Like reading Vogue? Shop for clothes at GAP and Next although
you’d prefer to wear Karen Millen outfits? Sounds like
massive desire suppression to me. Fortunately, Bicester Village
might offer you a good outlet. A factory designer outlet in fact. What you find in Bicester Village is a cluster of 80 designer
shops including Karen Millen, Max Mara and Bally selling last
year’s fashion. And because it’s last year’s,
it’s reduced by up to 60 percent. My favourite trophy was a
Max Mara needle-striped navy suit for £250. That’s a lot of
money, but it’s only about half as much as a comparable suit
would have cost me in London. A trip to Bicester Village is easy to fit into a busy
student’s schedule. It’s only 30 minutes away from
Oxford by coach, with departures roughly every 30 minutes from
Gloucester Green. Conveniently enough, it’s open 7 days a
week: weekdays and Sundays from 10am to 6pm, Saturdays and Bank
Holidays from 10am to 7pm. After all that shopping, you may feel you’ve saved enough
money to treat yourself to a good Italian meal at
Carluccio’s, or you might prefer a snack at Prêt à Manger. In case it all sounds too good, a word of caution. You cannot
find decent GAP jeans anywhere in Bicester, or a couple of Next
tops to go with them. If you are looking for clothes that simply
keep your body warm, stay in Oxford. Bicester Village is more for
those who treat fashion as the art of aesthetic self-expression
without expressing the constraints of a student budget.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004
Bored this summer? Try… Bicester Village
