Clothing shopping in Europe
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A
Meet Bernard
Who is Bernard? We’re not sure. But his shop in Nelson Rd is crammed full of carefully selected designer clothes for hip, young men about town.
reviewed
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B
Shirt Shop
On gay Amsterdam’s main street, this funky, two-storey shop sells tight-fitting men’s shirts to make you look fabulous. Look for sale items around €20.
reviewed
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C
Angelo di Nepi (Via Cola di Rienzo 267)
Roman designer Nepi adores rich colour, and combines Italian cut and style with rich Indian fabrics: sumptuous reds, shocking pinks, intricate embroidery and heavy silk to make you as pretty as a peacock.
reviewed
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D
Agência 117
No place for wallflowers, Agência revamps wardrobes with tartan wellies, candy-bright dresses and Miss Sixty garb. Marilyn Monroe, velvet crucifixes, a hair salon – it’s all at this eccentric Bairro boutique.
reviewed
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E
Toalette
Urban 20-somethings in particular will be delighted by these carefully selected secondhand clothes and accessories, which still have plenty of fashionable mileage in them. Some new designs are found on the dressmakers' dummies on the shopfloor.
reviewed
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F
Dover Street Market
Showcasing the colourful creations of Tokyo fashion-darlings Comme des Garçons, among other labels, Dover Street Market is the place to come for that shirt you only wear on special occasions. There are four floors of clothing for men and women, all artfully displayed.
reviewed
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G
Pauw
Pauw means ‘peacock’, but the clothes at this elegant Dutch minichain are more formal than flashy, with taffeta in gemlike shades, equestrian-style coats and sculptural blouses. There’s a men’s shop down the road at No 90, and another women’s boutique at No 66.
reviewed
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H
Schegge
Go incognito in style, with highly original masquerade masks revealing influences as diverse as Gothic architecture and Modigliani. Well into the night, you’ll find this dedicated mother-daughter team wielding tiny paintbrushes, coaxing minute baroque tendrils into bloom along the side of a Klimt mask.
reviewed
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I
Mavi Jeans
The dress code of choice for İstanbul's youth is a pair of worn jeans (usually tight and low-slung) and a fair percentage of these would have been purchased from local company Mavi. Among the most popular ranges are those designed by internationally recognised fashion designer, Rıfat Özbek. Prices are at least half of those of foreign imports. There are other branches at İstiklal Caddesi 195 and 425.
reviewed
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J
Primark
Despite some recent bad press about its manufacturing methods, the flagship store of Primark is still crammed to the rafters with women hunting for bargain fashions that look like haute couture. They don’t call it ‘Primani’ for nothing.
reviewed
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K
Gönül Paksoy
Gönül Paksoy creates and sells pieces that transcend fashion and step into art. In fact, her work was the subject of a 2007 exhibition at İstanbul's Rezan Haş Gallery. These two shops showcase her distinctive clothing, which is made using naturally dyed fabrics and is often decorated with vintage beads. She also creates and sells delicate silk and cotton knits and exquisite jewellery based on traditional Ottoman designs.
reviewed