Sophie’s Choice

Oh my word. This shop has a 100% sale record with my every visit — does that demonstrate a serious lack of control on my part? Maybe. Does that mean they have some excellent second-​hand high end to low end brand labels? Definitely. Let me explain. It’s Horsforth. It’s New Road Side, and there’s a lovely run of little shops along the road. Along one end you’ll see Sophie’s Choice snugly tucked in between a couple of establishments, and when you spot it, you must go inside.
For starters, the staff. They’ve always been really lovely. If you want a bit of advice because your male housemate is useless at giving a fashion-​related opinion, call on the ladies that work there. Secondly, the clothes are simply great. I’ve no idea where they source their items, but as I mentioned previously, there’s simply a myriad of labels. More importantly, the clothes are really different. Whilst labels aren’t something that I worry about, per se, being told I’d picked up a dress that was featured in Vogue for only £49 seems like a true bargain to me. And I left feeling super smugly fashionable to boot.
Thirdly, the prices are excellent. I’ve bought a wee jacket here for £15, and new shoes as well. Dresses seem to range from a tenner upward, though I’d not seen any more that about £70 so you know it won’t break the bank to find a real gem either. The only slight issue is that the odd item is marked –I saw one with those fatal deoderant marks, but that is to be expected of second hand items here and there. In any case, it’s a fantastic little shop and I’m only glad I don’t come to Horsforth more often — I’d be broke! One final note: they’re old school and don’t have a card machine! Never fear though, there’s an ATM just down t’ road.

I love this shop, you never know what you will find as they are always getting new stock in. I have had some amazing finds over the last 3yrs such as a missonni wool scarf for £29, chloe boots for £65 and a joseph sheepskin jacket for £95. The owners are friendly and welcoming and give honest opinions when asked for their thoughts. It appears that they are very choosy about items condition and generally dont accept clothes that are dated unless its a design classic such as Chanel. Its cheques or cash only but there is a cashpoint nearby. Its the sort of shop that its worth making a special visit to

I really want to know what happened when they were naming this place. Seriously, did the owner just think it sounded familiar from somewhere? Or is it actually appropriate these days to name a dress agency after a book about the holocaust? I concede, or at least hope, that the owner simply wasn’t aware of the implications of the name, as this shop is actually a nice idea. You can come here and hire posh outfits for parties, ideal if you don’t want to spend £100 on a wedding outfit you’ll never wear again. They’ve got everything from M&S to designer names, and outfits and accessories to suit a range of budgets. It’s just a shame they’re either poorly read or have a rather macabre sense of humour.