All Saints

Definitely the grown up member of the Manchester All Saints family. Its King St location, toned down and stripped back décor and the fact that it is generally a lot less busy than the other stores make for a real show room feel.
As with all All Saints stores the staff are unique in that they work there because they love the clothes and as such they are amongst the most knowledgeable, passionate and helpful store workers you will find anywhere in the city centre.
I don’t suppose I need to go into detail about the the clothing range– such is it’s universal popularity at the minute– but Rick Owens meets Topshop is how I’d sum it up, with the prices falling somewhere in the middle.

Oof, some harsh words for All Saints thus far. But I can’t exactly ignore a store that my mother-​in-​law claims is ‘built for my body’. Every time she comes into All Saints with me she has a field day. And the price tags don’t perturb her, she has wealth. They perturb the heck out of me.
Lovechild of Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor, it’s the cut of this clothing that really makes me drool. I can completely understand that it’s not for everyone, but I adore the strange, the asymmetrical, the oddly shaped, the over-​structured. I like dresses with huge tulip skirts, I like long gowns designed around the idea of old war parachutes full of ropes and confusing instructions. I’m down with chunky, weathered military boots worn with pretty floaty skirts. I’m a fan of the skirts that look like they’re made out of about a hundred skirts. I dig coats with tails, and I enjoy hats that look like they’d be more at home on a smurf. That’s all very ‘me’. But it’s an acquired liking. I can guarantee that All Saints makes the stocky of leg or short of body feel like a complete frump. Admittedly, the clothes are designed for the long and lean.
The Arndale branch is nice enough, with a wide range of clothing, but you’re likely to pick up something far more unusual at this King Street offering which acts as more of a boutique and harbours a great deal more of their new vintage items. Yes, All Saints and vintage, oh, it’s like peanut butter and jelly. It just FITS. So there’s something of an insider’s tip for you. And while the pricetags are in fact ridiculous for a shop that claims to be ‘high street’, look out for the sales, as these are often very reasonable. The 70% off final reductions are the holy grail of All Saints shopping.
The only qualms I have refer to the quality, as sometimes it can be a little dicey for the price. But both the men’s and ladieswear are gorgeous if you’re into that sort of thing. Definitely be sure to treat yourself to an All Saints item at least once or twice in your lifetime.
It took me a long time to stop associating the shop with that girl band from the 90s, though. Gosh, their comeback was a bit of a flop, wasn’t it. Erk…