Situated at 18 French Church Street, just off Cork’s thriving Paul Street area, The Warehouse is one of the city’s main checkpoints for the young and the fashionable. It offers vintage Levis mingling with newer, hipper-than-hell labels like Susst.

There’s a strong whiff of street smart ’70s retro in the air. Denim and cord flares in a variety of colours are matched with slinky, clubby tops and fitted v-necks. Picture a canary yellow Ford Capri, a Funkadelic soundtrack and a low-slung attitude, and you’ve got the flavour.

The Warehouse is also hosting a major Ben Sherman revival. The famed shirt label faded into oblivion after its’ suedehead heyday in the early ’70s but has come back with a vengeance. Co-owner of The Warehouse, Martin Murray, reckons the success of bands like Oasis and Blur, noted Ben Sherman fetishists, is responsible.

The shop’s decor mixes wood floors and stairways with hi-tech trappings. Banks of video screens constantly flicker and pumping house music dominates the state-of-the-art in-store sound system. Prices are kept unfeasibly low.

Established in 1989, Gasoline in the Merchant’s Quay centre carries a vast range of casual wear from top European labels like Firetrap, Diesel and Pepe to the classic American brands of Levis, Wranglers and Lee. There are satin hipsters for girls and low-rise denims for men, ’70-style zip-up bike-racer jackets in vivid colours and double-breasted black PVC jackets that take their cue from the black street culture of early ’70s New York.

There’s also a strong American theme to the store’s design, with an original US gas pump, licence plates from most of the 51 states and various other pieces of colourful Americana. This season’s in-fashion fabrics – satin, velvet and velour – are strongly represented at Gasoline and you’ll find plenty of accessories to satisfy your cravings.

There’s also a broad, impressive range of footwear at affordable prices.