About us

I have lived in Shaftesbury all my life. My father farmed here, and most people in the town knew him. I started at Hine & Parsons when I was fifteen, a Saturday girl in the fashion department, and I never really left.

Mrs Houghton owned the store then and she taught me the trade properly. Window dressing first, then buying. I ran the fashion department for years before I bought it from her, and in 1997 I put my own name over the door. The lingerie side came about eight years after that, and we moved it out into a shop of its own.

So what you walk into today started as a Saturday job.

What we buy

Two things decide it. Quality, and whether it is a bit different. If a label is in every shop between here and Salisbury I am not interested, however well it sells. I would rather bring back something you have not seen and be able to tell you why I chose it.

That means a lot of European labels, good mid-tier brands rather than designer, at prices that are fair for what they are. Casual to smart casual, mostly. Clothes for a real week.

Trousers and jeans

This is what people come to us for. We hold close to 2,000 pairs, which I think makes us one of the largest boutiques in Dorset for them, and it is the part of the shop I am proudest of. Different cuts, different rises, different leg lengths. If you have spent years not finding trousers that fit, this is the rail to start with.

Lingerie and bra fitting

We have a lingerie department and we have been fitting bras here for a very long time. It is free and you do not need to book. Our fitters are fully trained and have been doing it for years, and I still do a fitting myself when I can. There is no substitute for being measured by someone standing in front of you.

Come and see us

We are at 30 High Street, in the middle of Shaftesbury, open Monday to Saturday from half past nine until five. If you want to know whether we have something in your size before you drive over, ring us on 01747 852444.

Shirley