When I visit the UK, I enjoy getting my fix of the high street shops that haven't yet graced the…read morefair shores of the United States. I'd been reading about Hobbs quite a bit in the press and was looking forward to the chance to check out their smart, stylish and classic yet on-trend range. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of stock on sale and found this shop to be well merchandised and without a lot of surplus inventory to detract from the browsing experience. The clothing itself is high quality (along the lines of Reiss, another of my favorites). I ended up with a t-shirt and a beautiful, embellished-collar bottle green dress that I am looking forward to wearing to the opera and to upcoming holiday engagements. I am hoping that a higher-up somewhere will read this and decide to open an outpost of Hobbs in Chicago.

I'm clearly not old enough to be shopping at Hobbs (yet), however I have been dragged here many a…read moretime by my mother who absolutely adores this store. Whilst I almost wish I could give this place a bad review (payback for the amount of hours I've been made to wait in the changing rooms) I can't deny that clothes are both smart, sophisticated and very well made. This store isn't incredibly big but the stock they do have is clearly some of the best of the Hobbs range. The staff are all approachable, and there's no snootiness that you'd expect from some upmarket high street stores. In terms of prices, Hobbs is definitely on the higher end of the scale when it comes to the high street (expect to pay between £80-£150 for a nice dress). Aside from that there's not really much more I can say except visit Hobbs for yourself!

I visited this branch of H&M in late August, so surprisingly I have only got round to reviewing it…read morenow, but I do feel this store does deserve and need a review as it seems to be unreviewed for 1 2/3 years, so a review is really needed! This branch is quite a big store, very close to GAP and Apple on the upper floor of St David's mall. the store is over two floors with most women's clothing being on the ground floor and men and children's being on the upper floor. Going into the store, it is quite nice, bright and welcoming and it does need to do this to stand out with the other larger stores on the top of St David's mall, which does include GAP, Nike and Apple. The selection here is mediocre, it isn't great and some of the stuff here, I wouldn't even call fashion, everything just seemed average, even the staff were nothing more than satisfactory. The store does have free-wifi which was pretty useful. The store deserves a middle two star rating based on comments raised above.

Nowadays we're all slightly conscious about the things we do that affect our environment. We travel…read moreto work differently, ensure our leftovers go into the correct waste bin and hit 'power off' instead of 'sleep' when leaving the office for the day. So, if we're doing the little things to make a difference why don't the big companies? Cue H&M - Long Live Fashion! H&M is the first fashion company to launch a garment collection initiative where you can hand in ANY clothes you no longer want - including those hideous pyjamas your Nan bought you for Christmas! It doesn't have to be branded, or a particular material. What's more you'll receive a £5 voucher for every bag you hand in! How it Works: Textiles that can't be reused get a new chances as textile fibres, or are used to manufacture products such as damping and insulating materials for the auto industry. Energy: When rewear, reuse and recycle are not options, textiles are used to produce energy. Reuse: Textiles that are no longer suitable to wear are converted into other products, such as cleaning cloths. Rewear: Clothing and textiles that can be worn or used again are marketed worldwide as second-hand goods. There isn't a limit as to how much you can hand in and ALL H&M store in the UK and Ireland offer this service. Simply drop off your bag and receive a £5 voucher in return. Happy Recycling!

I find it ever so embarrassing to admit, but H&M is still one of my favourite shops. I know, I know…read more- they're not particularly into fair trading, and the quality isn't as great as say Topshop or Urban Outfitters, but I love how quickly their ranges change, their bargain prices and their fashionable styles. But despite how I feel about the brand as a whole, I can't help feeling that the Cabot Circus store lets the side down. The rails of clothes seem like they're thrown together: bikinis next to coats, men and women's ranges stuffed next to each other which leaves the place feeling disorientating even to a seasoned shopper like me. There always seems to a limited range of sizes in this branch, and the sales tend to be below par. The shop assistants are always helpful, but even they can't sway me from choosing the Odeon Buildings store over this one.

You gotta love H & M! If you come in at the right time you can get some pretty good clothes at some…read morevery good prices. I used to work in peacocks, and seeing some of the prices slapped on the not so quality garments was always annoying, H& M is only a little bit more expensive bit I think you are getting so much more quality and trend for what you are paying for. You can also guarantee a hassle free shop, and plenty of choice which is always good.

I really dislike this New Look and am very happy that there is a new one in town…read more Going down the escalator you feel like your going into a basement and as such its pretty dark down there, or not dark but just lacking any natural light. Everything feels like its been crammed in and if you ever went there on a Saturday it would be really hard to move around and I very rarely came out with anything. I've never found the staff particularly helpful either, I get the impression if you ask them for help they think you are bothering them.

This new look is almost perfect size, I would say. I have been in some (like the one in St Davids…read more2, quite possibly, though I haven't quite made up my mind about that one yet) that are just a little too large. This one has everything you could want in it. There's the accessories, the shoes, the different ranges of clothes. And the clothes themselves are brilliant - I mean, it's subjective, obviously, but on a little graph of quality versus price on the highstreet, new look would score pretty darn well. The staff are also all wonderful - really friendly and really good about callling over other staff to help get other sizes when you realise you picked up an 18 in stead of a 10... Ooops.

