Is George at Asda the new Primark?

Remember the days when people would remark if you were wearing a particularly ‘on trend’ item and you could see it in their eyes that they thought it might be designer? You’d proudly declare “Primark!” and revel in the glory of such a bargainous find.

Now that everyone knows the big Primark secret the smart shoppers are moving on. The hot retailer for on-trend fashion is George at Asda.

After styling a fashion shoot with Big Brother star Ashleigh Coyle for George at Asda I have to say I was surprised and impressed with the range and the quality so when they challenged me to get all my autumn essentials with a budget of £150 I was pretty confident I could find some serious fashion gems.

I did my style challenge at the Cityside Shopping Centre in Belfast and it didn’t take long before I had take over two changing room to house all my picks. Whoops!

As I shimmied in and out of skirts, dresses and knits I couldn’t help overhear some girlie chatter by two twenty-something girls in the changing room next to me.

“Do you think this looks like River Island?”
“Yeah it TOTALLY looks like River Island!”
“Good, I’ll get it then.”

I quickly got the idea as I tried on a print jersey dress and thought to myself “Does this dress look like it’s from Boden? Yeah it TOTALLY looks like Boden I thought to myself. Good. I’ll get it them.”

Burgundy waxed jeans that look like 7 for all mankind, a waffle knit jumper that looks like a Belstaff knit. A tweed mini that looks like a House of Holland design. I was on a roll.

My favourite item is my new long line animal print knit. This one gives a nod to a Markus Lupfer design from a few seasons go price at around £250, which has been replicated this season in Oasis. The Oasis version is shorter with a leather trim at the neck and priced at £45. At 5ft 10 I love a long line jumper to wear to leggings and boots and at just £16 this jumper is a bargainous dream!

So what did I get for £150? Most priced between £12 and £16 I polished off my £150 voucher to the penny.

3 knits
3 skirts
2 cardigans
1 pair of cords
1 dress

George at Asda is my new fave guy!

Photography by Phil Smyth.