Being a Fashion Promotion student, it is probably stating the obvious when I say that I like going shopping and buy new clothes. So, I thought that today I would write a bit about my favourite shops in Manchester and where I like to go, having lived here for a while now and having been on many shopping trips.

There are two big shopping centres in Manchester- The Arndale Centre and The Trafford Centre. If you are living near to university, then the Arndale Centre is the closest shopping centre to most of the student accommodation, the Trafford Centre, although larger is further to travel. But the buses to and from there are really frequent.

I prefer The Arndale as it is more convenient and is still full of a variety of different shops to walk around such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters and Dr Martens to name a few. Very recently a Monki store has opened in the centre which I personally was very excited about as Monki is one of my favourite shops. The day it opened, I even queued up outside and was one of the first 100 customers who got 40% off!

Another shop I frequently go to is Primark, Manchester has a huge Primark just around the corner to the Arndale centre, which is perfect for finding cute accessories that don’t break the bank as well as bargain clothes, it is worth a quick sweep to see if you can find any gems.

Moving away from mainstream stores, I love going to the Northern Quarter and wandering round all the vintage stores. The most popular and well- known store being We Are Cow which has become a bit of a go-to place for the students of Manchester. They stock both menswear and womenswear and a selection of re-worked and vintage garments. Another store to mention Is Blue Rinse, they recently moved to a larger space just a few doors down and like Cow sell both vintage and re-worked garments using vintage materials. Pop Boutique is the name of another vintage store to check out.

No trip to the Northern Quarter is complete without a trip to Afflecks, which is an indoor market full of independent shops. The majority of which are alternative clothing, record shops and retro game shops. There are also tattoo parlours and piercers as well as cafes and it is all under one roof.

If you’re into quirky, colourful fashion a shop to go have a look at is Thunder Egg, again in the Northern Quarter, I love this little shop. They stock not only clothing but quirky and unique jewellery and accessories as well as home things and gifts. You walk in and the whole shop is full of colour, and weird and wonderful things I could honestly spend a good hour in there and it is only a little shop.

I know we are students and on a budget but even if you can’t afford to buy anything it is still an idea for a fun day out!