For Starters

Jane Norman to me as a teenager was always slightly too expensive and if you bought anything in there, you used the bag for your PE kit for at least a few weeks!!
Now i'm older and earning, I realise that Jane Norman isn't drop dead designer, and is actually pretty affordable, and always up to date on trend. So as you can imagine, on this discovery I started popping in there every time I pass.
You can actually commonly spot Jane Norman in most shopping centres so they are not easy to avoid.

Who's it for

This is definately a younger design shop even the music played inside is mostly aimed at the 20 - 30 age. But as with most clothes shops now, the brand is diversifying and now most of their designs can be worn by many.

Clothing Range

I find Jane Norman a great place to go if you have a little party lurking round the corner and want something trendy and beautiful to wear. But apart from a great range of party wear they also design a lot of casual.
Infact to name a few -

* Tops - As the summer season is coming in Jane Norman has started doing a good range of casual tops which are great over jeans or shorts. All their designs are long in shape at the moment which is brilliant teamed with a pair of leggings. The patterns and styles attached to these stretch T's are always a bit statemented and therefore I find that you have to be open minded and think 'this is not just a t shirt with a big flower on it (or similar) its an outfit completed with skinny jeans and killer heels!
Jane Norman also do an excellant range of smart tops and blouses which are perfect teamed with smart or linen trousers for work or after drinks work. As in Jane Norman usual style they are very up to date in there image, ie they are a bit frilly and outgoing and always nipped in at the waist, therefore if you're looking for really sensible and plain work clothes, do not look here!
Along with the above like any woman's clothes shop they throw in a few plain T's and spaghetti string tops which are ok to bulk up your wardrobe!

* Dresses - As I said before, this is a good shop to go to if you need a little outfit for a night out and I always think the dresses have a good range depending on whether you want to look sexy, smart, pretty, etc. However please note that if you do not like your legs, you will not find anything which goes past your knee!

* Skirts - A lot of the skirts at the moment are pretty smart and can be a bit boring, I think this may be due to the rise in the hot pants and dresses this year (who am I to tell you) but if you do need something a bit smart but still trendy then Jane norman is okay for black pancil skirts and maybe the odd denim!

* Trousers - I have never bought trousers in here but i did recently purchase a pair of beautiful cropped linen trousers and I am also a fan of shorts, Jane Norman are notorious for bagging a gorgeous pair of tailored shorts for summers evenings!
Although I have never purchased trousers here are no there are a large range, and again this includes a lot of smart and trendy and of course jeans (of course!)

* Footwear - I have to say, despite being a fan of this shop I am not a fan of its footwear, although to be fair I think Jane Normans primary business is clothing and the shoes are thrown in to complete the image. The range is very small and I have been into branches where they don't have any on display at all.

* Accessories - What girl doesn't need belts and bags and jewellery to go with her outfit? Exactly.
Jane Norman are brilliant with big statement necklaces and chunky bracelets to turn a plain outfit into something that you can go out in feeling gorgeous.
With bags and belts, as usual they keep everything very trendy and in fashion and I think this is the shop to go to if you want to complement an outfit with something a bit special.

Prices

The prices in Jane Norman are very reasonable depending on what you are looking for, I find Jane Norman to be 'the thirty pound shop' on a regular basis, and sometimes thats a lot compared to similar stores.
If you are looking for a dress or something for a particular night out then I find Jane Norman very cheap, however if you are just browing and see a T shirt you like, a lot of the time it will be around 20 - 30 pound and this can nearly always be too much for me. However it's nice to treat yourself and an outfir in there once in a while is a treat but is not too lavish that you feel guilty!

Quality

I have never had an issue with anything that I have bought in Jane Norman, I find as long as you look after your clothes they fait well with wear and with wash.
Jane Norman use a look of nice materials on their clothes and they always feel comfortable and special because you feel like detail has gone into them.

Layout

The shop itself is usually over stocked and can be busy, its actually a bit of a nightmare shopping in there and can sometimes feel a bit jumble sale ish.
However if you go at a quiet time then its easy to browse through and their sections are usually coordinated by styles and colours which makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

Customer Service

I have never had a problem with the customer service in this shop, the staff are usually very young and trendy and the shelves are usually stocked with all the sizes they have therefore interaction with staff is only really at the paying end and they are efficient, but I would not say friendly. I also do not know if they are helpful with their returns policy, but they do have the policy in brief in writing by the checkout.
I often find that the queue is reasonable and there is normally only one person max infront of me when I buy something.

Sizes

For some reason it doesn't matter how much we complain, sizes are getting smaller, I am a size 8. I have always been, but for some reason Jane Norman have decided to label the clothes that fit me with a 10 or 12 label. Which is fine (I suppose) but if you are a 10 or a 12, you are now a 14 or 16 and so on. And this means that there is going to be a smaller chance of having your size if you are actually a size 14 or 16. The selfish sizing i think is a snotty way for clothes designers to keep their designs on wafer thin women and I cant see it changing any time soon.

SO?

So, I recommend that you go in here if you have a specific outfit or look in mind, the styles are always up to date in trend and you are bound to find something. However this is not a shop for fantastic bargains or comfy wear.

Happy shopping. And let me know your thoughts on the sizing issues.

xxx