JET.SET.GO: Travelogue: Inside the Spanish Shopping Scene

In retrospect, I realize that writing about a 10-day trip chronologically more than a month after the trip occurred can get a bit strained. One, because I never had very good memory to begin with. Two, because it's almost October so what really is the point to talk about summer clothing when the leaves are changing colors and the days become shorter? As such, why not change how to approach the situation and jump around by what's most interesting. As a mentor in the paper biz once told me (yes, college newspaper now officially counts as "the biz"), "write about what you know and what you love... the rest will flow from there." As evidenced by about 70% of this blog, you know what I'm talking about.

Zagora in the Alfalfa neighborhood of Sevilla.

About seven days into the trip, we finally had some time to do some real-honest-to-blog shopping in Sevilla, which is this gorgeous, romantic city in the south of Spain. Known primarily for its winding roads and beautiful Islamic-influenced architecture, Sevilla also had quite the shopping district, almost unmarred by the pickpocketers and riff-raff commonly found in other major European cities. While wandering through the streets of Sevilla, you can encounter any standard international brand like Zara, H&M, and MANGO, but I think my favorite part was finding little gems like the ones in the Alfalfa neighborhood of Sevilla.

Inside of Zagora

Zagora had to be one of my favorite picks as far as small independent shops go in Sevilla. Filled with enough vibrant fascinators to make Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice a little jealous. Not to mention, the dresses had a fun Anthropologie style to them, and were rather nicely priced at about 40-60 euros a piece. My favorite had to be the tote bags on the right, straight from Japan.

I've got more where that came from. Looking for the Spanish version of Zara or Mango? Wait... Zara and Mango are already Spanish? Darn, well, I've got some more. Just click the next page.

Interior of Cortefiel

Not to riff on those anyway, but the next day, my friend Ashley and I meandered through the winding streets of the more commercial side to Sevilla... for mostly window shopping. The euro exchange rate still isn't that great ya'll. I think some of our favorites were definitely Bershka and Sfera, which had a more New York meets European feel to them with their clean lines and form-fitting shapes. Through, some of the clothes had very Spanish elements to them. For example, heavy use of peplum, two kinds of fabric paneling the sides, bolder patterns, etc. Their leather goods like the ones at Cortefiel and Loewe, however, were to die for.