A Stilista Stylist goes to Spain: Part I

07.11.10

I just returned from a week in Madrid, Spain. Aside from the beautiful architecture and art that I saw, the history lessons that I learned and the delicious food that I ate, I also did a lot of shopping and fashion-watching. Here is a re-cap of my favorite stores from the week.

Best "disposable fashion" store: Stradivarious, Calle Gran Via
I was, of course, tempted to pick Zara for this category since it may be one of Spain's most successful fashion exploits (and exports). However, it seemed too obvious a choice and I wanted to pick something that you couldn't get stateside. Stradivarious is fun, young and cheap. I bought an acid-washed, high-waisted denim mini for the equivalent of $10 and a pair of neud, lace-up, leather, platform wedges for roughly $35. Can't beat that with a stick. 

Best mid-level store: Hakei, Calle Fuencarral or Maje, Calle Claudio Coello
This one is a toss up.
Hakei sells clothing, shoes and bags. All are extremely fashionable, affordable and well-made. My sister got a medium-sized leather tote for roughly $125. Anything similar in the states would
have been $200 or more. Maje was my personal favorite. It also sells clothing, shoes and bags. I literally could have spent hours in that store. There was NOTHING that I did not like. Unfortunately, I stumbled across it about 15 minutes before they closed on my final day in Madrid, so I had to work fast. I left with a sweater/blazer/jacket in a thick knit of drab green trimmed in a heavy gunmetal chain. And it had shoulder pads. And it was 50% off. Which meant I spent about $75 on it. Oh yeah. Thankfully, the British Elle that I bought in the Madrid airport informed me that the line is sold online on NET-A-PORTER. Let the online shopping commence...

Best high-end store: Exseption, Calle Velazquez
Exseption, according to the lovely English-speaking salesgirl at Maje, is the nicest store in all of Madrid and I am in utter agreement. It is a high-end boutique that carries Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Chloe, Balmain, Givenchy, Giambattista Valli and on and on and on. In addition to the beautiful merchandise, the store itself was breathtaking. The layout was simple and modern and displayed the clothing, shoes and bags perfectly. I was so impressed, that I took photos - one of which is above. (I was such a tourist...oh well).

Check back in next Sunday when I review the top Spanish fashion trends...
Blog you then!
--Marisa

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