OkayÂ….The Bullring is now the new shopping capital of Europe, or so the adverts says; but is it all that? And who does it attract?
I went on a mission to answer these burning questions we all secretly holdÂ…Â…but my little adventure turned around, o yes it did, and I ended up having a cuppa in Starbucks with a student from the London College of Fashion - Charlotte Hackett, 18, andÂ….get thisÂ…. she is a local girl also, from the shire of Sutton! 
My little 007 mission started on Thursday morn; I really like shopping, clothes, shoes, etc; basically spending money on shallow, material things! So I thought I'd love picking out people who are well and weirdly dressed out and about at the Bullring, but I couldn't really find any quirky people except the people who work in Topshop and H&M but that doesn't count! They all must be in bed, I thought! So I picked a select few to have a more detailed natter with:
 | | Poncho queen Faye Kateri |
Faye Kateri:
The first poor soul I picked on was Faye Kateri, 15, from Four Oaks; she was going for the Bohemian chick look, in a woolly poncho.
I asked her why she chooses to shop here and what is fashion to her?
She said: " I think I use fashion as an expression of myself and the Bullring offers lots for everyone, with designer and high-street shops to department stores."  | | Lee Smith |
Lee Smith
My next victim was Lee Smith, 18, from Lichfield, he was a skater dude, complete with the metal belt, CK's and even a tattooÂ….ooooÂ…(I managed to get a picture of that too!) I personally like the skate look - baggy jeans, converse, but many other people seemed to like this too.
I pestered him the same and asked how often does he comes shopping and why does he choose a 'label' to dress too. (He didn't seem impressed with the 'label' comment butÂ…i'm just being honest!)
 | | Lee's tattoo |
He said: "I don't really think about what I wear, I just throw it on in the morning. I like to dress like this because I feel comfortable and I feel it shows my personality. I come shopping here quite often - probably every 2weeks, if I've got money!" This 'I'm a tramp' look seemed to be very popular and lots of converse are about, I am a fan of this 'i've just got up look' but it is obvious that you did just get up and then spent 1 hour perfecting the look in the mirror before hand! Sophie Tyson:
Sophie, 16, from Coventry caught moi eye as she had a cool bag, she said she likes all 'kiddie' things and her favourite shop is the Lego shop, too right, it is sooo cool in there! 
 | | Charlotte - design student |
Charlotte Hackett:
Here is the very attractive girl who dressed very well indeed, (If I was a lad - I would fancy her, but I'm not so I don'tÂ…erm..) Well anyway, it turned out that she is in her second year at the London Collage of Fashion doing a degree in Design and Marketing. Her main thing is designing jewellery. I asked how the Bullring compares to other shopping centres for originality-
She said: "I think the Bullring is great, it has everything anybody wants, and it also has good shops around the city too, so it's like a journey. There are lots of original designs and all the shops are together. If you are into individual designs - this is definitely the place to come, you can spend so much here! I also love coming around the shops with my sketch book to get inspiration."
 | | Ahh sweet! |
I met up With Charlotte again and she bought some of her jewellery with her, I have officially fallen in love with a pair of 'sweet earrings' - they are the bomb - made from real sweets varnished over! I asked if I could buy some and the lovely girl gave me them! I feel like a pixie when I wear them!
She says she sells some of her jewellery to family and friends, and has started selling them at car-boot sales, and is currently working on a website now. So look out for them! 
Indeed. Well yes, yes I do agree the Bullring is good and it's definitely a good culture mix. You can go if you're 2 - 102, any age, any taste, anytime!
 | | Sweet cherry Converse |
BUTÂ…. it does encourage one to spend ones wages; I gave in to 'a trend' and bought some cherry converse.Â…yes I know I was supposed to be working, and I am a hypocriteÂ….but I felt like Jesus being tempted by the devil. (They are really cool though!)
So yes I believe the Birmingham is the new shopping capital of Europe and if I was to go to heaven - I believe the Bullring would probably be it. 
Roxy's diary Blast Index | 
