Like New Look, the huge Debenhams in the Bullring (filling four massive floors) is brilliant at sale time. The last dregs of the sale have now been put into rails organised by size, and if you know where to look you can snag limited edition Butterfly by Matthew Williamson maxi dresses for £40, Jasper Conran skirts for a tenner and floozie bikini tops for £3.
The Designers at Debenhams ranges are the ones I was most interested in this visit, and they seem to be back on form for Autumn / Winter. The trend for big jewels and embellishment suits designers like Julien MacDonald and Matthew Williamson down to the ground, and their new season offerings are both affordable and fabulous. Debenhams is also great for vanity sizing – everything comes up big!
Birmingham's Debenhams benefits greatly from a huge shop floor, well organised sections and staff who know their stuff. The end of the sale is a bit of a free-for-all, but the store has concessions for everyone from Oasis to Jane Norman, meaning you can cut down vastly on shopping time if you're in a hurry! The personal shopping service is great, and little touches like illustrations from fashion students lining the alternative entrance of the store (by Birmingham Moor St station) really help this store to hold its own against Selfridges at the other end of the Bullring mall.
