Old buildings, new fashions (Fashion Shops in Chester)

Member Name: the_oracle123

Product:	Fashion Shops in Chester
Date:	26/08/05 (2780 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads of choice and a lovely location

Disadvantages: None

Although a resident in the lovely old town of Shrewsbury and generally more than happy with the choice of shops right here, occasionally I feel the need to visit the bright lights of Chester for a little stronger retail therapy and a little more choice.

Now, I know we're discussing clothes shops, and not Chester's history...but I have to tell you a bit about the feel of the place, just so you'll know why it's so special. :)

Chester is, as a town, very in touch with its history and so the town centre - the main shopping area - is completely unlike most other cloned town centres with the same old shops in the same buildings you can find everywhere in the country. Instead, the town centre is based around the old Roman road system, with little straight streets crammed full of buildings built in every age from Tudor onwards. Even with all this history behind it, Chester still manages to be modern and has a unique air of being an old town with thoroughly modern shopping.

It's a fairly big place, so as you would expect the choice of fashion shops is wide. In terms of high street fashion, there are a lot of shops which do stock most of the current ranges: New Look, Next, Marks & Spencer, BHS, Monsoon, Pilot, Top Shop, Kookai, Zara, Gap, H&M, River Island, Dorothy Perkins, Warehouse and Miss Selfridge. For those wanting a bargain and a quick fashion fix, these shops are invaluable! The actual shops aren't huge, as most of them have been fitted into small buildings, so they don't have as much choice as say, Birmingham, but to me the experience of shopping in Chester beats Birmingham hands-down!

For workwear, Chester fits the bill nicely as well. You can find shirts at Austin Reed and the Sartori Shirt Company, and suits at Planet, Principles and Next. A huge choice of jumpers can be found at the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Chester is wonderful for more upmarket and designer shops, too. There are too many little designer boutiques for me to list (just have a wander around and see what you can find, especially down the side streets) but there are also well-known stores such as Karen Millen, White Stuff, Jaeger, Laura Ashley, MaxMara and French Connection. For other designer brands, a good bet is the department store, Browns of Chester, which stocks lots of brands such as the designer ranges for Debenham's, Morgan, Jane Norman and Oasis.

All in all, Chester gives a unique shopping experience and a lot of choice for the discerning shopper. Go yourself, have a wander around, explore the little boutiques and one-off shops, and you'll know what I mean.

Summary: An old town with thoroughly modern shopping.