barca shopping.

i suspected that barcelona would not provide a shopping heaven for me. i was right. finding anything worthwhile proved to be more than a cinch.

the local style seemed a combo of italian classic street style and catalan hippie – both delineations i find alien in their colorful casualness. i also looked out of place in my black industrial gear and felt very little affinity towards the little shops that lined streets everywhere.

nonetheless, there were a few i did like. first of them was doshaburi, which reminds me of our local wondrous wunder. owned by a japanese couple the atmosphere was friendly but more reserved than pushy. the selection consisted of their own denim in addition to the same brands you'll find at wunder, but the variety was wider and more bold. i tried on a hauntingly embroidered dress by marjan pejoski, but had to pass because my height proved too much for the design despite size 8 fitting me fine otherwise – i find feeling too tall slightly strange although i am well aware that i am above average height globally speaking. nonetheless, this particular shop was a great place to stumble upon since they have a fully functioning online store, as well.

i was on the lookout for a blazer and a pair of pants that were office appropriate. the pants were a no show. my second recommendation called maje is where i found one beautiful jacket. unfortunately, the fit was slightly off and the price too steep for the material. other items in the store were precious, though, and if i was in need, it would have been a spot i could have purchased a few things without a doubt.

both of the above were located close to our hotel in addition to cute street wear hubs and local recommendation, miriam ponsa. i looked forward to ponsa's creations but they were unexciting and cut for a figure unlike mine. a pity, really.

my third recommendation is c-mmetric, in eixample. a minimalistic, mostly black collection of more avantgarde items felt homely to me although i bought nothing.

thus, my money went to cos, yet again. a sheer grey cardi from the men's department (below) made of beautiful wool alpaca blend and light as air, a silk tee and a couple of cotton tees was all i got. worthwhile basics that will get tons of wear and that will replace some of my old, already overly worn pieces.



since we only reserved one full day for shopping, we probably missed many boutiques lurking in the midst of the small streets. for some reason barcelona store fronts lack protruding signs facing people strolling the streets and without an exact address, stumbling into an interesting store depends on taking every single little alleyway and checking around relentlessly. i found myself continuously frustrated at crossroads, looking for building numbers in order to decipher which way to turn – although i could see the entire length of the street – because there were no identifying signs sticking from walls above stores.

therefore, and because we're planning on revisiting, i welcome all suggestions and recommendations from you. so shoot.