Designer shopping in Europe
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Coco Ribbon
Coco Ribbon is so girly, even Barbie might feel a tad butch when walking into this award-winning boutique. There are chiffon dresses and faux-fur gilets, Calypso Rose's customisable Clippy Kit handbags, light-hearted words of wisdom for newlyweds or new parents and, for your broken-hearted gal pals, 'boyfriend replacement' kits (sugar pills and chocolate, of course).
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Baullà
Baullà sells classic women's clothes and some accessories - all understated, informal chic of exceptional quality. Expect beautiful knitwear, linen jackets, jewel-bright chenille scarves and a selection of original bags and shoes.
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Luisella Mariotti
With semiprecious stones, crystals, glass and nickel-free metals, Luisella Mariotti creates spidery, out-of-this-world jewellery. Original pieces at reasonable prices abound in her backstreet shop.
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Eddy Monetti Men's Store
The menswear branch of Eddy Monetti is an elegant den of Burberry blazers, Ralph Lauren shirts and irresistible cashmere sweaters. The vibe is monied and the service suitably snooty.
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Monte Carlo's Golden Circle
Monte Carlo's legendary Monte Carlo's Golden Circle is the spot to (window) shop. Get going on av des Beaux Arts, on the southern side of the casino gardens, where you can swirl through Chanel, Christian-Dior, Céline, Louis Vuitton, Yves St-Laurent and Sonia Rykiel. Bow down at the altar of Italian fashion house, Prada, and pay homage to Salvatore Ferragamo inside Hôtel Hermitage.
Nearby, av de Monte Carlo is a short, chic street with a luxury line-up: Gucci, Valentino, Hermès, Lalique (crystal) and Prada.
Tucked beside the casino is Parisian jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels while Kenzo, Marina Rinaldi, D&G and Christian Lacroix hide alongside more affordable names in the i…
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Dolce & Gabbana
Mostly interesting for accessories, it is really only worth coming here if you have your own transport, as it is close to The Mall. In itself, it does not warrant the effort from Florence if you are relying on public transport. Less than 1km south of Leccio, turn right and you arrive at a T-junction, on your left is a long building with no signs whatsoever: this is the Dolce &Gabbana outlet.
If you do want to do it by public transport, catch a train to Rignano sull'Arno, and from there it is about 4km south (see the directions for Fendi below).
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Maximos (Panagiotis Fanariotis)
Not to be missed is the walled cliff-top village of Kastro, 3km from Apollonia. A pleasant path circumnavigates Kastro and is especially scenic on its northern side - midway round the northern side, above the glittering sea, is the wonderful little art workshop of Maximos (Panagiotis Fanariotis) , whose speciality is handmade jewellery in original gold and silver motifs.
Prices for these lovely pieces start at about around €6 and are far below the usual price charged for work of this high quality. There is also accommodation here.
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Paul & Joe
Paul & Joe have such scrumptious clothes that it may be difficult to wrist-slap yourself and not spend hundreds of pounds on the frocks and cry until your next pay cheque (while looking fabulous, of course). The store itself is sexy and stylish and it feels like you've stumbled into someone's boudoir, with vintage dressing tables and glass cabinets. Their menswear is also sleek and stylish, so your beau won't feel bored.
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Fabrico Infinito
Set in a former coach house, this virginal white gallery showcases avant-garde designs that give recycled items a luxury twist. Keep an eye out for pearl-studded toothpick necklaces, Marcela Brunken’s born-again chandeliers, Jorge Moita’s funky skirt-shaped La. Ga bags and Lidija Kolovrat’s zesty armbands. There’s a cafe at the back, where decadent desserts are served on golden crockery.
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Nuyorica
Worship at this shrine to contemporary chic, with its Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs and Chloë clothes, shoes and handbags. It namechecks all the hippest mainstream designers and is worth a browse to sigh over, if not to buy. Nuyorica Roots (06 997 00 829; Via del Pellegrino 15) is around the corner, with a fine array of 'it' bags and too-hip-to-smile sales assistants.
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Hohe Strasse
Cologne is a fantastic place to shop, with lots of eccentric boutiques, designer stores and trendy second-hand shops, plus the usual selection of chain and department stores. You'll find plenty of the latter along Hohe Strasse - the pedestrianised main shopping street, one of Germany's oldest pedestrianised shopping strips, and its side street, In der Höhle.
