Manchester Shopping
Manchester Shopping
A vacation in Manchester? Better bring your credit cards, because for shopaholics, Manchester is homo heaven and lesbian paradise. This is quite simply one of the biggest concentrations of fabulous shopping anywhere in Britain, and it’s all here, from upscale department stores to bargains at TK Maxx and from tiny boutiques to the big malls.
Shop your way along King Street, Manchester’s elegant designer strip, but save some spending power for the very latest arrivals: the chic Triangle mall, the glamorous new Harvey Nichols and Selfridges stores. Baggage allowance? Ah, who’s counting!
Don’t miss the funky and offbeat Northern Quarter. Discover that Affleck’s Palace isn’t a house, but a great place to spend your vacation dollar. And check out the gay village for its very own offerings, whether it’s that little leather number you’ve always promised yourself or a cool and clingy top to go disco dancing.
Harvey Nichols
Names, names, names – Harvey Nichols is famed as the department store for designer goods: it’s a British Barneys or Nieman Marcus, more or less. Harvey Nicks (as it’s universally known) has strong queer appeal.
King Street
For more than a century elegant King Street has been the place the dandies and fashion plates of Manchester came to buy their clothes. Despite designer competition from New Cathedral Street and the new department stores, it is still packed with upscale fashion, from one-time punk wild child Vivienne Westwood to the oh-so-cool elegance of Giorgio Armani and DKNY and the hip street fashion of Diesel.
The Northern Quarter
Like SoHo in New York or SoMa in San Francisco, the Northern Quarter is as much a vibe as a place to go shopping: between the hip bars, stylish apartments and wonderfully offbeat shopping there is still an edge. Check out the wonderland of Affleck’s Palace for great, individual club wear, and get a tattoo while you’re there. Then zero in on the modern art at the Arc Gallery Store in nearby Smithfield Buildings.
Schuh
Butch and practical footwear to give your feet treet credibility, with famous brands including Birkenstock, Caterpillar, Skechers and Dr Martens. 42-46 Market Street. Tel 0161 839 0618.
Selfridges (www.selfridges.co.uk)
Manchester outpost of the hip London department store, with food and fashion for men and women, right in the heart of the newly redeveloped city centre. Exchange Square. Tel: 08708 377377.
Shellys (www.shellys.co.uk)
Truly original, one-off shoe designs, from the fashionable to the fantastic and the frankly fetishistic. Plus groovy accessories. 42-46 Market Street. Tel: 0161 839 0618.
St Anne’s Square and Barton Arcade
This is traditionally one of the high class shopping areas in the city, and worth browsing for the stunning architecture alone. Check out the beautiful Victorian glass dome in the Barton Arcade. The shopping is a mix of individual fashion and upscale chainstores selling fashion and shoes.
The Trafford Centre (www.traffordcentre.co.uk)
This glitzy out of town mall is anchored by a Selfridges store, and has branches of many of the best known British high street stores. More familiar brands include Foot Locker, Borders, The Gap, Nike, Ralph Lauren and Sunglasses Hut. Check out Spanish fashion store Zara for cheap but hip men’s and women’s clothing.
Dumplington, M17. Tel: 0161 629 1234.
The Triangle
Truly triangular, this upscale mall is an imaginative conversion of a 19th century block. The emphasis is on hip fashion and sporty style, from O’Neill to Adidas and Calvin Klein underwear. Japanese minimalists Muji and upscale bath and body products from Space NK add a chic edge. Exchange Square.
Clone Zone (www.clonezone.co.uk)
Headquarters store of the world’s largest gay retailer, Clone Zone is a dependable stop in the village for gay fashion, fetish, toys, cards, books and DVDs. The H20 Zone sauna next door is also part of the Clone Zone empire. 36-38 Sackville Street. Tel: 0161 236 1398.
RoB (www.rob.nl)
Five minutes from the gay village and just behind the Basement sauna is this, the Manchester outpost of the renowned Dutch leather and fetish store. Stock up here for that leather daddy or rubber pig look.
17 China Lane. Tel: 0161 236 6222.
Nua (www.nualifestyle.com)
Newly-opened lesbian lifestyle store in the Northern Quarter, with everything from cards and gifts to toys and lube. 49 Tib Street.
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