Swish, Damn Swish - no, not a famous line from a swashbuckling James Bond rip off, this arcade is…read moreincredible. A whole Victorian street in the shopping heart of Leeds enclosed by a wonderfully modern glass covering. OK, so the shops are all designer, the ones everyone loves to look in, sometimes go in to have a look at just how much some people are prepared to pay for t-shirt....but boy the designers have designed a perfect place for designers to come sell their designer bits 'n bobs. little bubbling fountains, coffee and bagel huts for that quick pit stop and belly filler. I sat in here for about an hour, just sipping my cheap filter coffee and commoner's bacon and egg bagel getting a good view of how the other half live. I didn't mind, I was content, in such a place I find it hard to believe anyone could feel otherwise.

The Victoria Quarter is the Leeds hotspot for chic shopping. I'm sure it would object to being…read moredescribed as such but that's tough, cos it's be that's writing it so ner. In all seriousness, The Victoria Quarter is the opulent home to some of the more high end brands of the Leeds shopping arena, and with it comes certain prestige in being housed here. The little independent stores like the French Revolution and Rose & Co gain a little kudos in being located here, as that is the effect the Victoria Quarter has on a business here. It is really rather easy to get lost in the annals of the walkways, be it through gawping at all the lovely shopping enticements, or be it from the identical high vaulted ceilings and archways criss crossing across one another, identical fountains, and sympathetic shop signage so that it doesn't interfer with the original features and feel of the Victorian decor. Depending on which entrance you take you will find fountains tinkling delicately, or small tables with coffee service, or even a small but assuredly delicious pattisserie. Benches are also dotted around and if you take the time to perch, and knock your head back you'll see the bizarre yet beautiful glass decoration. A worthy attraction all on it's own.

I actually rubbernecked when I saw this stall, and that's not something you get to do a lot of…read morethese days. Aesthetically, it is beautiful. Although the stall is diminutive in size, it is so colourful and vibrant; a mix of feathers, netting, ribbons and pizazz. There are many different styles of hat to choose from. The couture hats are extremely elaborate, definitely worn to make a statement. Whether at a formal wedding or ladies day at the races, you would guarantee some serious head-turning when sporting one of these creations. The range of fascinators is fairly impressive. For the weddings I have been to in the past, I have opted for this alternative. A bit more quirky and trendy than a traditional hat, it accessorises the hair elegantly. The stall also sells many items online, the products varying dramatically in price. As I already have two weddings to attend this Summer, I will be keeping an eager eye on Love Hats.

Love Hats is an eye-catching little shop full of wonderfully flamboyant hats and fascinators…read more Brimming with feathers, flowers and bows it stands out a mile among the many disused stalls in this part of the market. The stall owner sits lovingly hand-stitching a weird and wonderful creation- in-the-making surrounded by the impressive evidence of her skills. The headgear is a mixture of fantastically OTT hats that might be worn to the races or a wedding, wildly striking fascinators and unusual vintage-inspired winter hats. Prices vary from between £85 and £850 for the more flamboyant hats, £60 to £170 for fascinators and £32 to £48 for winter hats. Love Hats is an example of a shop in the market really taking pride in its presentation, displaying its wares lovingly and making sure its sign is visible and provides the necessary information. Love Hats is exactly the kind of shop that is needed to breathe life into the Leeds Kirkgate Market, making it appeal to a broad range of people and reflect the creativity and passion that the small businesses of Leeds have to offer.

Why is it stall holders in any capacity in a shopping centre are like flies on a hot day; they…read moresense your irritation and buzz on regardless, getting all in your face, and thus sending you off balance and overcome with the urge to swat the living life out of the little bleeders. Flies and stall holder staff. One and the same in many respects. I understand it to be part of the job description to attract as much business as you can, but flippin heck, they just jump out of nowhere, and as I am a huge fan of personal space with a slightly nervous disposition, we didn't get on well together me and perky-in-your-face person. Doubling back on myself later on I managed to avoid ole perky and slowed down to actually see what she was trying to sell me. Ever heard of a Swinky? I've seen them before on naffo shopping channels, but I've never quite understood the fascination, nor do I now. Essentially a Swinky is two teeth combs attached together by five strands of elastic on each comb attaching itself to the other comb at a jaunty diagonal angle, and the elastics are decorated with multi coloured beads, that in some cases match the colour of the combs, and you use this apparatus as a way of styling your hair. So...what price do you expect to pay for two plastic combs, 10 strands of elastic and a selection of plastic beads? £10. What? Despite being overpriced for what they are, they feel poor and look ruddy awful. I saw one of the women trying to demonstrate on a child who looked like she was not impressed and having her cheeks involuntarily raised for her by the Swinky and her new higher hair line. Not impressed at all. What's wrong with a good old fashioned bobble, less fiddly and much cheaper, either that or a nice clip.