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Trace
Ingenious indie designers turn old school into new cool here: yellow and brown silkscreened stripes make you stare longer than is decent at sheer, pleated white cotton schoolgirl skirts, a newfangled traditional Japanese jacket comes with an ingenious built-in ruched belt and diagonal pleats add a contrarian twist to a skirt made of regimental tie fabric.
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Riccio Calzature
Italian footwear sans the designer price tag. Men's, women's, formal and sporty, last season's stock is slashed by up to 50%. Fashion victims needn't fret. New-season stock is also available, at new-season prices. The choice isn't huge but definitely worth a browse, with names such as Diesel, Richmond, Miss Sixty and Cesare Paciotti in the mix.
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Telerie Roberto
The striped Jaipur silk scarves are a stylish steal at under €20, but the ruched, pleated, quilted local Como silk stoles (€50 plus) tempt with irresistible sheen and extreme thread count - Roberto will proudly whip out a magnifying glass to show you. This is the stuff of couture dreams, and Milan's finest curtains too.
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Judith Major
Exclusive stockist of Italian label Brunello Cucinelli, the look here is Polo Ralph Lauren with a sexy Italian twist. Cashmere sweaters, suave shirts, blazers and chic womenswear. Shoes include Prada, Barrett and Alberto Guardiani for men and Stuart Weitzman and Pedro Garcia for women. Everything you'll need for a jaunt on the yacht.
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Christa Reniers
The arresting window displays of Christa Reniers, Belgium's best jewellery designer, will singlehandedly lure you into her store. Once inside, you're going to have a hard time deciding between her splendid contemporary jewellery - often crafted with sterling silver into organic forms embellished with gems - and her bold ceramics.
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Dragoncella
Flattering, flirty looks with a cutting edge make Dragoncella look like Betsey Johnson's Italian love child. Unexpected details make each piece unique, like a circle of plain white on the side of a psychedelic print dress, or red ribbon on a brown denim skirt hem. Unexpected prices too: almost everything is under €100.
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Spoiled
At this one-stop-shop urban lifestyle store you'll find labels like Mads Norgaard, Rare, Junk De Luxe, Skunk Funk, True Religion, Stella Nova, My Ass, Fred Perry, Tommy Hilfiger and Tiger of Sweden, along with stylish shoes and accessories, cool magazines and art. You can also throw back an espresso and get your hair cut.
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Het Modepaleis
Dries Van Noten is Belgium's commercial fashion leader. His colourful bohemian clothes are sold in more than 500 shops around the world, but buyers love his Antwerp flagship, Het Modepaleis. This headquarters and shop of Dries Van Noten is located in a distinct, 19th-century, domed building in the heart of St Andries.
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Love Therapy
Back in the '80s, designer Elio Fiorucci was all about cherub T-shirts and red jeans - but now he's moved on to garden gnomes and gotten into Love Therapy. You will too, with gnome tees for adults and kids, funky Irregular Choice metallic flats, and orange and green Orla Kiely raincoats for strutting in storms.
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Sjapoo
Milliner Ria Dewilde's atelier is out the back of her boutique (north of Vrijdagmarkt), where she sells her one-off creations. Many are crafted along 1920s lines for everyday wear, as well as more elaborate hats for weddings and christenings. Ria also sells hand-picked Belgian- and French-design clothing.
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Reenie & Ron
Reenie & Ron bring their unique and decadent Parisian-style shoe emporium to the streets of Bristol. And this palace of pleasures doesn't only sell shoes, it also has exquisite tea sets made of fine China, and crystal champagne flutes. This is definitely the store for that special-occasion purchase.
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Armani
Designer of choice to Hollywood's richest and most beautiful, favourite of magazine style editors around the world, and all-round Italian design legend, Giorgio Armani's only Scottish Emporio is, appropriately enough, located in Glasgow's upmarket Italian Centre. Go on, splash out - you're on holiday!
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De Puta Madre 69
Buy a skimpy black bikini with 'playmate' emblazoned in pink sequins, a belt for your jeans with digital display flashing your very own personalised logo and other rebel-yell designs in the brand created by a Columbian drug dealer in a Spanish jail from De Puta Madre 69, next to Papagayo.
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Joseph Debach
Here you'll find shoes with teeth and tongues, covered in cartoon collage, or with abacus and wheel heels. Created by Libyan designer Joseph DeBach, they're not necessarily that wearable, but they are works of art. They would look great on the mantelpiece: file under weird and wonderful.
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