I rarely shop in this store as if i'm being honest the clothes never seem to suit or fit my body…read moreshape and I don't think I'm that out of the ordinary! However, after searching high and low for the perfect dress to wear to a black tie evening I thought it was worth a try. As soon as I entered the shop, the perfect dress was staring me right in the face. The layout of the store puts every item on show and I was overcome with the high level of customer service. I was immediately given the option to put the items I had selected into a changing room while I continue to browse, when I arrived at the changing room I was shown right in to my fitting room and offered a pair of shoes to try with the dress. And then, after putting the item on hold for the rest of the day (just in case another sotre delivered the perfect dress) I returned and was instantly greeted with the staff not only rememberng my name but the exact dress and shoes that I had originally tried on. Don't get me wrong, I like my designer high street stores and some of this should come naturally but I generally find that this level of service is pretty hit and miss in Bristol so I was genuinely pleased with the service I had received on a busy Saturday.

This is another lovely shop in the chain. I've only given it 3 stars because so far it is not as…read moregood as the branch on Park Street, in my opinion, that is. It's a very grand place and the focus is on clothes for going out in. The other shop has more of a balance and that's one reason why I prefer the other shop. However, if you are looking for beautiful clothes to make a special evening even more special, this would be a lovely place to come to. The staff is very friendly and helpful - happy to source items from other stores for you. Wish they didn't look so scared when you walk in, it gives the impression that they are not doing as well as they might be. I do think that Reiss caters more for the 'up and down' girl, rather than the shapely but nevertheless you can still find beautiful clothes there.

This is the original H & M in Cardiff and is probably now overshadowed by the shiny new one in the…read moreSt Davids 2 complex. While I like the new shop, I still prefer this one as it tends to be less busy and I prefer the layout which doesn't seem to ram as much into the space as possible. And its also quite clear that your casual wear is on the ground floor and your smart stuff is upstairs. It doesn't have much in the way of designer collections that you can get in the new store but thats ok with me. It seems to have a bigger range of accessories too, or maybe its the same but not so squashed. I guess it depends on where you are in town, but this offers a nicer shopping experience for me.

Everyone knows Topshop is the big gun in terms of the high street clothing retailers. Fine. Ain't…read moreno one taking that title anytime soon. On the other end, you've got Peacocks and Primark, proudly waving the banner of the cheap and cheerful end of the retail spectrum. In the middle of this scale sits the mid-range shops, for those who like their clothes affordable, but built to last more than a month. Here lies River Island, Zara and, perhaps the best of these, H&M. H&M always seems to cater to the fashion conscious who manage to maintain their own style; the ones who haven't been subjected to the Topshop mind control ray and become worker drones to the neon green fashionista aesthetic. They offer a range of menswear that adheres to current fashion trends without becoming too ensconced in them; buy something in H&M and it'll look good throughout the year, as opposed to the three weeks when that particular fashion is in. This store is made with choice in mind, filling two massive floors of the Capitol shopping centre with their massive stock selection.

River Island sells fashionable clothes for the young man and woman. Its one of my favourite stores…read morebecause the clothes are of slightly better quality compared to some high street stores (although prices are lightly more expensive to match!). The Newport store has a range of Womenswear down stairs and menswear upstairs, and the clothing ranges form casual jeans, t-shirts, shirts, and accessories to more formal attire, suits, shirts ties, dresses and shoes. It has brilliant sales in January and the summer, and they cater for a wide taste (however some items would look good on a chav!) Definitely worth a look.

This shop is a thorn in my side. My daughter loves this shop for the latest fashion trends…read more Personally i have lost count of the number of times that i have had to return things due to the quality. One hint i would tell people is keep your receipt, not just until you get home but for a few months after. Faulty goods can only be returned with a receipt. The neon shirts especially i would advice hand washing (which i hate doing) but the neon fades really quick in the machine. Apart from that it is a well laid out shop with friendly but busy staff. Really nice clothes, bit pricey but well worth checking out during the sales as there are some great bargins to be had. Overall one of the best shops for high fashion clothing in Newport.

You know what? I've been thinking - it's great that Cowbridge offers a more mature league of female…read moreshoppers the opportunity to buy exquisite clothing in a beautiful setting. Although the boutiques aren't generally aimed at women of my age and social standing (a broke-a*s 28-year-old girl with no disposable income to speak of), I am glad they're around. And so it brings me to Beckis - a designer clothing shop nestled in the high street that boasts ranges from Frank Walder, Basler, and Nicole Farhi, among others. Although the decor reminds me of a 1970's South Beach hotel room, with its pink carpet and wicker furniture, it strangely makes for a soothing shopping experience. If you hit when the sales are ripe, you can grab items like a Nicole Fahri top for less than £55. Bargain! And don't forget to have a look upstairs, as that's where all the shoes are displayed.

There are a lot of female clothing stores in Cowbridge, most of which are very much aimed at the…read more'mature women', with very few exceptions. Thankfully Becki's is one fo the few shops that carries labels that twenty somethings would consider buying, although they would have to be rather well heeled twenty somethings if they are going to be able to afford to shop here! This isn't usually so much of an issue in this extremely affluent area, but a recent visit to Cowbridge revealed that retail sales are down considerably at the moment. (I am gutted to hear for instance that The Little Shop of Calm won't be renewing its lease in November... and they are one of the very few shops that stocks realyy good affordable clothing for people under thirty!) All boutiques tend to have good sales. Becki's is no exception. You can expect to find up to 70% off the reatail price, and perhaps even more of a reduction towards the closing stages of the sale... I love Cowbridge in sale season!