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Bicester Village

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post with a new account, my old one was either 'Mighty' or 'Mighty.' ..I can't remember which - either way, TSR would never let me onto my account..

ANYWAY

I've been thinking about giving my wardrobe a bit of an overhaul lately. I plan to stray away from the high street a little more often and search for quality garments a bit further afield.
I have read that Bicester Village has a HUGE selection of designer boutiques at HUGELY discounted prices. Apparently.
They even offer a complimentary personal stylist to shop with you for 3 hours, apparently.

This all sounds great, although I can't help but wonder that it might be a little too good to be true. I can't help but imagine driving for just over an hour to get there, only to be disappointed by poor clothing selections and very few price reductions.

My question is this - Can anyone who has been to Bicester Village before tell me if it's a worthwhile place to visit?

Much love, Chris

Reply 1

Xenomorph v2.1

thats the only place I shop from, its ******* awesome!
All the world's greatest designer labels located in one complex, but discounted prices are still really expensive considering RRP of the products are £500-600+.

Oh and you don't get a personal stylist to shop with you, not for free anyway it may be a service available. When you enter the boutiques there are so many staff around you practically get one-to-one service from them anyway. Enjoy your shopping spree :yy:

Reply 2

pws2501

It is too good to be true. You'd still be paying about £70 for a Ralph Lauren jumper and I doubt they offer a complimentary personal stylist due to the vast number of people that visit it each day. It's worth a visit though, the layout is really nice and if you've got money to spend and time to look then you may come across a bargain. It's a good day out :smile:

Reply 3

rosieloves

ive been

id recommend it.. the only thing is, though, is that you should be prepared to root through crap a bit. most of the shops are quite good, but it varies - some things will be really discounted, whereas others will have a tiny bit off. whats nice is that all the shops just look like normal shops - its not skanky at all - and its quite a nice place to be in general. the ralph lauren is probably the best, i got a really nice shirt there for £30 rather than £90 recently :smile:

id go for it, an hours not tooooo far to travel! and you could find an amazing bargain.

Reply 4

MissOxford

Hello Chris,
A few things you should be clear on if you do decide to make the trip to Bicester Village - even though stuff is discounted, its still not incredibly cheap. If you want basic sweaters, shirts and polo's from Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Fred Perry, etc, then its a good idea to visit as they are quite cheap. But if you want e.g. a suit or a jacket, you're still going to pay quite some - so remember to take enough money with you. I don't really know how it is for men, but when I went to other shops such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Temperley etc, there really wasn't much to buy - I wasn't impressed. Also a lot of the stuff is a bit outdated, so go there for wardrope staples. They have good mens shoe shops as well, and I think you could find quite a bargain. Go there on a sunny day with low expectations, and visit the RL shop last so you don't have to carry all the stuff around!

Reply 5

Thomas 151290

have any of you guys been to the discounted village in Swindon?

Reply 6

MightyMe.

Thanks for the speedy replies. :smile:

What I'm really after are a few 'staple items' I guess - maybe a good quality pair of jeans or two, a couple of well fitted shirts and tees, perhaps a pair of smart/casual shoes and a couple of decent non-tacky accessories. I'm guessing this will still come to quite a lot then?

As for the personal stylist thing, I should have clarified that it's a service you can book in advance I think.. http://www.bicestervillage.com/en_GB/shopping/personal-stylist

I'm wondering if I might be better off on my own now though.

Reply 7

Coy Girl

I think it's pretty hit and miss. They do have some great stuff, but some of it is still very expensive. I find sometimes I come back with lots, sometimes with nothing. It is quite a good place for jeans and cosmetics I think, though I was really disappointed by their Luella and Vivienne Westwood stores; just lots of XXL printed tee shirts.

Reply 8

PGtips92

It's good, but I recently went to Cheshire Oaks oop North and it has a much bigger (and better, imo) selection.

Reply 9

MightyMe.

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely check it out and see what I think the next time I have a free weekday!

PGtips92

It's good, but I recently went to Cheshire Oaks oop North and it has a much bigger (and better, imo) selection.

...Who's the girl in your signature bud? She's amazing! ..Oh, and.. yeah. Cheshire Oaks, I'll try to remember it if I'm ever around there haha.

Reply 10

PGtips92

MightyMe.

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely check it out and see what I think the next time I have a free weekday!

...Who's the girl in your signature bud? She's amazing! ..Oh, and.. yeah. Cheshire Oaks, I'll try to remember it if I'm ever around there haha.

Alina Vacariu :drool:

Reply 11

Ilora-Danon

I visit BV quite regularly (monthly) for their All Saints outlet (and Vivienne Westwood for her jewellery) and while it's still expensive, I've got some good deals. It's an 'off chance' place really - it changes all the time so some days are better than others.