Such a cool store! I'm so happy I randomly walked in. I found so many unique items and discovered a…read morelot of amazing local Canadian brands. It's a great place for gifts or for finding a little piece of Ottawa to bring home

Great store with a wonderful selection of Clothing and all kinds of hidden treasures, many locally…read morehandmade. The knowledgeable staff are friendly and helpful without being overbearing. Take your time while shopping so you don't miss laugh out loud moments as you look at the many cards, stickers, magnets and patches. A store worthy of the time to enjoy. I always look forward to stopping at Milk when I'm in the Byward Market.

Let me start by saying that I do like Simons and shop there fairly regularly. However, I just…read morerecently bought a red Contemporaine cotton T-shirt (made in India) that I had the foresight to wash by hand. And yes, it bled. I guess it's a case of buyer beware, but I expected better from Simons.

It's a two-storey department store in Rideau Centre that carries out men and women clothes,…read moreaccessories, shoes, home collection, etc. Most of the collections are European and rather expensive, but they come in great styles. The selection of product is pretty good and the store is well-maintained, clean and well-organized.

Roadtrip is the sister store of Trustfund but seems to have a larger collection for men and women…read more The mens collection of shirts over here range from Fred Perry, Penguin and Ben Sherman. Things are reasonable priced and the staff is very friendly and helpful. They do not put things on hold so if you want to get something you're going to have to get it right away or risk them running out of stock.

This store is in the courtyard between Planet Coffee and Librarie Soleil. What I love about this…read moreboutique is their jewelry! It always makes me feel creative. Necklaces have large beads (almost like small ornaments) strung on them, to be stunning with a simple strapless dress. The dresses they have are also amazing. When I was there this week I saw a great dress that had edges with zippers sewn on. There are lots of women's fashions and some men's clothing as well. The staff are really friendly and always greet you. There is even a table to leave you food or drinks on, in case you were just stopping in on your way by.

RW & Co is a clothing retailer. They have both women's and men's clothes, but no kids' clothes…read more They sell mostly office attire, with a few fancier pieces for semi-formal events. In my opinion their clothes are more fashionable than places like Reitmans, Cleo and Ricki's, with quality being about the same or maybe a little bit higher. I really love their dresses. The cuts are usually very flattering and they often have an asymmetric element to them, which is totally my style, lol. They only have regular sizes here, no petite or plus sizes. They often have sales of 20-60% off clearance items. I've gotten really cute pieces here for less than $10. This location at the Ottawa Trainyards is big, with lots of selection. Their fitting rooms at the back are unisex. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

This used to be my favourite clothing store but I've found that the quality has gone downhill in…read morethe last few years. Most of the garments are now made in China, yet remain a little on the pricey side. There are usually lots of good sales to take advantage of though. My review is for my visit to the Trainyards location earlier this afternoon where I browsed the sales racks looking for a couple tops. I tried a couple on and selected 2 tops. One had a stain on the back of it. I was going to ask about a possible further reduction on the price. There appeared to only be one clerk in he store and she was busy with another customer. By the time she was finished with the other customer I had started to browse the store some more and decided I really didn't want to buy the tops I had selected, so I left.

So Flock Boutique is this cute little shop in my 'hood that sells cool indie Canadian brands and…read morealso Canadian brands that have made it big(ger). They have clothes by Jennifer Glasgow and Miik. They have soaps and body care by Purple Urchin. They also have jewelery by local designers and weird knick knacks like hand puppets of Canadian prime ministers, lol. So funky and weird! This store is more neat, clean and upscale-ish, a la "Yorkville" (Toronto reference) and not like Adorit in the Byward Market (that also carries local and Canadian designs, and some of the same brands, like Miik) which is more, a la "Kensington Market" (sorry, another Toronto reference), but meaning more bohemian and smelling of patchouli. Prices are high, but your getting good quality and supporting the Canadian market.

I will definitely be going back to this trendy boutique soon. I have been looking for a wedding…read moredress (something trendy and artistic and untraditional!) and I found several options here. The great thing about Flock Boutique is that the clothes are made by Canadian designers, the majority of which are women! They try to bring in lots of fashions from Ottawa and Montreal also, to be local. The accessories here are amazing! They have lots of colourful pins and earrings and some great bags! I really had to control myself, or I would have had an empty wallet when I came out. I did see several dress options, but was tight on time, so I couldn't try anything on. One of the girls working in the store patiently showed me several dresses and answered all my questions about the designers and the store. The people who work here clearly know what they are talking about. It is also great that so many of the designs are by Canadian women! For someone who wants to dress artistically, this is the perfect spot to shop.

