Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Posted by : John Ross on Jan 11, 2006 - 09:02 AM Shopping

Not the fruit, but the Barcelona-based Mango chain of fashion stores, which a Times article by Anne Ashworth looks at with a wry eye on the price difference between England and Spain. Mango specializes in affordable chic, but that is even more true if you go to the source: "A Chloé-inspired khaki jacket with a ruffled collar from the new spring collection would set you back €69.90 (£48) in Marbella, but £69 in Regent Street," says Ashworth, without explaining why she chose Marbella instead of Barcelona, or who Chloé is, come to that (I suppose that means that if you don't know, you're a weak lnk in fashion terms - dang!). Read on for more fashion-consciousless observations on shopping in Spain, or go to the new Spain and Portugal for Visitors page on Spanish Fashion Designers and Brands.

The other Spanish high-street name to look out for if you are on the hunt for well-priced stylishness is Zara, a Galician firm which has been around for considerably longer than Mango's thirteen or fourteen years as an international company. You will have gathered that I am not an expert, and both chains have a similar approach, but Zara seems to be the classier of the two, while Mango aims at a younger segment.