Under the tuscan sun…

September 6th, 2006 by perfumed

…lies simply the best shopping I’ve ever been to in my life. I hear that the outlets in Milan give The Mall a run for its money but that will be a discovery I will have to make next time.

In Econ, you learn the theory of the purchasing power parity or informally called the Big Mac Index. I will loosely use this concept (with base 100€) to discuss my shopping adventures in Europe.

I started off my trip in London. In London, 100€ will buy you a big cup of coffee and the sit in fee. (I am only slightly exaggerating). For the many American travelers that start off in London, my only advice is: don’t shop.

In Paris, 100€ bought me a Diabless sweater dress. It’s pretty. I don’t regret buying it but it’s also not anything too special.

Spain is cheap. But Spain has no good shopping so I wasted my Euros on Zara and such. In Barcelona, I spent 100€ on a locally made lace skirt. If you find something special in Spain like that- it’s worth buying but don’t buy stuff from Zara or H&M just because it’s cheap and that’s all there is.

In Venice I did not buy anything because I knew I was coming to Florence. In Florence, 100€ bought me a gorgeous pair of satin and patent leather Fendi pumps. Twice that bought me a Balenciaga bag. 100€ also bought me a Marni dress and 2 Burberry scarves.

So my study has concluded that if you’re a fashionista/shopaholic/girl and you know what is good for you- come to The Mall in Florence and nowhere else.

Filed under: Fashion, International, Shopping, Travel