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The hometown of the Style Fair is Belfast but the fair travels to various locations across Northern Ireland. Each event has around 30 stalls packed with preloved clothing, as well as garments from vintage dealers. It's a great place to bag a bargain at a fraction of the original price. Some fairs specialise in style for the home and some have handcrafted items from local designers. Each venue is always different and there are often other features such as style makeovers and beauty advice from professionals. It is a great place to go with friends for a fun and rewarding shopping experience.
Cities across Northern Ireland, www.thestylefair.co.uk
The store offers an exciting mix of vintage clothes and accessories (both for men and women) side-by-side contemporary designs, all for very affordable prices.
www.szputnyikshop.hu/
Budapest VII., Dohány utca 20
+ 36(0)6 1 321 3730
Google map: bit.ly/szwWQO
Fantastic new museum, opened June 2011, showcasing the talent of legendary haute couturier Cristobel Balenciaga. Stunning collection of dresses and outfits, presented by styles (day, cocktail, evening & wedding) from his first designs whilst working in San Sebastian in the 1940's through to the early 1970's.
Walking distance from the fishing port of Getaria via a moving staircase. Getaria is about 15 miles from San Sebastian and has a great selection of fish restaurants serving fish almost straight from the boats.
cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/Ingles.html
Aldamar Parkea, 6 20808 Getaria
+34 943 00 88 40
Google map: bit.ly/mTqf0e
This shop stocks the best tshirts ever - many of them designed by artists, all of them graphically striking and the prices are great - they tend to start at £18. They last forever and don't fade.
www.graniph.com/en/index.html
171-8557, Tokyo-Prefecture Ikebukuro PARCO 6F, 1-28-2
+81(0)3-3980-3007
At the Avant, Silvia García Presas designs fine clothes for women. All items are unique, extremely feminine and modern, and they pay no dues to tendencies or passing fashions. All the pieces are classical in their simplicity and beautiful cut.
Silvia uses only natural silks, cottons and wools and she individually chooses each piece’s colour.
The Avant is now opening Primitiu, a space at the back of the shop selling handmade ethnic handcrafts.
Silvia, who spent two years at the Royal College of Art, was finalist in the prestigious Mango Fashion Awards, 2009.
Enric Granados 106, 08008 Barcelona
+ 34 93 300 76 73
www.theavant.com
Google map: bit.ly/kMMTIm
Central Chidlom is considered the flagship store of the Central Department Stores chain. It offers a variety of local handicrafts from all over Thailand, designer fashion, home-wares, children's wear, cosmetics, watches and pens, electronic equipment, household appliances, jewelry and gems and leather accessories. It also houses a number of eateries, ranging from popular fast-food outlets to fine restaurants.
Address: 1027 Ploenchit Rd., Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Google map: tinyurl.com/2vlmzy5
Tel: 66-2793-7777
Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. everyday
Japanese street fashion is famous around the world, especially for the Gothic Lolita style. If you're visiting Tokyo, a day out in Harajuku to people watch in some cafes is a great way to see the many different kinds of Gothic Lolita fashions worn by the Japanese.
Make-up is also important and it still amazes me how detailed some of the designs are that people paint on themselves. One great resource is La Carmina, herself a Japanese fashion lover with an interest in Gothic Lolita and many more. She also has some great guides on where to go in the city for the less well known stuff such as theme restaurants and punk style clubs.
It happens every Sunday in Harajuku. Tokyo teens dress up in 'Harajuku Fashion'.
It is very amusing to see rebellious Tokyo teens dressed as Gothic Lolita, "fruits" or Anima characters.
They are just hanging out with friends, hoping their picture will be taken by one of the many magazine photographers in the crowd.
This takes place on Jingu Bridge (a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to Meiji shrine).
If you want to be down with the kids, Williamsburg in Brooklyn is where it's at.
Bedford Avenue, the epicenter, is accessible from Manhattan on the L subway line, or the ‘Hipster Line’ as it’s sometimes known (cringe).
It’s where New York’s art/music types congregate with the fashion victims and try-hards; if you intend to fit in, make sure you’re wearing a lumberjack shirt and thick-rimmed glasses. Or alternatively, a fedora and peyot – Williamsburg has a sizeable Hasidic Jewish community
If you’re looking for some tucker, avoid SEA on N 6th - it’s the worst Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to. Right across the street is the Sweetwater Tavern (105 N 6th St) - a pub-style affair with a mahogany bar, Guinness on-tap and good bistro food (the eggs benedict is delicious), all reasonably priced.
In fact, N 6th St is probably my favourite part of this district. Head east down this slightly barren, industrial urban chic street towards the river, and you’ll find multi-coloured spandex emporium American Apparel, a nifty indoor thrift market, a couple of pricey clothes boutiques selling local designers’ wares (the mark-downs during sale time are well worth stopping by for though), art spaces, and a gorgeous antique furniture store called Golden Calf. You’ll also find Williamsburg Music Hall and some great street art down here.
Two things you should know about Williamsburg before visiting:
1) it’s the home of Peaches Geldof
2) it’s ‘the most toxic place to live in America’, due to its higher-than-average incidence of cancer
I’ll leave it to you to decide which is worse...