There is a man in a suit standing at the entrance of this shop just to make you feel a bit awkward…read moreincase you didn't already, whilst going into this super elegant yet ridiculously over priced bag shop. It has a stifling feeling that is not nearly as fun as Mulberry, a few doors down, who sell equally priced handbags to people with too much money. I honestly expected to be more impressed than I was with the handbags, luggage bags and wallets in here. They may be of excellent quality but the majority had the same design - brown with golden 'LV' symbols all over the place. I find this a bit boring. But if this is your style then you'll be please to know that the staff are extremely helpful, probably because you're spending loads of money.

Lawdy lawdy lawdy, GET OVER YOURSELF. Stepping into Louis Vuitton is like walking into a crowd of…read morecheerleaders when you're one of the geeks. When I first went in, a friend with too much spending money actually went in for a bonafide gander in the branch that specialises in over priced dog shyte holders for a birthday gift from her to herself, in the form of a handbag. My response, "you're off your rocker", despite the ridiculous price tag the quality of the leather in these bullions with handles is exquisite, however, when you've got pop trash across the globe carting one of these bad boys around in the crook of their arm, it screams to me "run the other way". Anyhoo discourage her I could not, so on we ventured, if looks of derision could kill we'd have been dead where we stood, and from that moment on I willed any one of the sales assistants, yes people sales assistants, you're sales assistants, not mocking it, I've been one myself, but that's what you are, you run around chasing sales and assist. End of story. Oh right I was willing, I was willing one of the slick Rick's to hit a patch of their own fallen hair gel and splat on their rear end. Sadly this did not come to pass, but as one of the Ricks went up a step ladder to fetch a large suitcase, half of me wanted him to fall, the other half wanted to push. I didn't. I was good. Friend on the verge of being mortified if I opened my mouth did her best to press on with her enquiry, and she did so elegantly, she was torn between two and said she'd think about it, wanting to check out Harvey Nics for alternatives to LV. Out of pure principal I urged her to go Donna Karan before she went Vuitton. Anything to avoid unworthy commission to one of the smug assistants. As I said, the brand is beautifully crafted, and the leather is exquisite, but with snotty sales assistants and celebrity endorsements, you start to wonder what's a help and what's a hindrance.

Bags & Baggage have two stalls in the market. The one with a more central position in the upper…read moremarket hall sells mainly handbags and purses. If you like your handbags with large sprinklings of kitsch garishness then you will love this shop! There are plenty of brightly coloured gleaming quilted PVC bags with gold fastenings. Some have a shimmering leopard print and are embellished with bows and lace. There are also some rather cute classic-style purses with snap fastenings and some slightly more reserved brown and cream bags in a more unassuming style. They also sell umbrellas and have a make-your-own charm bracelet thing where you can choose different letters and charms to add to a chain. Prices are probably about high street level or cheaper. 30 seconds walk away, the Bags & Baggage on the south side of the upper market hall sells a similar range of handbags but also sells luggage bags of a variety of sizes and some unisex shoulder bags. Together the two Bags & Baggage shops cater for a range of tastes and uses at a decent price.

This little shop sells all types of bags from handbags to suitcases, sports bags to school…read morerucksacks. The handbags dominate the small shop and nearly put me off my lunch. They are quite tacky and all seemed to have a gold crown symbol on. Perhaps the proprietors are royalists? If you long for the designer handbag but like most of the population cannot justify spending hundreds then you will be able to find an equally sparkly, glitzy replacement here for a fraction of the price. If you can see beyond the handbags then there are some good deals on suitcases which are strangely expensive outside of market-world. There were a few sets decorated in different patterns in varying sizes. A decent sized one is about £25.

Love this place .. good place to go at the weekend some shops have great prices... service varies…read moredepending on which store but most of them are good .. such a wide selection of stuff that you can buy ... also .. not too many old people

We don't have such large shopping centres in Switzerland. It's cleaner than any town centre I've…read moreever seen in England with a wide variety of stores. My favourites: A Thornton's, a gigantic Sainsbury's (with every kind of Gü pudding and a huge assortment of chips), several cupcake and cookie stands and a stand selling every conceivable mobile phone case and cover, even one for my Xperia Z! There are also two very large gift / card shops that will probably sell the most obscure card you just couldn't find anywhere else. Try not to go in a mixed gender group, since there's not much for the men to do other than sit around in the café in the middle of the ground floor while the women wander around aimlessly for several hours. Lots and lots of parking, clean facilities.

