FASHON REVIEW: Paul's Boutique.


Paul's Boutique is a very popular brand, particularly amongst teenage girls and young women; however, it seems to be doing all that it can to maintain it's obscurity. It is actually quite difficult to find their products and there is no information about the brand or 'Paul' on their website. So what amazes me is how I see women everywhere carrying these bags but I rarely ever see them being sold. It is a mystery.

At first I hated this brand. I thought it looked chavy and tacky. Why on earth would one feel the need to display 'I <3 PB' in massive print all over their handbag? It's not as if it's Chanel or anything. Each and every bag comes with a huge keychain attached to it which is usually an ensemblement of plastic and pompoms which I abhorred. Plastic is for children's toys.

But then...

Lightning stuck! And suddenly I'm in love with this brand. I still find a lot of their stuck extremely tacky and over-garnished but the other half of their products can be quite trendy. Personally,  I only really like Paul's Boutique products that are quite plain and simple because this way the logo and the keychain don't over complicate things and crowd the design. I think the keychains actually compliment a lot of their plain designs and make them look a little edgier and unique. (By the way, no Paul's Boutique bag is the same, each and every keychain is different!). At the moment I'm only really liking their bags because the majority of their clothes are absolutely covered in diamante sequins and have PAUL'S BOUTIQUE emblazoned all over them, but I'm starting to come around to their clothes. Again, the plain ones which don't have too much going on.

Some people think that they're quite pricey, but personally I don't really think so. The big bags are worth it anyways. Some of the smaller bags have very similar prices to larger bags (around £60) and I don't really think it's worth it in these cases, but with high street stores upping their prices, it really doesn't seem like that much in comparison. Paul's Boutique currently stock clothing, handbags and accessories but personally, I think their handbags are their main selling point.

Anyways, I'm writing this post because I just got a new PB bag today! I bought it from the House of Fraser in Westfield Shopping centre. There isn't a particularly large Paul's Boutique section there but it stocks most of the good stuff. (Mainly hangbags/accessories with a couple of clothing lines). Currently I have two and they can just about go with anything and everything. My Maisy (nude) bag is more formal than the Tilly Twister (black) which is rather large. To be honest I'd use both for formal and casual events and both are have quite a lot of space inside them which is rather unneccessary but hey the look cool.

So far, I've found these bags to be very reliable. The inside material is a leopard print with silky texture which appears quite delicate but mine hasn't broken yet and I'm not the most careful person with my belongings. I've also found that they can actually carry quite a bit of weight. I was eager to get home before the riots started one night (hope all my followers are safe!) and so I hurridly shoved 2 litres of milk and several jars of tomato sauce into my bag and it showed no signs of strain. The only down side is that there aren't that many compartments inside the bag. There is usually one zip pocket and another pouch for a mobile phone and occasionally there is an extra zip on the outsode. I find this a little annoying as it means I have to open a large and full bag everytime I want to get my phone or purse out exposing all my belongings to the world. However, this isn't so bothering that I don't want to use it. My Maisy bag has an extra zip on the inside-side (if that makes sense) of the outside which is very useful for putting small things you need to get to quickly; however, my Tilly Twister lacks this. Several of my friends have other Paul's Boutique bags that they've had for years and they're all still in good condition. When looking at the bags you may doubt whether or not they're reliable, especially the one's that look really plastic-y, but trust me, they're really strong! If you're thinking of getting a smart/casual bag for yourself or as a present then I highly recommend PB bags, particularly the plain coloured ones. If you're going to purchase one with some sort of pattern on it then I reccommend you wear plain clothing because the bag will really stand out and draw attention and you don't want to end up looking like a clown. 

Maisy

If you're on the look out for a PB bag yourself. Here's a list of their stockists:

ONLINE WEB SALES

Paul's Boutique Official website
Asos.com
Topshop.com
Bankfashion.co.uk
Cult.co.uk
Hype (urban-chaos.co.uk)
Fusionfashion.co.uk
www.selfridges.com
Houseoffraser.co.uk

NATIONWIDE STOCKISTS

Selfridges - Oxford Circus Birmingham, Trafford, Exchange Square
House of Fraser - Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Meadowhall, Metro, Westfield
Topshop Flagship - Oxford Circus
Bentals - Kingston upon Thames
Fenwicks - Newcastle, Brent Cross
Cult - Aberdeen, Bath, Belfast,  Brighton,  Bullring, Cabots,  Canterbury, Cardiff,  Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull, Lakeside, Leicester, Liverpool,  Plymouth.
Bank Fashion - Available at all stores nationwide.
Hype (Urban Chaos) - Bromley
Trip - Derry
Fusion - Preston
Snooty Fox - County Tyrone
Browns Thomas - Grafton Street, Dundrum Shopping Centre, Blanchardstown, Limerick, Galway, Cork
Pussy Galore - Cardiff
Clockwork Orange - Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Lisburn, Londonderry
Richmond Classics - Dorset
Javelin - Bury St. Edmunds, Sudbury

INTERNATIONAL STOCKISTS

Basic Sense - Greece, Athens
Magazin de Bijenkorf - Holland
Iconic - Splash Group - Dubai
Geschwisterliebe - 70173 Stuttgart

(Unfortunately there don't appear to be any Paul's Boutique stockists in America)

Their fragrance is stocked by Boots, Superdrug, Bank, Asos and their Official Website.

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CONVERSATION

3 comments:

  1. Over here, if someone had a bag that read "I <3 PB" we'd assume PB was peanut butter! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol! I've never thought of that before... now that you've mentioned it I'm never going to forget it ... I'll probably walk around saying I've a peanut butter bag xD

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  3. Next thing you know, you'll be dabbing some PB on your wrists & behind your ears. You will have a trademark! Peanut Butter Girl :)

    ReplyDelete

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