Zara

I really like Zara. This for me is one of the best High street stores, you can get some lovely things that feel expensive and to be honest have served me much better than the items of clothing that I’ve really shelled out for.
Some of my favourite smart dresses are ones I’ve bought from here and not only are they standing the test of time wear and tear wise, but they also look timeless :) and this is coming from me — a girl who hates to be seen in things more than twice — especially dresses! (not that I have the money to upkeep this bratish attitude!) I love a flattering cut! Zara are good at mastering this.
They do lovely casuals too and I especially like their big chunky knits for when the weather’s colder.
They do some gorgeous kids bits but they are on the more expensive side — especially when you know they’ll be grown out of within a month!
Come to Zara for well made, luxurious and affordable clothes.

Well, it’s Zara, innit? Everyone’s been to a Zara once or twice, they’re all over the South East for heaven’s sake, and we all know what they offer: slightly more upmarket high street fashion than some of its competitors. I like going to Zara for cheap suits and the like: I even got my linen wedding suit here (yeah, I’m getting married in linen… I am that cool), although I often have to go to London to get the perfect size for my slightly rotund figure.
So, yeah, this a Zara, which is generally very nice, that doesn’t stock awkward sizes… so it’s the absolute basic high street chain. I personally can’t rate this Zara that highly: they don’t have trousers in my size! Still, I like the style, I like the generally reasonable prices, and, for a high street shop, Zara are slightly more classy than some of their competitors. If you’re a Top Shopper, consider changing allegiances: your chances of wearing a branded t-​shirt will be lowered forever!

Zara used to be a favourite of mine, but I am not so fond these days. Occassionally I will find something that seems like it will last me forever, and one of the many t-​shirts I have has been worn on and off now for over a year — pretty good going for High Street. But recently I have been a little annoyed by the All Saints rip offs, they seem to have been flying around for quite a while now, and you really can’t beat the original thing — the prints are way cooler and the t-​shirt quality and fit is very very nice, and I’d say worth the extra buck. I am also a bit bored of the jumpers, coats and trousers — once they seemed cool, now they seem a bit like a more fitted Burtons. When they do do their very own t-​shirt prints, they are often remarkably cool and original, so they should stick to sourcing something different. On a positive note, I once saw the coolest leather jacket that made me look like I was in a Sisters of Mercy video, I couldn’t afford it at the time even though it was very reasonable — this still haunts me.

Zara is my new love. Less frequented than many other high-​street chains, they offer a good range of clothes at prices that rival Topman. The clothes are a little dressier than their high street competitors, but this suits me fine. I have found the quality of their products to be substantially better than other stores and the relatively small quantities of items means you don’t run such a high risk of bumping into someone with the same clothes as you at a party, which we all know is like, the WORST thing that can happen to girl/​boy! OMG!
One thing to note about Zara is that the sizes are pretty small, so don’t worry, you haven’t put on weight, but you may find yourself taking what seems to be a size or even two, bigger than you usually do!
Otherwise, I can’t really fault Zara and that’s not even a fault!

One of the best things about Autumn is snuggling up in big woolly jumpers, turtle-​neck cardigans and layered winter coats. Zara know this and alongside racks of stylish blouses, jeans, trousers, dresses and gypsy skirts, they sell a great selection of beautifully tailored knitwear. As gothic seems to be one of this year’s big trends, they currently have a lot of black, grey and purple clothes in the store.
So why have I only given it 3 stars rather than 5? Well, their clothes are only made for European women with slim figures rather than more curvy gals like myself. If you’re a size 8 or 10 — or heaven help us, a size 6 — everything will fit you. If you have curves and usually fit into a size 12 or 14, you’ll need to try on the size 14 and size 16 garments. Even then, you might find there isn’t a single top that you can comfortably fit your breasts in!
C’mon Zara, how about a range for the more fully-​figured ladies out there?

Zara is the best high street shop in my opinion– it is the only high street shop that has both tailored pieces with some edginess and originality that aren’t microscopically short or that will fall to bits in weeks. The cut and quality is very good and they follow trends but not ridiculously or at the sake of comfort and wearability. The prices range from very reasonable for basics like t-​shirts, classic work wear (with a twist usually) and jumpers and then goes higher for some of the more unusual coats, jackets and evening wear. This is a nice branch of the Spanish chain with a large upstairs dedicated to women’s clothes with a formal section and a more casual section selling jeans, hoodies, t-​shirts… Downstairs is the smaller men’s section– Zara is great for nice men’s suits, shirts, jumpers and accesories; and a kids section– again nice kids clothes without all the usual inappropriateness or pink.