quirky tees for as little as £6. They have really pretty dresses and tailored jackets too which are always a little bit different to most shops on the high street but they are rather expensive and some of their shoes can be over £100 and I don't really think they're anything special. I like the fact that Zara has their own range of perfumes and cosmetics, their lip gloss is particularly good and only £1.95 a pop! I guess, if you're looking for a new outfit then Zara is a good shout and you'll more often than not come away with something pretty. This is probably one of the best Zara stores around Glasgow as it is huge and they often have a sale section too so you could snap up a bargain.

I like Topshop, I just dont ever feel the need to buy anything from it…read more There's alot of other shops with clothes that are just as nice in my humble opinion, less expensive, and that you can wear without looking like a clone. I do like their accessories, with a few really nice beanies and sunglasses being my accessory of choice in winter and summer, respectively. I wont say no to a sale though..

I think out of all the Topshops in Glasgow, this one has to be my favourite. It's bright, airy and…read morethere's plenty of room to move around without constantly bumping into people (unless it's insanely busy which is usually at the weekend or when they have a sale on!). Topshop can be a bit hit and miss. Either they have loads of items I love or nothing! The store is well laid out and as you walk through to the back of the store, there is a section for shoes/boots which has it's own till. I have been obsessed with these particular black slip on shoes from Topshop for so long now and I thought they were in need of an upgrade so I went in to pick up a new pair. I remember the first pair i got and how insanely comfy they were from the get go. Anyway, I picked up the same style (different pattern) and headed to the till. The guy who served me was really friendly and I couldn't wait to wear my new shoes! Insert Paolo Nutini song). Sadly, these ones are not so comfy and after almost murdering my feet, I've placed them on the shoe rack. I am determined to wear them in though, cause they're so comfy (eventually, the first pairm ust have been luck) and go with everything! Anyway, aside from shoe drama, I like this Topshop. They have a good range of jewellery and accessories too and random sweets etc near the till to tempt you. They have a good range of Topshop Beauty items as well, but I would like to see more.

This is quite a small brand of the very popular Monsoon, nestled in Princes Square, the window…read moredisplays are always very enticing so I usually pop in for a look. I usually end up leaving empty handed as the clothes here tend to look better on the mannequins and totally different when I try them on. Their smallest size is still quite big and although the material looks very pretty it always looks a little bit cheap on closer inspection. It probably wouldn't look cheap if it was priced the same as say, H&M or Topshop but the prices here are totally ridiculous and you can find yourself spending £100+ for a dress. If you have that kind of money to spend on clothes then there are a lot nicer places you could be spending it. The best thing about Monsoon is sale time, although I've never managed to find anything here, a few of my friends have some really pretty formal dresses which they look amazing in and paid only 30% of the original price. I do, however, absolutely love Monsoons counterpart - Accessorize, there is a small section in this branch but if you're looking for more then you can nip across the road where there's a whole shop dedicated to their gorgeous accessories.

Though, not an avid shopper I have to agree with Eleanor on this one. Monsoon lours you inside with…read morepretty window displays highlighted by ingenious lighting and imaginative backdrops. Inside, it's also easy to get carried away. Monsoon does exotic and interesting to a tee. Yet, on closer inspection the clothes quality is not as good as the prices suggest. Additionally, at least for me, I find that a lot of the time the pieces as pretty as they are, would not suit everyday life. Therefore, it would be difficult to justify spending that much for mediocre quality clothes which you would barely ever get the opportunity to wear. Nonetheless, it's worth popping in for a look, especially in sale session. Even if you can't find something for yourself it's the kind of place where you could pick up a reduced item for an older - or maybe just classier, more adventurous - family member.

