Which Department Store Has The Best Range of Cool T Shirts?
As a dedicated follower of fashion you will know that one of the best places to get great designs at great prices is at one of your local department stores. With the in-house clothing ranges available in stores like Debenhams, Selfridges, M&S, House of Fraser and John Lewis all becoming better and better over time, they are now a fine place to go for all your fashion needs.
In the past, department stores’ own brand t-shirt departments were stocked nowhere near as well as their high fashion rivals, now departments stores ranges are of a quality which is really pushing the style levels very high and if high fashion stores had a comparable range of good value fashion t-shirts they would indeed be very good competition. For now though let’s just find out who has the best range of fashionable t-shirts amongst the department stores…
Debenhams
The casual clothing section at Debenhams is particularly good. With excellent designers like Ben Sherman available, those visiting this store are in for a treat. However, while they do have great range of clothing, if you are looking for more offensive t-shirts you will find it hard to find anything even a bit risqué.
Selfridges
Have been under fire in the past for dropping some of their plus size clothing ranges, Selfridges have a lot to answer for. Sadly, they have made no changes since this rash decision, leaving thousands of Selfridges mad, plus sized t-shirt wearing women forced to look elsewhere for their clothes. They do however have a range of cool t shirts which includes a particularly nice Guinness one.
M&S
Marks and Spencer has one of the worst ranges of cool t-shirts in the country. While they have a range of designers who make lovely plus size clothing like women’s dresses and coats, they don’t have a very good selection of fashion t shirts and certainly nothing that could be deemed cool.
House of Fraser
While House of Fraser has a good selection of big brand t shirts and a number of slogan t shirts, they still don’t cater for the retro t shirt market or have any funny t shirts. The t shirts they do have are quite cool though.
John Lewis
John Lewis has a fairly limited selection of cool t shirts. The ones they do have are good quality though but still, probably unsurprisingly, no offensive t shirts.
Winner: Selfridges
Bargain Decorating and Furniture Buying Tips
NINE STEPS TO CREDIT CRUNCH DECORATING.
Stylish ways to shop smart during the credit crunch.
1. SALE SHOPS
Check out your nearest HomeSense, the homeware sister to TKMaxx. Also investigate Trade Secrets and National Brands with lines from Laura Ashley, House of Fraser, John Lewis and M&S.
2. ONLINE OFFERS
Annoyed but intrigued by all those 20% off offers that keep being forwarded to your inbox? Sign up to vouchercodes.co.uk, and access them all from one manageable website. Also try secretsales.com – an online sale club with discounts of up to 80% – moneysavingexpert.com, and moneysupermarket.com.
3. USE SHOPBOTS
Price comparison sites sift through retail sites to find the cheapest – but use at least three – from kelkoo.co.uk, pricerunner.co.uk, pricegrabber.co.uk and shopping.com – as not all retailers have relationships with all of them.’
4. GET A STORECARD
…but don’t use it. Many lure you in with a massive discount on your first purchase, which is great if you are furnishing a home. Take out the card, use the discount, access the privilege club, then pay the bill and cut the card up.
5. FREE AND EASY
Check out freecycle.org and pick up other people’s unwanted items. Great if you want old furniture to customise.
6. BE CHEEKY
Many sales personnel will go to great lengths to land a sale so don’t be afraid to ask for a discount. Or offer to pay in cash, which saves them on credit card commission.
7. FACTORY SHOPS AND OUTLETS
Some of our favourites include include Arthur Price, the Fired Earth Outlet, Christopher Wray Lighting, OKA Discount Shop, Portmerion, Sanderson Clearance, Waterford Crystal, Wedgewood and Wesley Barrell. Go to their websites to join the mailing list of your favourites and you’ll get prior notice about special sales and exclusive discounts.
8. OUTLET VILLAGES
With manufacturers increasingly producing merchandise specifically to sell through outlets, they no longer have that ‘last-season’s reject’ vibe. One of the smartest is Bicester Village with the likes of Cath Kidston, the White Company, Bodum, Descamps, Molton Brown, Calvin Klein and Paul Smith at bargain prices. Also try York Designer Outlet, Cheshire Oaks, Ashford and Gunwharf Quays.
9. HIGH DESIGN ON THE HIGH STREET
Savvy shoppers will already know to head to Habitat, who have enlisted the talent of top names such as Paola Navone, David Adjaye, Daisy de Villneuve, Christian Lacroix and Celia Birtwell to add to their already impressive collection. Graham & Brown have produced wallpaper ranges with Basso and Brooke, Barbara Hulaniki and Marcel Wanders, whilst Debenhams have long had collaborations with a Matthew Williamson, Julien Macdonald and John Rocha. House of Fraser stock both Jaeger and Ghost bed linen and Orla Kiely’s new collection for Heals launched last autumn. Designer style at high street prices – what’s not to like?
Visit our decorating archive for more modern decorating ideas.
Amazing 40th Birthday Gifts for Women
40th birthday gifts are always tricky, especially if the one you intend to give the gift to is sensitive about age.
So if you are a man wanting to give a woman something special, then try these interesting 40th birthday gifts.
How about a short course on cooking? With a Novelli Cooking Course, your special girl can improve her culinary skills by getting some valuable hands-on experience on cooking some of Jean-Christophe Novelli’s dishes. This will also give her a chance to stay at the Novelli Academy in the Hertfordshire countryside.
You can also try to give her the Postal Garden Design Package. With this, you can give her the garden she always dreamed of! She will only have to complete a site survey and answer a comprehensive questionnaire regarding her current garden. With this information, a professional garden designer can make detailed designs based on the preferences provided. Aside from that, she can also get some gardening hints and tips, plus a comprehensive planting scheme.
Finally, one of the best 40th birthday gifts you can give her is a Personal Shopping Experience. She could, for example, get the services of a personal shopper at the House of Fraser. This will begin with a consultation on the kind of style she has and what pieces she’s looking for, followed by the consultant picking out some items for her, and of course, the fitting. In addition to that, she could get a small makeover, some vouchers to spend at the House of Fraser, and a goodie bag filled with samples.
So, here are just a few ideas- try one for size.