New Looks for Everybody

New Look

Shopping
in/near Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham,
England Heart Of Inc Birmingham

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Review added: 04/06/2007 22:07
By: katygriff (£0.00 earned from reviews) Earn £££'s

"On Saturday I went with my mom shopping for my little sisters 18th birthday present so naturally it turned into 15 minutes looking for a present and two hours just generally shopping. The shop of choice for the day was New look.

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What is new look?

New look is a clothing shop specialising in modern fashions for many ages.

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What ages can shop there?

They have a range called 915 which specialises in clothes for the younger age so from around 9 to 15 ironically. The rest of the range targets older teenagers and adults. My sister of nearly 18, me of age 23 and my mom of age in her forties (she would kill me if I put her actual age as she reads my reviews) all shop there so you can find a vast range of styles to suit all.

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The clothes:

The clothes vary depending upon the time of year and what is in fashion at the time. They sell all sorts of clothes so jeans, trousers, suits, t-shirts, shawls and jumpers. The clothes come in small sizes for the 915 age but in the new look range they go from size 8 up to size 18. The clothes are generally very good quality and all of the new look clothes I buy wash very well and last for years (that is unless your mom dyes all of your white tops pink due to a very small red sock that snuck its way into the white wash).

Most of the clothes that you will buy there can be put straight into the washing machine but there will be a few that will be dry clean only or hand wash so it is worth having a look at the label. Also it is worth watching out for crinkly looking tops as when you buy them from new look you will have to dry them a certain way such as twisting the top to keep the shape. There are quite a few tops like this in there at the moment.

In the summer, they will also sell bikinis and they do a great range of bikini sets but also mix and match sets.

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The accessories;

You can find many accessories and the range available is usually good in any size store you visit. The jewellery is very reasonably priced and on Saturday I picked up a long beaded necklace for £5 and earrings for £3. Also the shoes in new look are fabulous and again at a great price. For sandals in the summer you can expect to pay around £15 - £25 and boots are around the £35 - £60 mark depending on if you are bothered about having leather. The shoe range is very colourful so you can usually find some mad colour shoes. Last year I got a pair of red stiletto type shoes which look a bit crazy but teamed with the right outfit and they look great. Handbags and purses are another great accessory you can buy from new look. Again the colours and styles vary from being very conservative black to mad pink and some even have cute prints on such as the one my sister bought with a Labrador puppy print on the front. Purses are reasonably priced and vary between being plain and having little features and pictures on the front. You can usually pick one up for about £4.

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Lingerie and nightwear.

New look bras and knickers are great. Now I am a big lingerie fan and here at new look they cater for when you want to look casual, sporty, smart and sexy. The prices are great and they do a great range of sizes and colours. You can usually pick up a bra for £12 and knickers for £3. The nightwear is equally appealing and I am a big fan of pyjamas (yes I know it is sad but I just love my bed) so I rarely leave without picking up some for around £10. The nightwear is really cute and I love buying printed patterns.

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The current range:

At the moment in new look stores the range has gone all cosy ready for Autumn and Winter. The fashions include the colour plum which I love and also a lot of shawls and layered clothes which I also love. You can still find a good range of t-shirts though if you are lucky enough to live somewhere that is hot (not for us in Birmingham though I have already started wearing my leg warmers). The jeans are great at the moment as in new look they label them very well so you can make a choice. They sell jeans that are high waist but also low rise and to me this is useful. I wear the low rise jeans and it annoys me when I go into shops and they are not clearly labelled so I try them on and then I can pull them up to my chin so I find stating that they are low rise extremely useful. They also state whether they are straight cut or boot leg and also what inch the leg is so you should be able to find the perfect pair of jeans.

The skirts are another thing I am in love with this season. For about 2 years now I have wanted a wintery skirt in brown that is long so I can wear my long boots with it. On Saturday I walked into new look and there it was my skirt for £25. It is gorgeous and I can't wait till tonight where I am going out for a meal so I can wear it.

Also in the larger new look stores they have some great business dress and I am going to pop down after work to see how much everything is and I will keep you posted. The one we went to on Saturday was only a small store but the ones in Birmingham are huge.

At the moment you will be able to buy some gorgeous boots in new look and the colour rage this season is brown. The accessories you can buy include big handbags and beaded jewellery which has been all the range since last summer.

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Sizes;

The sizes in new look are pretty spot on so if you are a size 12 then the size 12 clothes should be perfect for you and fit very well. I always have problems finding t-shirts to fit me but I always seem to get lucky with new look.

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The actual shop;

The actual shop throughout the year is extremely clean and tidy looking. All of the clothes are kept together in styles and colours so you will find a section for jeans and then a section for autumn colours such as plum and brown. I will say though that new look is one of those stores that when sales time comes the place looks like a jumble sale. I know that this is the same with all stores but it actually turns me off looking for bargains which believe me is a hard thing to do.

The stores are laid out in such a way that you should always be able to find what you are after. When you walk in a new look store you can usually see the whole range by just looking around which is great as it makes shopping easier. The clothes are kept together and the accessories, lingerie and shoes are kept in separate sections.

With respect to wheelchair and pushchair users you may find it difficult navigating your way around a new look shop. I shop in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Aberystwyth and Birmingham stores and the only shop that looks like the aisles are bigger enough is the shop in the bull ring in Birmingham. The other stores just seem very cramped and I think the aisles are wide enough but I think it would be a tight squeeze.

Staff usually look very smart but casual at the same time and are usually wearing new look clothes from the current season. I find the staff helpful and friendly. The one time I did need the staffs advice was to find a top in my size and they were really good and began to ring round other stores in my area to try and get me what I wanted.

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Sales;

If there is one thing new look does well it is the sales. You can expect a huge range of clothes to be discounted to 25, 50 or even 75% if you dare to wait. Clothes, shoes and other accessories will all be put into the sale and you can find some real bargains. The summer sale that has just finished gave me some bargains which were the following. Jeans - £10. 2 beaded necklaces - £1 each. Beaded earrings - £1. White sleeveless summer top with butterfly print - £3. 3 vest tops in varying colours - £3 each. So you can see that they do just slash the prices to nothing and it is great.

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Returns;

The stores are generally very good on returns. If you do get something that is just unwanted then it is best to take it back as soon as possible but you can usually get away with waiting for around 21 days. If you have an item that has broken or ripped then you can show them your receipt and either get your money back or swap the item. It is always best to keep your receipt as this will allow you to take things back efficiently as with every shop it may get messy without proof of purchase. Generally though you should not be afraid to take things back because staff are pleasant with you and because they do not want to lose the sale they will help you leave feeling that you have had good service.

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My verdict;

I love new look. The only thing that turns me off is that it does tend to attract a lot of the younger teenagers which means when I shop on a Saturday it is usually full of people and very very busy. Many of the new look stores always look cramped which is why I tend to visit the bull ring store as it has a lot more space and it is massive.

Also the thing to remember is that they also do men's clothes as shown on the www.newlook.co.uk website but I have to say that it is probably best to phone up and check that the store near you sells men's clothes as many of the stores don't.

I think the store does well at targeting people of ages from about 9 to mid twenties but trust me for other ages there is something there. My mom often finds plain t-shirts, jeans, shawls and accessories she likes from new look so it is worth looking and ignoring the younger people in the store if you want to find some decent clothes at half the price they would be in Wallis or Principles.

You can find new look in most towns and cities as it is a popular high street store. I do recommend going as the clothes are reasonably priced and the quality is great and you will hopefully find some things that will last for years.

Thanks for reading.

xxx"

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