American Apparel has stores worldwide, selling a range of dance-inspired basics, which come in every colour under the sun. The stores all have a uniform look, with minimalist fixtures and a warehouse kind of feel. Among the clothes for women, men and children, they also sell arty books, accessories and sunglasses.
I find the staff in here super-trendy, and slightly aloof, but that doesn't matter, as I love the clothes and still feel comfortable shopping there.

I feel like all kinds of people can shop here for basics such as t-shirts, jeans and bits for the gym. However, you may find that some of the spandex stuff, like lthe 80's inspired eotards and leggings is more unforgiving for those who don't have a dancers body. They can be great for fancy dress though. I am a fan of the unisex t-shirts and scoop back tops, and some of the shorts and skirts are light and great for holidays. There's something here that can work for everyone of any age and size, and you don't have to wear it head to toe like some of the people i've seen.

Prices are a bit much for some of the items, such as the Mélange Jersey Pocket Skirt being £25 (and far less in America) but at least they are all ethically produced in the U.S.A. They don't outsource factories other than their own and treat their workers well and pay them above the minimum wage. I think this is the way forward for shops, and some of the prices are pretty reasonable considering. I like the fact that everything comes in loads of colours, especially my faves like bright blues and purples as well as more conventional colours if your skin tone isn't up to it. Most of the clothes can be unisex, which can also give a more authentic fit for things like hoodies and shirts.

I feel like I should write about my experiences with the online store, as I tend to have a few problems there. The site's availability of some items doesn't seem to be updated regularly, so you may order something, look forward to receiving it, then later find it was actually out of stock and they don't know when they can get any more in. This happened to me and after I complained, I was given the part of my order that did arrive for free. This then happened again when they sent me the wrong item and then refunded me, when I specifically asked to just be sent the top I ordered. So I've basically had a lot of free items from this store, due to them messing up, but I'm glad they sorted it out in this way as not many other stores would do it. I only tend to use the online store, as they often have newsletter and student discounts there, but if they rolled this out into to store then I would use them more.

I think that AA has got something right here, with it's basics in numerous colours and ethical fashion, but just needs to work on the accuracy of it's website and availabilty of discounts and promotions. I am glad though that they're bringing one to Nottingham, so I can get my fix up North!

Adapted from my trusted places review; this is my first suggestion!