Soraya’s

This really is not a shop that I expected to find something in, but a pal had a lovely dress on and when I asked where it was from she said Soraya’s. So I ventured out. I was a little surprised as this really was not the sort of shop she would normally shop in either, but it had a fair amount of stuff.
It is certainly what can be termed as cheap and cheerful, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is very much with the highstreet and seems to have embraced the eighties style, but also has some things you wouldn’t find anywhere else!
Unfortunately, as the merchandise is pretty cheap, it means the fabrics and tailoring aren’t great and I couldn’t really find anything that would forgive my lumps and bumps.
However, the lady in the shop was really friendly. We had a bit of a chat and talked about the clothes and what would suit me, how they didn’t make clothes for real women etc. and the next think I knew I was on my way to the changing room with hangers! The lady helped me decide and was tactfully honest and I actually came out with a jumper. Not what I would usually buy but it has come in handy.
This isn’t a shop I’d suggest you rushed to in your lunch hour to pick up something classy, but if you’re on Albany Road for a mooch you don’t know what you might find!

At first glance Soraya’s looks a bit tacky, and some of the clothes are. However, do not be put off, as there are some really wonderful outfits to be found hidden amongst the sequins and polyester. The clothes in this shop are surprisingly well made too: I bought a long wool coat in there 3 winters ago, and despite wearing it almost every day from late September to mid-​March (I don’t cope with Welsh winters so well!) it’s still as good as new, and the warmest coat I’ve ever had. And it was a bargain at £40. Cheap, high street fashion that’s actually good quality? Not a shop to walk past.
Expect to have to rummage through a lot of less than tasteful — and less than modest — tops and dresses first, but once you find one cute jumper or stylish jacket, you’ll soon end up with armfuls of clothes, and find yourself returning every time you need a new outfit.

Soraya’s is a ‘ladies wear’ shop on Albany Road that appears to be in good company. With The Bag Boutique and Shoe Zone as close neighbours, the cheapy naff shops have cornered the market within this particular stretch of the street… Hmmm… Not everyone can afford to be dressed by Prada and Jimmy Choo, (unless you are phenomenally famous, like Madonna, and then you get dressed by them for free… like she can’t afford to put her hand in her pocket for these things every now and again??? Is there no justice in this world?)
Soraya’s sells clothes, some, it has to be said of questionable taste, that are generally not very well made. But they don’t make any apology for it, nor do they try and package their product so that they can charge you over the odds. Their prices are generally rock bottom, and the shop is done out in a ‘back to basics’ style, allowing them to optimise shop floor space so that they can cram the garments in… It’s not my kind of shop, but then again, they are not targeting their business at me. That’s not to say I don’t go in there, I’ve been in a few times, and would have bought more than one item over time if they had had the items in question in my size, (I’m not petite, which seems to be a prerequisite of shopping here). I’m no snob, nor am I a slave to labels. As I see it Soraya’s is providing an alternative to the High Street chains addressing the low end spectrum of the market… and that’s fine by me.

The most worrying things about this shop is that it’s still in business. And there are two of them in Cardiff. Obviously someone somewhere is buying this tat.
Soraya’s is a very cheap shop, in more than one sense of the word. All of the clothes on sale here are the kind made of stretchy man-​made fabrics. Often you’ll find luminous colours, sequins and spandex. You wouldn’t be too far wrong in imagining all the Playboy Bunny clothes. Tacky, old-​fashioned and extremely slutty is the name of the game here.
So I really have no idea as to how this shop has remained open throughout the years. Every time I pass it, with its rails of nastiness sprawling out onto the street, I almost have to restrain myself from going in and giving the management a good talking to.
Mainly, I take issue with this place because I really don’t think they’re providing a good message to the young girls in the area, who, I guess, are pretty much their only target audience. Here girls, have cloths that are too short, badly made and revealing; that’s how you’ll get the boys. With clothes advertised with luminous star prices.
I urge everyone to avoid. I even suggest crossing the road.

I really have to thank Laura for everything she’s said about this place, as I’m glad I’m not the only one who found it truly awful. After visiting this place (big mistake), I had big rant about it to my mum, who said that perhaps I was being overly judgemental (she hasn’t there), so it’s great to have my opinion confirmed. The clothes here really are rather cheap and nasty, though some of them did actually quite remind me of the stuff that you’d get in Jane Norman, though I’m not a fan of that place either. The only people I’d ever recommend this place to, is those who to want emulate a WAG on the cheap.

If ever there has been a shop that doesn’t know it’s target audience, this is it. When I first entered, I was assaulted by an array of short, cheap-​looking clothes. The fabrics were all horrid — shiny, stretchy abominations of fashion. The service was horrendous. I was not greeted, I was not smiled at, I was not acknowledged. I did not by anything — for obvious reasons — but I watched the interactions between other buyers and the staff. Shocking. Venturing further in (the things I do to write reviews…) I found that there were some odd pieces that weren’t quite as awful. Now there’s a recommendation for you. You may think you’re saving time by not going into town to shop, but you’ll end up just having to make two trips. Bypass.