Manchester Adventures - The Northern Quarter

Hello there lovely readers! Today I'm going to share with you some of the adventures I've been having around Manchester, starting off with the wonderful Northern Quarter :)

Now firstly I need to thank Miss Marie and Hannah, both of whom suggested that I visit places in the Northern Quarter. Thanks for the advice ladies, I had a fab time exploring!

Now anyone who has been to Manchester will know about the vast amount of mainstream shops there are, if you like that kind of thing there is row after rows of chains, brands, anything you can think of, but I wonder how many of you have taken the time to explore the streets of the Northern Quarter? I must admit that this is definitely where my heart lies, among the little boutiques, cafes, vintage and charity shops, I felt right at home, almost as if I was back in London wandering the streets of Soho :)

Afflecks Palace, and it is a palace indeed!

First off I wove my way floor to floor in the epic construction that is the Affleck's Palace, I tell you, this place is enormous! It is stuffed with new designers, vintage clothes, body art and piercing stalls, it really was quite a sight to see. I must admit that it was a little goth heavy for my tastes, and there wasn't really a wide enough selection of vintage clothes to get me spending my hard earned pennies, but just looking at the selection of goods on sale was a really fun experience. Definitely worth a visit if you're interested in mixing a modern and vintage look, you wouldn't be short of new fashion ideas after browsing around this place!

Oxfam Originals on Oldham Street

The main street where all the lovely vintage-y stores seem to lurk is Oldham Street, it's the home of Paul's Vintage (a warehouse bursting with a huge selection of goodies, although mostly from the 70s/80s/90s), Oxfam Originals (a sexy version of your regular Oxfam!) and the Manchester branch of Forbidden Planet (a big hit with my Sweetheart when he came to visit!). But I have to say that my favourite place on Oldham Street was Pop Boutique. Now I have visited Pop Boutique on the Seven Dials in London many times, and I must admit I have never been that impressed with what's on offer, but let me tell you, Manchester's Pop Boutique is what the London version wants to be when it grows up...

Pop Boutique, Oldham Street

This fabulous store boasts two whole massive floors of vintage goodness, including a large selection of home furnishings, but in terms of clothes you'll find everything you could possibly want from dresses to bags to shoes to jackets. Just look at this beautiful decor...

Now, one thing I don't and have never liked about Pop Boutique is that they do have a habit of selling some vintage items as old-to-new, i.e. they take dresses and skirts and cut them off rather severely at the knee and then re-hem them, something that I have a real problem with (not so much when you're dealing with newer pieces, but when you find beautiful 50s/60s era dresses that have been treated this way you too would feel my pain!) however, in this instance I was able to forgive because of the incredible find that came my way on my visit...

Oooo... pretty!

Tucked away between some rather terrifying polyester creatures at the front of the Manchester Pop Boutique store was one of the loveliest dresses that I have ever seen. It was a beautiful grey silk satin with a delicate pattern of flowers in black, red and orange and when I saw it my heart skipped a beat. On closer inspection I found that it was not only in perfect condition but the construction details gave it away to be either late 50s or early 60s. I just knew that I had to have this dress, if only I could afford it. And you know what the best part is? I bought this dress at about half the price I would have had to pay in London! Result!! 

I'll be sharing this dress in outfit post soon, I cannot wait for you all to see it :)

I loved wandering about the Northern Quarter - particularly as the weather seemed to be on my side whenever I visited! - and I would definitely recommend a browse if you are ever in that area. For some good places to visit check out this article.

Anyway, that's it from me today, but check back soon for more of my Manchester adventures!

Bye for now!