Shopping - Barcelona - page 87

Vintage Fashion
El Raval is best for vintage fashion. You'll discover old-time stores that are irresistible to
browsers, and a colourful array of affordable, mostly secondhand clothes boutiques. The
central axis here is Carrer de la Riera Baixa, which plays host to '70s threads and military
cast-offs. Carrer dels Tallers is also attracting a growing number of clothing and shoe stores
(although CDs remain its core business). Small galleries, designer shops and arty bookstores
huddle together along the streets running east of the MACBA towards La Rambla.
Designers
The heart of L'Eixample, bisected by Passeig de Gràcia, is known as the Quadrat d'Or
(Golden Sq) and is jammed with all sorts of glittering shops. Passeig de Gràcia is a bit of a
who's who of international shopping - you'll find Spain's own high-end designers like
Loewe on Passeig de Gràcia, along with Armani, Chanel, Gucci, Stella McCartney and the
rest.
El Born, particularly Carrer del Rec, is big on cool designers like Isabel Marant, Marni,
Chloé and Hoss Intropia, in small, clean-line boutiques. Some Barcelona-based designs are
also sold here. This is a great area if you have money to spend and hours to browse.
Markets
Barcelona's food markets are some of the best in Europe - just think of the inviting, glisten-
ing, aromatic and voluptuous offerings to be savoured in Mercat de la Boqueria or Mercat
de Santa Caterina ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Avinguda de Francesc Cambó; Jaume I) - but
every neighbourhood has its own central market, full of seasonal offers.
Several flea markets, like Els Encants Vells , offer opportunities to browse and enjoy the
local buzz, and perhaps even find a good bargain.
Shopping Strips
Avinguda del Portal de l'Àngel This broad pedestrian avenue is lined with high-street
chains, shoe shops, bookshops and more, and feeds into Carrer dels Boters and Carrer de la
Portaferrissa, characterised by stores offering light-hearted costume jewellery and youth-ori-
ented streetwear.
Avinguda Diagonal The boulevard is loaded with international fashion names and design
boutiques, suitably interspersed with cafes to allow weary shoppers to take a load off.
Carrer d'Avinyó Once a fairly squalid old city street, Carrer d'Avinyó has morphed into a
dynamic young fashion street.