Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pressive, housing the first true department store in the city, Stockmann, and the best
supermarket in the city in its basement.
Local Fashion
There's a small but enterprising fashion industry in St Petersburg with a few local de-
signers blazing the trail and selling classy and creative clothing designs. While it has
taken a long time for them to get any real recognition in a market obsessed with
European labels, in the past few years it has become very fashionable to buy Russian
fashion in Russia. Local fashion week, called 'Defile on the Neva', features local de-
signers including Lilya Kissilenko, Natalya Soldatova and Tatyana Sulimina, all of
whom have boutiques in the city. For international fashion labels, look no further than
the Hermitage end of Nevsky pr and the super glamorous Bolshaya Konyushennaya
ul, where you'll see many world-famous brands have set up shop.
Secondhand & Vintage
Sekond-khаnd
(Секонд-ханд) is all the rage in St Petersburg, with fabrics and designs
from the Soviet era now being very fashionable among people born after the fall of
the Berlin Wall. In fact, many of the stores import secondhand clothing from Europe,
such is the demand, and you'll see signs (in Russian) all over the city, telling you
where to find the latest arrivals.
Soviet chic is so in that it goes way beyond clothing - accessories, music, art and
(let's face it) a lot of plain junk is on sale all over the city, simply because it's from
that era. If you're into Soviet bric-a-brac, then simply head to Udelnaya Fair (
CLICK
HERE
) on a Sunday for a truly mind-blowing array of Soviet junk and the odd real
treasure.
Markets & Supermarkets
Markets in St Petersburg are by far the best places to find high-quality, fresh fruit and
vegetables, though they aren't always particularly well located. Try Sennoy Market (
though be sure to haggle.
