| Seville Style |
 Anyone who knows Spain will know that Spanish women are generally very well turned-out; they take great pride in their appearance, boasting perfectly coiffured hair and matching accessories. Well, in Seville it’s even more so. Every year, women here don their flamenco ensemble, consisting of dress, shoes, shawl, bag, fan, comb, earrings and necklace, all carefully colour-coordinated, to parade at their local feria. This outfit, as well as those put together for weddings, christenings, first communions and other social events, is endlessly discussed and debated with friends; the evening paseo (stroll) along the city’s main shopping streets of Sierpes and Tetuan is used as a serious review of outfits being considered, including shoes and jewellery.
All of which makes shopping in Andalucía’s capital city an enjoyable experience for visitors. There’s an infectious buzz about the place, and a sense of purpose. Its manageable size – the centre is easily walkable on foot – and the profusion of cafes to stop for a coffee, cake and a chat (or leave a shop-fatigued partner to study the guide book) – make it suitable for a relaxing browse. It’s also a great place for picking up a glamorous dress for a summer wedding – if you want to guarantee that its one that no one else will have. Women’s fashion in Seville can be roughly divided into three groups: high street stores – Blanco, Mango, Zara and the like; designer stores – Loewe, Carolina Herrera, Adolfo Dominguez; and local Sevillano retailers – Victorio y Lucchino, El Caballo and Agua de Sevilla. In the two main shopping streets you’ll find endless branches of Mango and Zara, as well as H&M, C&A and Benetton. Plaza Nueva hosts the more upmarket venues – El Caballo has good quality, classic leather goods, while in Agua de Sevilla next door you’ll find everything for a special occasion, down to silver jewellery, feathered headpieces and vibrant-coloured scarves. Spanish women favour strong colours – red, purple, fuschia, – in shiny, shimmery fabrics, with frills and flounces (the flamenco influence), while this season’s metallics are a perennial favourite. For more individual offerings, there are several excellent, hidden-away boutiques worth seeking out. Just off Plaza de San Francisco, on tiny Calle Chicarreros, is the quirky boudoir Lipatusa. Chic, ultra-feminine dresses in satin, silver lame and floral prints by hip French designer Manoush and Spanish duo Masscob sit alongside purple platform sandals. Cuqui Castellanos, between Tetuan and Mendez Nunez, is like a mini-Selfridges – it stocks Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Chloe, Emma Hope shoes and Anya Hindmarch handbags. You can even pick up flower-based fragrances by Creed and Annick Goutal’s heavenly-smelling, exquisitely expensive candles and cosmetics. This season’s must-haves are funky espadrille wedge sandals by Catalan shoe company Castaner, in everything from tartan to diamante. Out of the centre near the bullring, on Calle Adriano, is HAND – a French-owned store that stocks Paul & Joe and Cacharel, as well as sophisticated Danish label Malene Birger. This shop is big and light, more spacious and relaxing than the small independent shops in the centre, and beautifully decorated with flowers painted on the walls. One of the most interesting Spanish fashion stores is Hoss Intropia (formerly called, rather bizarrely, Homeless). Its theatrical, eclectic clothes using glamorous fabrics – brocade, silk, organza – in muted colours have won it a cult following. For something more typically Spanish in flavour, local designers Victorio & Lucchino’s flamboyant mixes of vividly-coloured, flouncy florals, lace and embroidery – sometimes on the same dress – are quintessentially Sevillano; or you can just settle for their gold trainers or a gold quilted bag with logo – ever so slightly Ali G. You can’t come to Seville without at least looking at fans, shawls and other feria gear. Sierpes and Tetuan, especially near Plaza Nueva, have plenty of shops: try Zadi and Dizac for fans – everything from hand-painted wood to pearl and lace. Hand-embroidered silk mantones (shawls) come in every conceivable colour, and look fabulous draped around a simple dress. One of the most well-respected shops for your manton, or lace mantilla worn in your hair, is Juan Foronda. Seville is legendary for its ceramic tiles, and the place to buy them is Triana – head for Calle Alfareria, where the most famous shop is Ceramica Santa Ana. Contemporary dinnerware can be found in Saregadelos, which specialises in blue and white ceramics, behind Plaza Nueva. Ocre y Almagra’s ceramics are all hand-made in Andalucia; located in Sierpes, this recently-opened shop has some unusual designs – plates with lobsters – and also takes commissions. Another good buy in Spain is shoes, and Seville’s centre has an abundance of shoe shops, mostly similar in terms of price and quality. Look out for Camper’s quirky styles, which you’ll see in most stores, as well as their own shop. Paco Rodriguez and Nuria Cobo both have smart matching shoe and bag sets – again, metallics are always big – while Pilar Burgos has an amazing selection of colours so you’re bound to find something to match your dress here. Nicolas and Zabol are slightly more upmarket, while Mallorcan shop Farrutx (Calle Rioja) is worth checking out for its seriously cool sandals. Seville’s interiors shops are largely unimaginative – either traditional or colonial. For something different, Alquitara, in Calle Francos near the cathedral, has an upmarket selection of beautiful contemporary porcelain and glass, as well as kitsch pieces such as painted glass cake covers, pewter jugs, and little marble and onyx bowls. It’s popular for wedding lists among the well-heeled. Up towards the Plaza del Duque, on O’Donnell, Musgo has an interesting mix of interiors and fashion on four floors with an outlet department on the fourth floor. A quirky children’s section has great piggy banks, lunch boxes and funkily-painted little radios. In Santa Cruz, if you’re doing the tourist thing, you’ll see lots of little shops selling Moroccan handicrafts. Most of them are overpriced and of dubious quality, but check out Hamis, in the corner of quiet Plaza Refinadores next to the Murillo Gardens. It has gorgeous leather poufs and pretty ceramic bowls decorated with fish. If you don’t come away from Seville with your suitcase more bulging than when you arrived, either you’ve spent all your money on tapas, or you’re very hard to please. It’s a great place to shop with goodies of every variety packed into a very small area. Enjoy! HOTELS CHEAP Hotel Amadeus, Calle Farnesio 6 Tel: 954 501 443, www.hotelamadeussevilla.com MODERATE Hotel Alminar, Calle Alvarez Quintero 52 Tel: 954 293 913, www.hotelalminar.com EXPENSIVE Las Suites del Maestro, Calle Hernando Colon 22-26 Tel: 954 500 007, www.lacasadelmaestro.com CAFES La Campana, Calle Sierpes 1 Tel: 954 223 570 Bar Laredo, Calle Sierpes 90 Tel: 954 213 016 El Patio de San Eloy, Calle San Eloy 9 Tel: 954 221 148 |
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