Subway: L line (Bedford Ave station)
Melrose Avenue is one of LA's longest and most celebrated shopping streets, home to designer boutiques, hip restaurants, street wear, thrift stores... you name it. It's also a great place to find bargains. Near to some of America's most affluent and fashion concious communities, the second hand vintage shops on Melrose are a cut above your average thrift store. It's not hard to spot designer jeans, couture dresses and other items, ranging from almost new to decades-old classics, and all at a fraction of the original price. Many of the independent boutiques in the area also sell brilliant, unique pieces for prices that are extremely reasonable for what you are getting. The Marc by Marc Jacobs boutique at Melrose & La Cienega is also surprisingly affordable.
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (the best section, retail wise, is in Hollywood and West Hollywood, between La Cienega & La Brea)
This could be quite possibly the plushest shopping center you may ever visit. Located on Florida Street and Cordoba Avenue, the exterior alludes to the amazing features inside, with its golden lighting and full length window displays. Enter through the doors and it’s almost like you have entered the halls of Grand Central station, with the superb bonus of having a stunning biblical mural painted upon the ceiling. The designer shops on offer are second to none in the city, as fashionista’s will find themselves in shopping heaven.
Corner of Florida Street and Cordoba Avenue
Designer discount shop that’s full of treasures that start around $10! This is LA after all – home of the glamorous and the rich – and it seems tons of ex-celeb frocks and red carpet outfits turn up here at very reduced prices…
1116 Wilshire Boulevard
When staying at the super slick and eco-friendly Andaz Hotel (formerly the Great Eastern) in Liverpool, book Urban Gentry - insider tour guides and get a real insight into the fashion (or art) tribes of East London. The hotel also has it's own Reader in Residence to tell you bedtime stories, or read you a precis of the day's news.
Andaz, Liverpool Street
www.andaz.com
Design Summer Sessions for beginners
and advanced students of all ages at two of the city's top design schools. Courses last two or four weeks and cover the areas of fashion, graphics, interior and product design from a fascinating Milanese point of view with many guest speakers - a great place to network for contacts as well. Book a place online for this July.
Domus Academy and Naba are the host schools - it is also possible to do the first two weeks in London at St Martins College of Art and Design
www.london-milan-courses.com
www.domusacademy.it
www.naba.it
emails:milan@london-milan-courses.com
or london@london-milan-courses.com
Marion Harber - a British expat who has lived and worked in Milan for many years - offers tailored guides around Milan's famous shops.
There is a much more attractive alternative to a central location in Lexington. About a 15 minute cab drive south from the downtown area, there is an area known as Lexington Green.
This area houses the Hilton Lexington Green suites hotel. All rooms have an attractive bedroom, and adjoining living area.
The hotel is one of the few in the city to offer an outdoor pool (though it's small and open in summer only). But it does overlook a small man-made lake, and is right beside the city's best book shop, a multiplex cinema that claims to be 'arthouse', and the city's most popular seafood restaurant (Regatta's) that often has live music on its patio area.
In addition to this, you are just a five-minute walk from Fayette Mall, the city's best shopping complex that houses Macy's, Dillards, and many stores much loved by the fashion-conscious. The Mall also has some attractive restaurants including P F Changs, a trendy chain featuring quality Chinese dishes. A 10 minute drive away you can find the discreetly located, Guiseppe's, renowned for its excellent Italian food, service, and jazz nights.
Lexington is also home to Keaneland racing track. A visit to the track is enjoyable, and the track has its main annual meeting in October of each year. Lexington is very much a city dominated by a University – the University of Kentucky – but despite the large population of young students, the downtown area lacks the vitality one might thus expect.
If you want something cool to wear or to take back home this shop really stole my heart, they take iconic and retro images from around Beijing and take classics like the "I Climbed The Great Wall" t shirt and add a fun twist.
They also have retro mugs and posters. Worth popping in anyway, as it's on nan luo gu xiang which is a really fun place to walk around and see all the old hu tongs. There's a great Korean restaurant nearby too.
A small and friendly snowboard clothing and equipment shop with a really well-chosen selection of clothes (both fashion and snowboard - Analog, Anon, Nixon, WESC, Dragon, Element etc) and a particularly good womenswear section. They also had a good selection of boards for sale and to rent.
Castel des Neiges
Route du Linga
Chatel,
Portes de Solieil
74390
tel +33 (0)450 81 61 79
www.switch5.fr/
eno is a lifestyle brand created in Shanghai. They provide a platform for Chinese artists, musicians and designers to create fresh clothing and lifestyle products. Also consumers can hand in their design and have the chance for them to be sold in the store.
Eno creates limited edition products: t-shirts, hoodies, long sleeves, bags, shoes.
Also very much worth visiting are their two monthly in store events called enoise with chinese and foreign bands performing in a relaxed atmosphere.
139-23 changle road/chengdu bei road
021-63860120
It is a monthly fetish event held in Central London for alternative designers and avante garde fashion people.
www.londonfetishfair.co.uk
Tel: 0207 916 8360
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