A pair of fancy Swedish mittens, as photographed by cimorenegal

When it comes to fighting off cold weather, the Swedes have it covered (not to mention their ears and toes). After you’ve spent the day marveling at the Stockholm Cathedral or checking out the Royal Palace, get your mitts on a set of lovika mittens! 

Old fashioned

Nomads from northern Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula created clothing to stay warm and to communicate who they were. The Sami people have long been known for donning brightly designed clothes for all occasions.  Today, you can buy many variations of their original fashions, in the form of shawls, sweaters, and boots.

Fashion forward

Perhaps the easiest go-to accessory to pack and bring home from Stockholm is a pair of “lovika” mittens, made of the wool of the same name. The yarn is ideal for both wet and cold conditions.

Check out the narrow streets of Gamla Stan for handicrafts and popular souvenirs. Specifically, the main strip in Stockholm’s Old Town, Vasterlanggatan, boasts plenty of shopping and vendors. But, we suggest hitting side streets which pay lower rents and will offer, therefore, cheaper accoutrements. Prices start at $15 USD at popular discount shops like H&M and can go up to $80 USD for more high quality handmade mittens, sold at boutiques in the area.

While you’re at it…

Catch a school of Swedish fish candy! They provide a sweet treat for the hungry sharks back home. Malaco, the originator of the gummy candy, manufactures their own breed sold only in Sweden; less sweet and more fruit flavored than the fish sold elsewhere.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The San Lorenzo market in Florence. Photo by Madame’s Travels

Florence is a hot spot for fashion, but that doesn’t mean tourists have to pay high prices for ready-to-wear souvenirs. In fact, quality clothing and accessories can be found for only a few euros at a number of outdoor markets in Florence.

Fashion in the streets of Firenze

The outdoor Mercato Nuovo, the “Straw Market,” buzzes daily beneath a gorgeous multi-block loggia in central Florence. These vendors sell high-quality leather items, straw bags and hats, scarves, and wallets (not to mention those mini-David statuettes and cooking aprons!). We suggest smaller, cheaper, and easy-to-pack items. The Mercato Nuovo is located at the intersection of Via Calimala and Via Porta Rossa.

Less picturesque, the outdoor market at San Lorenzo is an easier place to haggle with sellers. Expect crowds, barking vendors, the smell of leather, and a mix of quality and shoddy goods. This market is popular with tourists, locals, and pickpockets, so keep a watchful eye.

While you’re at it…

Take home some Italian shopping bags. A regular old plastic bag transforms into a high-class fashion statement when “Firenze” is stamped across it.

Also see: Our guide to budget hotels in Florence.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Photo by JamesWallis

Cheapo shoppers, be warned: the weather in Paris this spring was unseasonably cool—apart from that burst of heat over Easter—and many stores have reported disappointing sales. This is great news for us as it means only one thing: fantastic markdowns in the sales starting on June 27.

At this time of the year, Parisian women are busy scoping out the stores for what they intend to buy once the sales get started. Precision targeting is the name of their game. Decide exactly what you want to buy and then hover patiently in the third week of June for the “pre-sale” discounts that are usually handed out by the shopkeepers who know they must clear their stock by mid-July. The other day we were were told in a shoe store that there was an “exceptional” discount of €15 on any pair of shoes that day.

A great place to max out your sale leverage is to shop at the outlet stores for your favourite brands. These places already have 30 to 60 percent markdowns on items left over from last season. When the sales roll around you get an extra 30 to 50 percent off. That’s a great deal in any currency.

Check out the Zadig and Voltaire outlet in the Marais, for instance. Zadig and Voltaire is one of the staples (along with brands like A.P.C., Isabelle Marant, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Vanessa Bruno) of the fashionable Parisian’s wardrobe. You can find their famed loose cashmere sweaters in muted tones of moss, plum, and chocolate as well as a chic line for girls under 12 called Zadig and Voltaire Little for girls up to age 12. Cecilia Sarkozy, France’s First Lady and leading fashion icon, was wearing a pair of white Zadig trousers on election victory night last month.

Le stock Zadig et Voltaire is located at 22 rue du Bourg Tibourg, 4th. M° Hotel de Ville.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Photo by Not_forgotten

If you’re carrying any dead weight in the form of (designer) clothing when you’re in London, stop into Visa’s pop-up store, where you can donate unwanted gear and quality high street clothing. But never fear Cheapos. You won’t be giving up your designer duds simply for the sake of charity (of course we believe that you would have anyway).

Swap clothes for points loaded onto a Visa Fashion Swap Card. Then return to the pop-up store on June 16 and 17 to redeem your points for new (to you) clothing and accessories. All in the name of sustainable fashion, ecology, and of course style. Got to hand to the Brits and Visa (and then hand over your clothes).
To find out more visit the Visa Swap website.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Photo by manna_from_the_heavens

Gucci, Fendi, and Prada … Three perfect excuses to plan a trip to Italy. You probably didn’t expect to hear those names on Eurocheapo, but we’re going to let you in on a little secret:

Twice a year, fashion retailers, from mass chains like Benetton to swanky designer boutiques, hold a sale that will blow your mind. Nearly all pricetags are slashed in half on January 15th and June 15th. Under Italian law, this is the only time such deep discounts can occur, to prevent fraud and unfair competition. The sales generally last around a month.

Those who brave the frenzied crowds on the first days will be rightfully rewarded. Italians know their fashion and the good stuff goes first!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Photograph by Kaymaria Daskarolis

Last week (March 14 - March 18) Athens hosted the fifth annual Hellenic Fashion Week, held in the famous and beautiful Zappeion Hall in the midst of the National Gardens.

Over the course of the four days, the fashions of 42 different designers were presented in a sophisticated yet playful manner reminiscent of Paris or Milan. Popular Belgian DJ Nicolas Dalés, who has been burning up turntables in Greece for over a decade now, was on hand, providing a high-energy soundtrack to catwalk shenanigans.

As Athens designers attain greater recognition, we predict that more and more editors and fashionistas will flock to the well-organized catwalks of Athens to check out the local fashion crop. In the meantime, highly-respected and well-known Greek design houses like Makis Tselios and Deux Hommes will continue to wow those already ahead of the curve.

All that aside, it was a true fashion party weekend. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Hellenic Fashion Week.

Popularity: 3% [?]

photograph courtesy of bonapartconsulting

Sales in Paris are winding down. The grays and blacks of winter are being replaced by the candy hues of spring throughout the Left Bank’s retail landscape. Here are some tips on how to fill up your trunks with delicious spring fashion without breaking the bank.

Check out Chercheminippes, a chain of second hand stores dotted around the lower reaches of the Rue du Cherche Midi, towards Montparnasse. They feature designer clothing in tip-top shape (barely-used to almost-new) in pleasant, spacious surroundings. Aside from clothes, you will find shoes, handbags, costume jewellery as well as brand new cosmetics from Guerlain, YSL, and Dior—mostly free gift items dropped off for re-sale by press attaches. Chercerminippes have two outlets for women, one for children, and one for men.

The nearby Rue Saint Placide also has some interesting outlet stores, including Carroll at 30 rue St Placide, and a number of discount shoe stores.

Popularity: 3% [?]