I visited a couple of consignment shops with my friend when I was in Ottawa. The Clothes Secret was…read moreone of them. I normally don't visit consignment shops. It's a lot of fun when you do on vacation. I like seeing what folks don't want and what I would wear. My friend pointed out a colour-coding discount legend. Depending on what colour tags are on items, you get a certain percentage off the ticketed price. The discount system ranged from 20 to 80 percent off. This store targets women only. Sorry, guys. I liked how organized everything was. Each rack had specific clothing sizes, with shoe sizes resting on top. I liked a beaver cap and a bunch of purses. I didn't need any, but it was nice to browse. Sadly, women's shoes go up to a size 10.5. I'm an 11. Why can't this store round up?! I did like a pair of pink sparkly sandals. It had velcro straps. It was nearly my size. Bummer. I kind of wish that they had both shoes available, so folks can try them on immediately. Instead, you have to flag a staffer for the other shoe, in a reverse Cinderella situation of sorts. You don't get a prince, but you will get to try both shoes on and walk around in them. There were a fair number of folks in this store. It was cool to see. It was a fun visit. I saw some nice blouses and also some hideous articles of clothing that I never want to see again. I enjoyed browsing around and getting out of the heat. (266)

The Clothes Secret is a consignment shop in Old Ottawa South. They don't have a lot of high end…read morestuff, but they aren't super junky either. They have a colour coding system where every week certain colour tags are a certain percentage off (10-80% off). At the end of the season they will have crazy sales like 90% off. Their regular prices are a bit on the higher side, but with every passing few weeks, the prices drop. If a piece has been there for several months you can score it for 80% off their regular price. They have a good number of pieces that are still brand new with original store tags! I tend to gravitate towards these, lol. I guess they have lots of consignors who a) buy online at sites with inaccurate sizing charts and can't be bothered to return their purchases, b) buy things on impulse then change their minds after the return/exchange period, c) buy items and keep them in their closet then lose or gain weight and they no longer fit, or d) buy items as "goal size/weight" pieces then give up on their goals. To the latter I say: Never give up! Follow your dreams! Well, unless the piece is my size and pretty, then you should definitely put it up for consignment, lol. Staff are nice. The store is fairly large and well organized into sections. They sell clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories (scarves, belts, etc.) and jewelry. Only women's stuff, no men's stuff. Street parking only.

This place is a women's fashions consignment store. It has mostly fast fashion items which don't…read moreinterest me much, but once it a while you will find a rare gem, like a quality piece designed and made in Europe or something by an up and coming Canadian designer. Some items are even brand new with original tags still attached. These are the items I usually look for. Especially in the age of online purchases, if something doesn't fit, sometimes it's cheaper to consign the item than pay for shipping to return or exchange. I've been on both sides of this situation. I am also guilty of impulse (final sale) purchases that result in buyer's remorse and buying items with intentions to wear but then when I finally put them on again, they no longer fit (I'm sure it's the little demons in my closet that shrink my clothes at night and not because of the ice cream sundaes that I eat). But enough about my shopping and eating habits... So at Déjà New, most items are mid-range fast fashion, so like Jacob, Zara, Le Chateau, etc. There are no (authentic) luxury items there (more on that in the next paragraph). They say they don't take anything older than 3 years, but I've seen some dated frumpy stuff there. They don't curate their items all that well because I've seen fake Coach bags and fake Louis Vuitton bags there. However, I have also seen authentic Coach bags and authentic Michael Kors bags, which is about as high end as it gets there. You won't find any Gucci, Chanel or (real) LVs. The price tags have 3 prices with dates next to them. The price decreases with time, so after the last date, it is the cheapest price. They give the seller 40% of the selling price. You can check your account online. If your item doesn't sell after 75 days, it becomes their property and they can continue on sell it and keep 100% or they can donate it to charity. You can pick your item up before the 75 days if you want it back. They sell clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry. Only women's stuff, no men's or children's. The store is small and a bit crowded, but well organized by category and size. They have a small plus-sized section. They have petites which are mixed in with regular sizes, no separate section. The store does not smell musty. The staff are nice. It's in a strip mall with a small parking lot.

Deja New is excellent. I have had great luck consigning cocktail dresses, purses, shoes that no…read morelonger fit/suit, and jewelry/accessories as well. The staff are very friendly and their consignment arrangement is fair and very convenient (online account tracker service is very handy).

Workshop is part of the original revival of Dalhousie Street as a relatively new shopping…read moredestination in Ottawa. The shop is chalk full of stylish Canadian labels, crafty accessories and handmade lines of jewellery. All of the designers are women and Canadian (many of which are local) which makes this store totally unique in Ottawa. Some cool labels include: Annie 50 and Soit Disant (both out of Montreal) and Dagg & Stacey whose latest collection feature tweeds in collegial cuts. There is also a funky line designed completely out of recycled sweaters! The store environment is inviting and chilled out with nice familial chatting amongst staff and customers. Something else worth noting is the community spirit that the shops on this street seem to have. They all seem to know each other and don't hesitate to recommend a visit to their neighbouring stores for something specific you might be looking for. I find this to be a totally refreshing take on retail and a great reason to visit this store.

If you want beautiful, original, quality clothing and great, honest service, this is the place for…read moreyou! My closet is filled with Workshop clothes and they are real treasures. They are the kinds of clothes you can wear year after year - they are so well made and so unique, they don't go out of style or fall apart. Plus, it just feels so good to wear clothing that is made and designed in Canada, and is bought from a store owned by two fabulous local women.