Victoria Beckham, Celine Dion, Madonna and many other celebrities popularised Madrid to be one of the best places to shop in Europe. Up-to-date collections, interesting fabrics and creative styles made it one of the most happening places in terms of fashion.
Besides glamorous boutiques, Madrid attracts with its variety and extravagance. Few people know that Madrid has the largest gay community in Spain; competing with Barcelona it built an incredible district called Chueca.
It is no secret that Madrid’s gay culture brings a lot of entertainment and fashion. Chueca district is probably the best example to prove the theory. Starting with the most notable in the district – gay orientation bookstores: “Lopez Fornez ” (Hortaleza, 64) and “A Different Life” (Pelayo, 30), here you can find books, DVD, newspapers from around the world and a variety of souvenirs, gifts and bright accessories, as well as jewelry, pens, fridge magnets and just some little things. A good souvenir would be some earrings or a belt in rainbow colors, which is an international symbol of gay people, these items will always remind you of the time spent in this multi-ethnic, cosmopolitan area, which is open for fun and variety.
Madrid is also famous for the widest choice and the quality of its shoes, and very few tourists leave it without picking up a pair for. On the Augusto Figueroa street you will find the best shoe shops in the Spanish capital, and all the shoes in the Chueca area make a point of quality and modernity, by the way, this applies to both interiors and models offered to customers. Although the number of shoe stores in the area is incalculable, I would recommend you two good examples: “Miamoll” (Augusto Figueroa, 22), original and stylish shop where you can find just about anything, from the most striking and unusual models, to shoes, the price of which is equal to their weight in gold. On the other hand, “Gamba Sneakers” (Piamonte, 5), specializes in running shoes, offering a unique style of sports orientation, or simply casuals.
If you are interested in something really unusual, badges of “Mirada De Vaca” (San Marcos, 18) will change beyond recognition any garment and allow you to express your personality. Here you will find icons of all shapes and colors. Among the huge variety of models you will find classic and modern paintings, famous movies, popular brands, bands, actors and cartoon characters.
And in a very typical for this area store “El Tintero” (Gravina, 5), you can try on t-shirts that you will not find anywhere else, striking originality of colors and labels.
Those wishing to find something decorative, for example, an accessory for the kitchen or designer furniture, should look into the shop “Aldaba” (Belén, 4): the real market where you can get lost among the thousands of original and attractive products for every taste and budget.
This is a guest post by Vera Petryk, an author for Madrid.net