Monsoon makes memorable clothing

At the back of my wardrobe is a cobalt blue satin slinky strappy dress. It is ankle length with a Chinese inspired embossed pattern. I never wear it but could never get rid of it as it was my graduation ball dress and it made me feel like a million dollars at the time. I get it out and remember that wonderful but sad night as an era came to an end. No this opinion is not going to be on my days at Stirling University. That is another opinion entirely. This opinion is on the shop where I bought it Monsoon. I have two types of clothes stores I shop in. There are the ones where I buy most things. These are more budget shops such as Primark and H and M. There is a second type of shop that I enjoy window shopping in and delight in the clothes but they are often outside my budget. Monsoon is certainly one of these stores.

Monsoon is the main store in the Monsoon group. It has a sister store Accessorise and has also spawned a fragrance of the same name. It was founded in 1972 and you can find its stores in any large town or city. I have had experience of the King Street branch in Manchester and the Port Street one in Stirling. Apparently there is now one in Dumfries so it must be getting very widespread now! Monsoon sells women’s and children’s clothes. It also stocks a small homeware collection

I would say Monsoon is aimed at someone who likes fairly classic, quality clothing. The clothes are modern but are not over fashionable. I would say it would suit a stylish lady perhaps in her 30s. It is certainly the top end of the High Street. I would think it is aimed at the same market as Laura Ashley and perhaps Next.

I am not to sure of the children’s clothes that Monsoon sells as I never visit the children’s department. This opinion will concentrate on the women’s department.
Monsoon stocks smart casuals such as jumpers and skirts in good quality materials such as wool and silk. The other main thing it stocks is evening wear. Their evening dresses and separates are gorgeous. The colours are often vivid and the materials are sumptuous using silk, satin and taffeta. It also has a bridal collection. For me Monsoon is definitely a place to go if you want a very special outfit.

The sizing of the ladies wear is pretty good. I believe they have sizes from size 8 -16 and maybe even 18.

It seems to be quite easy to locate things. If there is not a sale on clothes are divided into evening wear and day wear and then they seem to be divided into similar colours and fabrics. It seems quite easy to find what you want in Monsoon

This is a bit of a downside. It is certainly not a budget range and I find some of the clothes expensive for what they are. You are talking £25 for a little top, perhaps £40 for a jumper or a skirt. A simple dress can be as much as £50. If you want an evening dress, £75 is probably he cheapest you are going to spend and the most expensive ones are nearer the £200 mark.

To compensate for their high normal prices Monsoon do have very good sales. They often bring the cost of clothes down to half price or more. I have only bought two things in Monsoon and they were both in the sale. My beautiful evening dress was £28 but its original price was £100. I think that was my biggest bargain ever. I also bought a funky wool jumper in the January sales a couple of years ago. It is multi coloured and has pretty glittery turquoises threads through out it (they are quite sublet). I am sure it was about £12 down from nearer £40. I would recommend you have a good root in a Monsoon sale

You are paying for quality materials with Monsoon clothes. I can not really comment on the evening dress as I have only worn it twice. I can comment on the quality of the jumper. Like many of Monsoon’s products it does need hand washing as it is mostly wool. However its shape and colour have lasted. It is a little bit bobbly now but apart from that it is like new.

I have found the staff to be very helpful and knowledgeable when I have asked questions. It really makes the shopping experience better. They are always on hand if you need an opinion or a different size of garment. Luckily I have never had to take a garment back to the shop so I do not know what their after sales care is like

From what I can remember the changing rooms are spacious and individual so you can enjoy trying on the sumptuous clothes in private

Their website can be found at http://www2.monsoon.co.uk/