Pastiche

I trundled onto the Pastiche website so that I could refresh my memory about visiting this little boutique, and I instantly decided to bump it up a star for the following reason. The model has visible tattoos and a cute little black bob. Okay, so it’s very subjective, and perhaps you might think unnecessarily so (my own tattoo usually remains hidden below clothing) but I do like it when clothing lines use more unusual looking models. I think the world needs it.
Soapbox moment over, and onto Pastiche, a shop that’s morphed ever so slightly over the years from something of a more sophisticated alternative shop to a clothing store offering some unusual and often rather hit and miss party dresses, depending on your taste. I bought a fun fur coat here many moons ago while I was still a Salford student, and I swear, the thing lasted me through my undergraduate years. I could wear a vest under it, walk around in the bleak midwinter and still be toasty. Nowadays the jackets vary from your cropped leather biker that’s so popular at the moment, to some beautiful (but not for shrinking violets) military styles.
I’ll be honest, I really like some of the stuff here. I’m a sucker for their new big and comfy penguin and panda knitted jumpers in adorable pastel colours, and while a few of the dresses may seem somewhat ‘tarty’ there are many very cute puffball and lace options for those with secret aspirations to be an 80s prom queen (me, me, ME!). Plus, some slebs have been known to wear Pastiche’s offerings. Don’t be put off by what you see in the window, not everything is butt-​skimming short and bright pink. Give it a fair trial, and definitely have a root around in the sale.

The name, the logo font, the clothes in the window — it all spells disaster really, unless they were being ironic.
This store is lacking in any irony though. The clothes are well and truly on the fashion ‘pulse’ (read: frou-​frou structured 80s party frocks in glitzy fabrics) but I have to say that every now and then if you take a closer look you’ll find something unique and quirky that you know a Warehouse or Oasis shopper won’t be duplicating.
Much like ASOS, this store stocks a number of trendy designers that offer items ‘in the style of’ designer brands the stars wear. My favourites are Lipsy and Siren, but they’re so popular that it’s hard to find the sizes you want or they’re sold out. This leaves you with a ‘Pastiche’ of poorer options that are over-​designed to within an inch of their cheap threads.

The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic genre. The word has two competing meanings, either meaning a hodge-​podge or an imitation according to Wikipedia and Im not sure which is most appropriate in this case. It was full of flimsy party dresses when i popped in last week and I think it deserves a visit from Mary queen of shops