I remember back in the day when Bank first started, it used to be a really nice place to get some…read morelovely clothing items, of good quality with competitive prices. All white interiors and some bargains to be had if you went at the right time and looked in the right places. Bank these days seems a bit different. With it's incorporation of some erm, undesirable brands, there is still the inclusion of some funky and quirky branded clothing. Although the prices at full whack aren't as competitive as they were. The girlies can pick some cute outfits, some that are sexy, some slouchy, others edgy, from a variety of brands such as Ribbon, Lipsy, Red or Dead, DKNY, although for the latter, this seems to be in accessories only, Gio-Goi, Superdry and others that I may not be up on, but have been assured are pretty damn cool. For the guys, there's Jack and Jones, Henleys (ahem), RingSpun and Amplified if blingy t shirts are your thing, new addition Voi for denims, Beck and Hersey, Firetrap, Box Fresh, and grandad cool chic Nanny State. Accessories in Bank are a staple, and there are belts, bags, hats, gloves and whatnot to suit both sexes and all styles. I have a suspicion the staff are on commission, as they seem to pounce on you when you look at something for longer than 3 seconds, but we've all gotta make a living, so let them be. Good place to get some decent branded clothing, especially in The White Rose Centre, as it's a bit pants in that department.

Tonight it's party night, it's party night tonight. So to get me in the mood I feel the need for…read moresome shopping. Bring it on and why not start in USC. There are two in Leeds , in the city centre and the White Rose. Both of which do a good job. It so happens I'm out wandering in the White Rose Centre so it's time for some splash the cash fun. What I love about the place is that it stocks several brands that I do seriously love. So it's shopping light if you were. It also helps that there are a few lookers who work in that store. Can't hurt to have some eye candy when planning your next wardrobe decision can it?! You'll find a good selection of Uggs, Diesel and Converse. Just some of my favs to look out for. It's also great for him too. Really retro and funky and a nice street look without any of the chav elements. Why can't shopping always be this easy.

USC on Briggate used to be ace, but now I'm all sad as it's shut down and that's pants. And so is…read morethe new addition in The Core. Or outside of The Core. How exactly does that thing work? Relocated from a larger store to a small one with too many strip lights in it, it sucks a bit. USC White Rose is flying the flag for Leeds then. USC is a fashion store, that essentially caters to both ladies and men's fashion, and features all of the funky brands in clothing, shoes and accessories. In theory the split is 50/50 between the sexes, however this isn't the case, and like many split sex stores, they favour one or the other, this one favours the fellas. For the boys there are a good selections of denims, housing brands such as G-Star, Diesel, Replay and Levis, and then in addition to this there are the Adidas Originals, Ted Baker, Bench, Fly, Gio-Goi brands in addition to those mentioned, in jackets, t-shirts, tops, trendy knits, footwear, underwear good ole Calvins, messenger bags, wallets, hats, all sorts of trendy type items. For the girls, well the experience isn't as enjoyable, There are a few handbags dotting around, none of which seem to jump out and grab you, and the variety of denims isn't particularly special, favouring mainly the skinny jeans no matter which brand you choose, variety doesn't seem to be a premium here for the girls, as there are only token items, token floaty tops, token casual tops, token plain, token bling, token jackets, it's all a bit mediocre. Even the footwear is a bit blah, but I guess that's from a long established history of USC being boy focused. Anyway boys good, girls bad. USC does do student discount, 10% on average and up to 20% in promotion times. Saving graces?

Since the sad demise of the city centre Disney Store this remains as Leeds standing sole survivor…read more It's a shame really something I've always relied on in moments of kidlet present fury is the option to dip into the Disney Store on Commercial Street and spend far too much money on this industry giant of a brand. Walt and his relatives have made plenty of brass out of me over the years, but I don't resent it, as small kidlets and big kidlets alike still light up when you chuck an oversized stuffed animal of film appropriate characters at them. It may be a sad fact but it is true. From the cashing in of the newborn babies super cute baby grows and birth momentos, to the ever so cute toddler clothes and pyjamas, right the way through to the themed character costumes, and then beyond this to Disney's selection of toys, stationary, trinkets and other cartoon gifts, this is a kid's dream store. Like I said, I've never failed to make a kidlet smile when packing various items in a Disney box, complete with Disney fairy dust, and just watch the excitement unravel. Granted this may be a tad indulgent, and many things are overpriced, especially the DVDs, but for treats of special occasion magnitude, then I think it's totally worth it. White Rose's offering may now be a bit out of the way than the convenience of the Commercial Street store, but it's got most of the same things, and the staff are super happy to help. Extra perky is sprinkled on their cornflakes. Fact.

Always call in here if only to play with the stuff or squeeze a cuddly mickey or simbas head, I…read moreeven buy the odd thing

A real old style shoeshop with great sales assistants and shoe-horns!!!!!…read more Has a nice selection of quality shoes but the shoes can be pricey.