Principles (Principles)

Member Name: Mrs-LT

Product:	Principles
Date:	05/02/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality work clothes

Disadvantages: Do not make well-cut jeans

Principles has really started to move away from its mumsy beginnings lately, and it is now somewhere I visit regularly when shopping for clothes for myself.

They do gorgeous work clothes (trouser/skirt suits) and I have found that you cannot buy better quality for the price. The lining of their suits is excellent and the material and finish always looks stylish and classy. It will cost you roughly £110-130 for a two-piece suit as most of the jackets are in the region of £75 and in my opinion they represent excellent value for money.

In terms of workwear, this shop easily rivals Next and in my opinion surpasses it. While they sell lots of different casual and smart, they have a wide range of different styles of suits in stock at any given time rather than the one obligatory black trouser suit that most fashion shops seem to offer.

They also do lovely formal and wedding-style dresses and hats in the summer, similar to some of the dresses in Coast but at a more reasonable price.

They do lovely coats and light jackets - I got a fabulous caramel coloured jacket for spring in the January sale with 75% off! That's another plus for Principles actually - when they have a sale they do it in style, not just a token couple of items nobody else wanted in a corner with the rest of the shop full of full-price stock. This year they actually started their 'January' sale in the week leading up to Christmas and about 90% of the shop was reduced which is the way a big sale should be. Discounts ranged from 30% to 75% (with most items reduced by at least 50%).

They have a small accessories department which is nothing special but nothing bad either. I have nothing more to really say than that they have one - I have never purchased any Principles accessories so cannot vouch for their durability etc.

I have always found staff to be extremely pleasant and helpful, especially the ladies working in the changing rooms who are great to use as a sounding board about which jacket goes best with which trousers.

Principles also have a very wide range of clothes in their Petite range, for women under 5ft 3. However I am 5ft and I find their trousers are too short for me so don't take the 5ft 3 measurement for granted, do still try them on.

The only criticism I have is that they sell jeans but their cut is rubbish. They are not flattering at all and are more along the lines of traditional jeans that were around before all the different styles were introduced. Basically jeans an older woman would wear I suppose. However, which shop does do everything well? After all, if clothes shopping was a one-shop-stop retial therapy would not be half as much fun!

It may be stereotypically known for older ladies but for twenty-something stylish women it offers a very wide choice for office essentials, with far more choice than a black or a greay suit. Different styles, materials and colours are stocked and lots of mix and match ranges are offered too, so you can really build your work wardrobe without breaking the bank.

Summary: Great shop!