Ollie & Nic

The first thing that grabbed my eyes as I walked in was the very homely feel the shop holds. Mid-​century furniture combined with a fireplace and wooden floor delivers ‘Ollie and Nic’ at home. The bags and accessories sit well with the vintage type wallpaper. Their array of bags ranges from your simple canvas shopping bag (£l8), very stylish clutches (£40) and their leather totes (£150). So, I would go with Li-​Mei H. advice, wait for the sales, all of the above are actually half price now and then they become really affordable and move away from high street design into the middle market, making them more desirable (to me anyway). I have never really bought anything from here, nothing ever really convinces me and nothing ever really says ’ take me home’…

This little shop is the perfect place to go to spend too much money on beautiful leather accessories. The displays are wonderful and staff are great at offering to find product’s in other colours and sizes. I bought a purse there a couple of months ago (a birthday present from me to me) and I’ve been complemented on it hundreds of times since. Unfortunately though the sale’s assistant only removed one of the three security tags inside the purse and I spent the rest of the day setting off every alarm on Oxford Street before being forced to tear in to its beautiful gift wrapping. A small case of clumsiness aside, Ollie and Nic is a really lovely shop and great if you’re looking to buy someone a nice present. I agree with the last review though, hit it during the sales if you want to get your money’s worth!

Ollie and Nic have super cute things, the only shame is that they’re not any cheaper. That said, if you wait until the sale, there are bargains to be had. I got a yellow bag with canaries on it (it’s more tasteful than it sounds!) for £5 and a make-​up bag for £2. My flatmate got a turquoise leather bag for £20 which was originally £40, so it’s a good idea to wait. Their products are well made I hasten to add, they are beautifully made and I only wish my budget stretched a little further to be able to afford their products when they’re not on sale. There are really nice things in the shop and they are well presented and I always look at the shop window when I walk past and the staff are really nice and friendly and helpful. It’s quite a small store but that adds to the charm, as many of the stores around Carnaby Street are laid out to look more English and old-​fashioned.