Her Fashion Journey: Shop Report

During my research for my own shop reports for Monsoon/Accessorize and Next, I found these mini reports on Drapersonline.com

Monsoon:

Great embellishment and winter woolies means Monsoon comes into its own for autumn.

Product 8

Monsoon has been quietly working on expanding its autumn fodder for a couple of seasons now. This autumn is a particularly important one for the embellishment trend, which Monsoon always offers in droves, but that’s not all it has done well. Knitwear stands out, especially Fair Isle, as well as winter dresses and outerwear, including faux fur and brocade coats.

Experience 7

The changing rooms are the best in Glasgow. They are big, with plenty of room and each has a different name and matching mural inside – such as “Rose”. The store is split into a ground floor for daywear, with outerwear prioritised towards the front. A mezzanine level houses kidswear, partywear and the younger Fusion sub-brand. It’s an easy layout to navigate.

Value 7

Fabrics are high quality at Monsoon and as such the prices are a little more than at the young fashion retailers, but are still reasonably competitive against contemporary rivals. Oversized cable cardigans with Fair Isle-patterned hems are priced at £70 while a checked wool dress is good value at £55. A purple halterneck dress with beaded waist and neckline is just about OK at £150, as is a blue tweed cocoon coat for £130 and a shaggy three-quarter length fake-fur jacket for £150.

score 22

http://www.drapersonline.com/trends/womenswear/hit-or-miss/monsoon/5007421.article

Next:

A trend-aware autumn range works this good store location hard.

Product 7

Next has upped its fashion credentials for autumn 09, tapping into key catwalk trends, including the ubiquitous sequins, houndstooth shift dresses, Fair Isle knits, loose-fit jumpsuits, shoulder-padded jersey blazers and pixelated prints. Interestingly, there is a silver thread-strewn sharp-lapelled blazer which is all but identical to a River Island version, and a raft of tiny denim skirts, which suggests this branch is trying to move away from Next’s workwear reputation.

Experience 7

This shop is a nice browsing space, with product spaced just right and an easy to navigate layout, split into casual product on the left-hand side and smarter pieces and more trend-led items on the right. A nice little mid-shop insert shows off Next’s Runway collection on mannequins. The store is situated over three floors, with womenswear located in a prime place on the bottom level.

Value 8

Value for money is always good at Next, but this season seems particularly price competitive. Michael Jackson print T-shirts and slashed jersey tops are just £16, a houndstooth duffle coat is a mere £55, while a denim popper-front shirt is only £18 and both a painterly rivet top and a pixelated houndstooth tunic come in at just £20. Breton-striped 100% cotton tops with matching scarf are just £10.