Lady Grande is situated on one of the main run of shops and cafes in Pudsey. It's a ladies' wear…read moreshop that sells all manner of clothes, accessories, jewellery and handbags. What's most revealing about Pudsey is that despite being one of the slightly larger towns, and I suppose middle sized compared to most, in Leeds it really only seems to have independent shops when it comes to fashion. This is a really nice element to Pudsey, I much prefer a rootsy array of small businesses to the big brands, but here is where it can also fail me. Sadly enough of the two ladies' wear shops in Otley, this being the second one I found, neither had anything much that I particularly liked. Don't get me wrong, the items in Lady Grande are lovely, but not to my taste. Lady Grande has plenty of sparkle and vivacity, just not in my direction. There were some lovely chunky funky necklaces, huge 80s style brooches, beaded purses, animal print clothing (zebra, leopard etc), huge heart shaped pendent necklaces, neck scarves, dresses - literally tons of lovely clothing - it's just a shame that I didn't find anything to suit me. Sure enough though, everything in there seemed to be at a bargainous price, so not all is lost!

Well what can i say other than.. DON'T GO HERE FOR ANYTHING!! I'm not normally one to post bloggs…read morebut i feel so strongly as a mother and someone who was prepared to shell out a small fortune here for a prom dress but the from the moment i walked into the shop and had a book thrust in my hand saying pic one in any colour alarm bells started to ring, the shop was busy but all i kept hearing from the owner was " ill need a 50% deposit from you now" from the small selection of dresses that she had they were all in small sizes such as 10 and 12 which i was told was the most popular sizes, not very helpful or tactful if you happen to be a little larger! my daughter wasn't helped with any of the dresses and trying them on and when i asked about prices etc i was met with a very condescending remark! sooo all in all not a pleasant experience but I'm glad to say we went elsewhere and had a 5 star service and all that's left to say is from the famous words of Julie Robbert's in pretty woman when she goes back to the snooty dress shop that would not serve her is BIG MISTAKE, MASSIVE!

Robert Lyn is one of the first 'fashion' shops that I came across during my jaunts in Pudsey town,…read moreand I must admit I hoped that not all of the ladies fashion shops would be similar. It's not that there is anything particularly offensive about the clothes inside, but they weren't really to my taste. I think it's that the style and fashion within is that which can be definitively pinned down to a certain age - and I do mean stereotypically, I don't suggest for a second that older women *should* wear these things, merely that they appear to be marketed towards those women. The clothes are all very 'safe', with classic lines and simplistic prints. The items are all rather sleek, and I imagine would best suit a slighter figure, and the currently displayed are all in monotone shades of grey and natural beiges. There were the odd bits of pink too. One of the sale items in the window, arranged on the side of the wall, was particularly 'dowdy' in my opinion - with a bit of a tame floral print and asymmetric flamenco hem at the bottom. It was a full length garment, which appeared to have little shape, and I guess that it defines my overall impression of Robert Lyn. Not offensive, not bad but definitely not my style. For the more conservative lady, I believe.

My son is due to get married in June this year and I was not looking forward to choosing a mother…read moreof the groom outfit for the wedding. My good friend suggested I paid a visit to Robert Lyn Fashions in Pudsey. I went along dreading the expieriance of finding something suitable for the occasion, (how wrong could I be) within 2 hours I had purchased a beautiful dress and jacket that looked good,felt good and made me feel special. Nothing was too much trouble for the husband and wife team, there was no sales pressure and Lyn delivered lots of fashion advice and tips. Apart from the outfit I actually purchased I had a choice of many others in different styles colours and designs. I was made to feel comfortable throughout my visit, so no more long shopping trips for me Robert Lyns will always be by first choice for all special occasions.

'Batley Mills' is a great place to visit for a relaxed one stop discounted shopping experience…read more I am pleased to say 'The Mill' in the last couple of years has evolved and improved greatly on their selection of women's clothing and fashion, catering for a wider range of clients than just the over 60s. As well as Planet and Precis Petite, they have expanded their clothing range to include Minuet, Kaliko and Jacques Vert which is great. I have as a result started going to the Mill regularly to keep my work wardrobe up to date. I have really had some good buys. As well as the improved womens clothing, the Mill in Batley is a great place to find handbags, luggage, wallets and purses etc. The discounted brands include Radley and Hideskin The staff seem helpful and friendly and if you are visiting by car there is plentiful free parking (although it can get busy at the weekends). The Cafe Nova coffee shop is located on the 1st floor of the mill and they not only serve delicious teas and italian coffee but their cakes and sandwich selections are also very tempting and a great excuse to have a break. It would be nice if good quality fashionable footwear could be introduced to the mill, similar to the selections found at the Boundary Mill in Colne. I also think emailing offers and information out to customers regularly for shopping events such as an extra 10% off or a free coffee voucher would be a good way of encouraging cutomers to keep visiting. I don't always go to the upper floors of the mill as I find the escalator system a little bit frustating in that you are forced to walk along the length of each floor for the ascent and then the same again on the way down. This zig-zagging may be an attempt to encourage shoppers to walk through each of the floor areas but I am afraid I just find it a nuisance. Other than that I would enthusiastically recommend a visit to The Mill in Batley. Happy Shopping :)

