Seven Days of Summer at Victoria Leeds

Leeds has always been a city that I have been proud to call my second home because of its diversity, the culture, the foodie scene and of course the eclectic mix of places to shop. In the last decade,  the city has gone from being a little bit tired and run down, to being voted the UK's 'best place to live for culture' and making it in to the top 10 of Lonely Planet's 'Best Places in Europe.' One of the places that makes Leeds so special in my opinion is Victoria Leeds, merging the old - the Victoria Quarter Shopping Arcade and the new - Victoria Gate, to make one superior shopping district full to the brim of luxury and high end stores with superb architecture exhibited in both buildings.

Recently I was asked to take part in the 'Seven Days of Summer' campaign by Victoria Leeds, showcasing some of my favourite places to shop in both Victoria Gate and Victoria Quarter. As I spend a lot of my time there already, it was a great excuse to do some shopping.

The first store on my hit list was Anthropologie. Anthropologie is part of the newly opened Victoria gate and is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing stores you will ever visit. They sell a variety of home ware, clothing and accessories from both established and upcoming designers and the store is laid out in a bohemian, yet luxury style - full of bold prints and character. I fell in love with this gorgeous Ikebana Floral Maxi dress when I was trying on clothes - it has such a vibrant design and is perfect for summer.

After trying on clothes at Anthropologie, I then headed to my second favourite store, Neom Organics, again in Victoria Gate. I've written a fair bit about Neom on my blog - I love the staff, the story behind the brand and the fact that they are incredibly passionate about wellbeing. One of the services they provide is a 'Scent Discovery' test where you blindly smell a few scents and the one that appeals to you the most, is the one thing your body is craving the most. The last time I did this I got stress - showing that my body needed something to relax me and this time I got energy, which demonstrates that my body is craving an uplift. Neom sells a variety of organic candles and body products all of which can enhance your wellbeing from your desired scent.

Once I had talked to the staff at Neom Organics about my wellbeing, I then popped across the road at the Victoria Quarter to Kurt Geiger. Kurt Geiger are the only high heels I can wear and I love shopping at my local Leeds store. They have an incredibly variety of shoes and the store is very elegant with mirrored glass that makes everything look shimmering. My favourite pair of shoes currently in stock are these Guide Carvela heels with floral fabric and a wonderful floral gemstone piece at the front of the shoe.

One of my favourite places to eat in Victoria Gate is Le Pain Quotidien and somewhere I regularly pop for brunch. LPQ is an organic bakery, specialising in Belgian cuisine using seasonal produce. I usually order their tartines, which is a Belgian open top sandwich and my favourite is the avocado and feta. They also do all day brunches for those who love having breakfast in the middle of the day.

Although I don't spend that much time gambling, you cannot mention Victoria Gate without mentioning the stunning £10 million casino. The casino sits over three floors which covers an almighty 4,645 square feet and has two bars and a restaurant. One of my favourite places in the casino is the curve bar, which has a beautiful glass wall, lit from behind, displaying alcohol bottles - it is truly spectacular.

Another major part of Victoria Gate is the John Lewis. The John Lewis is a much-welcomed addition to the retail scene in Leeds and covers five floors of the Victoria Gate shopping centre. I love shopping in John Lewis as it has pretty much everything you could ever need under one roof from clothes to shoes, beauty to homeware. I picked up these beautiful flowers when I was visiting to help with my photography, they almost look real.

Last, but definitely not least is another one of my favourite stores, & Other Stories. & Other Stories is a clothing, accessories and  beauty store with designs derived from three key styling destinations - Paris, Stockholm and Los Angeles. Their store has such a beautiful, contemporary design and their wonderfully curated collection is everything that a professional, working woman would want for her wardrobe. It is simple, yet elegant with a twist of fun.

There are many stores at Victoria Leeds that I could shout about and many that I spend my wages in each month - hopefully these will give you a little taster of what the shopping centre has to offer. Victoria Gate and Quarter are both magnificent shopping destinations and I'm so fortunate to have them on my doorstep.

Have you shopped at Victoria Gate or Victoria Quarter before?