The Hambledon

One of my favorite shops — unfortunately the clothing range is out of my price range a lot of the time, but it’s always worth going to to look and want! I love the clean layout of the shop and the staff are always friendly and helpful.

Unfortunately some of the clothing seems over-​ambitiously priced, which is the shop’s major drawback, otherwise I would have awarded it a slightly higher rating. However, on the plus side there are some lovely glassware and household accessories which are more affordably priced;meaning that you can snap up some fabulous homeware and accessories for your home, without going into the red. Most of the products have a vintage feel yet are the perfect way to complete your modern yet chic lifestyle. Where clothing is concerned its generally best to wait for the sales unless you have some excess cash lying conveniently around. However this shop makes a refreshing change from the homogenous feel of most highstreet stores. Laura Ashley meets Not on the Highstreet with a kitsch twist.

This shop is England at it’s most upmarket and quintessential. Winchester is a small market town 12 miles north of Southampton and has an idyllic, relaxed atmosphere as you walk around the cobbled streets, through the cathederal grounds and along the river side. And the feel of Winchester life is encapsulated, bottled and gift-​wrapped in this shop. It sells designer furniture, coffee table books, clothes, baby paraphenalia, very posh toiletries and things for the home. You might struggle to find anything you need in here and will have no trouble at all finding everything that you want. The innocent looking white swing tags pack quite a punch to the wallet and match the affluent clientele to a tee You never see men in here, you just see them waiting outside with a nervous look on their face!
The upstairs is entirely dedicated to providing the beautiful Winchester ladies with suitable attire for their many social arrangements. The value of their clothes stock would probably pay for the entire relief effort needed to get Burma back on it’s feet. The menswear is equally, effortlessly cool. The clothes hang by very contemporary banksy-​style wall art. They have mixed this very modern style with the very much desired homely, rustic, family-​orientated feel that Winchester oozes from every pore. The outcome is utterly irresistable.
There is no average in here, in fact they are noticably aiming to be anything but average. The womenswear ranges from £50(t-shirts)-~£600(dresses, jackets, bags), with some affordable middleground. I have bought a few dresses from here — a butterfly print halterneck (£75) and a black wrap dress (£80). Menswear £30 (ubercool T-shirts)-£300 (jackets, suits).
A fantastic place for stationary and little gifts.
At Christmas time the whole of the town comes into it’s own, doing the traditional Christmas with spectacular charm. The Hambledon becomes a heavenly Christmas wonderland, just make sure you bring your flexible friend along.
Once every season (twice a year) the owners sell off all their designer clothing to make room for the new stock and just recently this has happened in a smaller shop a few minutes away, rented for 3 days or so and rammed to the rafters with designer bargains. Arrive early, the queues reached the 1 hour wait mark within 10 minutes of opening. And beware — these Winchester ladies don’t hold back. And you need cash or cheque, they are open to a bit of bartering, so be prepared to strike a deal. Check out their website for details or to join their mailing list.
I love this place, but it’s extravagant, designer, way-​too-​cool image always leaves me feeling slightly uneasy and thinking about foreign aid crises So it’s a comfortable 4 stars. It is, after all, in the south, you wouldn’t find a place like this up north, not even in York :)