The Mill at Batley is great, there are loads of different shops inside offering designer clothes…read moreand shoes also home ware at good discounted prices. They have several cafe's too. I was there again last week and bought 2 nice suitcases and 3 pairs of shoes all good makes. They have a great selection of Radley and Tula handbags the prices are about half the normal price and I bought my husband a really nice Regatta jacket for £45 instead of £100! If you want a good shopping day out you can spend several hours at the Mill with all the top brands available at half the cost! A mile further along the same road is Red Brick Mill which is fantastic for Home purchases rather than clothes.

This is my favourite place for everything shopping. Both M & S and Asda have everything I need…read morebetween them. Asda has a great selection of women's and children's clothes, all very reasonably priced. Being disabled, these superstores offer an accessible, easy shopping experience, both having loads of disabled parking spaces, and scooters to borrow. The staff in Asda are particularly helpful, nothing's too much trouble. I love being able to withdraw cash, get my prescription, see the optician, pick up my euros and do my food shopping under one roof. A restaurant offers fresh cooked food every day, and there's always MacDonald's for the grandchildren. (And grandma!). Household goods are trendy and colourful, with lots of choice. M & S is a bit more expensive, but it's nice for gift buying or for something special. Their food is to die for, again, a bit pricey but such a treat. Some people want more choice of shops in a retail centre, but for me, Owlcotes is perfect. It's a relaxing, enjoyable experience, and I always find what I need. My only complaint? There's too much choice!! In both stores, I could spend hours, and do, browsing the aisles, with no over enthusiastic store assistants hassling me to buy things I don't want! Asda wins by a margin because I can shop there 24 hours most days. Evening shopping is quieter, and brings out the very best of people!!

Centre? Centre of what? I mean this is really just a couple of big shops and if you're not into…read moreM&S or Walmart then you're out of luck. If you are intending to do mega shopping it's probably better to get the bus into Leeds or round the ring road to the White Rose Centre. I tend to at least partially judge any 'centre' by the eats (I know, I'm very sad and slightly over weight) and The Owlcotes fairs very badly offering a small McDonald's which doesn't offer the full menu and ASDA cafe which I have to say doesn't seem to offer much edible at all. I can't finish without conferring the prize for toilets I'd least like to need on the one here adjacent to the McDonald's concession. Gross, filthy and obviously forgotten on the cleaning rota.

I don't like River Island. The sizes are all a bit odd and at the moment everything has gold on it…read more It's like someone heard that Sam Sparro song and went 'Ooh, I know, the kids are all singing about black and gold, they'll probably buy lots of clothes in those colours too!' There's just something about the women's clothing that doesn't work and I can't put my finger on it. It's a bit too much like Gok Wan's come in with a pair of scissors and wreaked havoc. And there are too many frills. And there's also definitely too much purple. No no no. I've given it three stars though because we came in and Steve bought a really sexy navy blue military shirt that looks well hot.

The Hip Store is one of those Leeds stalwarts that has been around for ages -- first in the…read moreThorntons Arcade, and now in Trinity. I've always been a fan of the cool style and interesting brands that they stock. It's all men's clothing, but I'd definitely consider shopping for gifts here for blokes, since the range is great. (Hello Christmas gift-solving!) They always seem on trend, without trying too hard -- I prefer their gear to Urban Outfitters and the like. It's kind of sporty, but not in the way you'll actually do sports in the outfit. I liked winter coats in the window! They even stock Fjallraven -- a brand I'm sure I spotted in Iceland (even though Swedish) which I think always looks ace. Think proper Nordic-fur-rustic-woollen type hats, bags, and so on. Basically, it does exactly what it says on the tin -- The Hip Store is hip and if I was a dude I'd shop there.

Usual problem, ordered item over the internet and also phoned too check was in stock. Took money…read moreand then received email to say no longer available. Poor service over phone.