The shoes here are absolutely gorgeous, the kind of shoes you see in fancy magazines and really…read morewish you had. Sadly, my feet are too small to fit any of the shoes here and no matter how many shoe inserts I buy they still don't fit. Most shoes are around £60+ and they also do bags and belts which are quite pricey too. I did manage to find a beautiful waist belt for only £12 once though. The shop is very small and can get very busy which then becomes quite chaotic as there are shoe sizes flying in every direction from eager shoe fanatics. There's also a 50-50 split between the male and female shoes which is nice. I always go in for a browse, especially when it comes to sale time in the hope that I can find something that fits. Please Dune, start making smaller sizes! Although, maybe it's a good thing for my purse that I can't fit anything here.

Dune I have always imagined as a ladies shop, not for young people. So when I hit the age of around…read more20, I decided to go in. Big steps I know. Anyway, the staff were on me straight away, I seem to sense a hint of sales target. The poor souls, they were ever so helpful, and ran back and forth to get me sizes and colours. I felt so guilty, and definitely a little obliged to buy buy buy, which I didn't particularly want to do necessarily. Long story short, I left with a pair of boots that were on the sale for £70! Oh my god, I have to say these are probably some of my more recent and mose expensive purchases on footwear, excluding my ski boots. I am just glad they were boots, and not a strappy sandal, at least I feel as though I got more for my money.

Little goth shop that mingles with the new age shop next door. You've got to love a place where…read moreyou can find your Dragon/fairy pillows and black lipstick along with the blue box nag champa incense. They had some awesome things in their jewlery and clothing area too. I'd have loved to investigate more.

I love Osiris!!!! It's a great shop if you want to find that something unique. It's also the…read moresupplier of my favourite hair dye Directions and my knee high stripey socks that I cannot live without. I have been going to Osiris now for over 10 years and they've always kept to the unusual and interesting and have never let me down. Last year I got some great Christmas presents for my friends and I'm sure I'll be back again this year. I got some great accessories and earrings etc and my friends loved their presents. :) I remember being trapped in Osiris one day as a fight broke out in the middle of Queen Street with one of the unders clubs across the road. The police were there and Osiris had to close their doors. I tell you though I wisnae complaining much that day although I might have spent a bit too much mind you. ;p

Clearly there is some confusion with this listing, as the Maia I went to was a wee basement shop…read morefull of knick-knacks and quirky gifts on Bath Street, not the huge glass-fronted expanse with coffee shop that people talk about in the reviews... the Buchanan Street one closed in 2011. Anyway, I was on the hunt for a particular 'Glasgow Patter' tea towel and was guided here by my online personal shopper Briony (that's Yelp for you!). Sadly, they only had a Scots patter one, not the Weegie version, so my search continued. But it looks like a nice wee store if you're looking for a gift or greetings cards. It's easy to walk past though as it is in a basement. (Didn't this used to be 23rd Precinct?)

Love this wee gem of a gift shop. Could have spend a small fortune but am trying to be very…read morerestrained, only buy for other people and not be a selfish mare like usual. An eclectic mix of moomin candle whirlers, ipad desks, quirky jewellery, amazing cards and everything in-between. Well worth a wander if you are searching for the illusive gift for that hard to buy for sod at the bottom of your Christmas list who wants for nothing. I was in for stocking fillers for the girls and did not leave disappointed. Smudge is going to be utterly delighted with her scarf wearing panda necklace and Santa was pleasantly surprised at the less than terrifying price tag. With the additional 10% check in discount I felt positively virtuous and absolved of all the sinning I had just been committing in Waterstones. Where my restrained buying for other people plans had failed spectacularly. By the time I had reached the till I had already decided this was going to be a five star review but then the wonderful staff at the till tried to help me lug the buggy up the stairs. I say tried because I may have been using the handy basket at the bottom of the buggy to hide all the books bought in Waterstones, meaning that the buggy weighed more than a family hatchback and actually couldn't be lifted even by two people and Puff just had to suck up bumped up the stairs. A great wee shop that I'll probably be back in again before Christmas. If only because I need some of the amazing Christmas cards with huge Rudolph noses and really my tree isn't going to be finished until I have a rocket decoration hanging from it. I didn't even know I needed a rocket tree decoration, well now I do...