Green light for shopping
Words | Sophy Grimshaw This month is Fashion Week in Amsterdam and the city has also transformed the windows of the redlight district into a showcase for world-class design. Forget packing too much luggage – just bring an empty suitcase for your purchases THERE’S NEVER BEEN a better time to go shopping in Amsterdam than right now. That’s the message the city [...]
Words | Sophy Grimshaw
This month is Fashion Week in Amsterdam and the city has also transformed the
windows of the redlight district into a showcase for world-class design. Forget
packing too much luggage – just bring an empty suitcase for your purchases
alt="What’s Cooking, Lady Day and Ignoor">
THERE’S NEVER BEEN a better time
to go shopping in Amsterdam than
right now. That’s the message the
city is trying to send out to world
travellers, some of whom view the
capital of The Netherlands as one of the more
obvious choices for rowdy stag parties. As it
happens, the marketing message is right on the
money. After you’ve escaped the plastic clogs at
Schiphol airport’s gift shop, you’ll discover that
a short shopping trip here yields unique and
exciting finds. Start practising your smuggest,
“Oh this? Just something I picked up from my
weekend in Amsterdam.”
One reason the city is in the mood to shop
is that this month heralds another Amsterdam
International Fashion Week (19-28 July). The
fashion-fest may only have been established
in 2004 but it’s a genuinely exciting creative
outlet for a town with more than its fair share
of gifted designers. And while there was sparse
international media coverage when it first
started, it’s now regarded as a launch pad for
new trends.
alt="A look by rising talent Claes Iversen; Marlies Dekkers lingerie">
This year you can expect to see established
Dutch designer Monique Collignon’s new
collection (www.moniquecollignon.com) and the
Lichting 2008 show, which brings together some
of the most talented students of Dutch fashion
academies. A hot tip for the future is young
Dane Claes Iversen (www.claesiversen.com), a
former intern with the avant-garde Amsterdambased
duo Viktor & Rolf, whose bold, blockshaped
dresses look ready for Björk’s wardrobe.
alt="Dutch fashion design duo Viktor & Rolf">
Fashion Week here has an egalitarian rather
than snooty spirit, so although some of the
catwalk shows are industry-access only, there
is also a wide range of events that the public
can attend. With so many parties, there are
several city venues, but a lot of the shows
happen in Westergas, a former gas works
building (www.westergasfabriek.nl).
This season also heralds a new shopping
initiative which is in full swing this month,
Redlight Fashion Amsterdam. High-end local
fashion designers are showcasing their glossy
goods in the windows of the formerly seedy
district, and these can all be purchased in
one place, the Code Gallery store (121
Oudezijds Achterburgwal, +31 204 08 5511;
www.codegallerystore.com). Most of the brands
export their lines to select stores worldwide
and don’t have flagship outlets here. Among the
many participating are enfant terrible Daryl van
Wouw, whose ‘street couture’ has been a hit at
past Amsterdam fashion weeks (see his window
display at 13 Oudezijds Achterburgwal) and Noor
Wentholt, whose label Ignoor produces bags
in shapes designed to complement the natural
curves of the human body (see her display at
27 Oudezijds Achterburgwal). For cutting edge,
luxury menswear check out the brand Sebastic,
with a window display at 1 Boomsteeg.
See www.amsterdamfashionweek.com
and www.redlightfashionamsterdam.nl
for more details. Or simply head to
the city yourself.
In the meantime, look at the
opposite page for voyager’s pick
of further shopping highlights to
check out while you’re there.
WHERE TO SHOP
Market trading
Amsterdam has several regular markets.
Locals shop for food at the stalls on Albert
Cuyp street in the De Pijp, where you can
pick up dainty handmade chocolates and
local cheeses. But for clothes, the best
market is Westerstraat (Mondays, 9am-
1pm). If you know what you’re looking for,
you can find last season’s designerwear
here at low prices. And Noordermarkt, in
the Jordaan, is the market to come to for
miscellaneous gifts like unusual jewellery
and fabrics.
The department stores
For designer labels like
Roberto Cavalli and
Burberry, try Metz & Co
(34-6 Leidsestraat, +31
(0)20 520 7020; www.metzenco.nl). Less chichi
is Vroom & Dreesman (or
V&D), the biggest Dutch
department store chain
(203 Rokin; www.vd.nl).
Lady Day
Fans of vintage clothing may feel almost
overwhelmed by the thrift store Lady Day,
a hub for bohemian chic which opened
in 1972. “We are an inspiration for many
designers and a source of clothes for film
and TV productions,” says owner Marijke
Bijkerk, who travels regularly in
Europe and the USA to source
clothes. Girls might find a
tea dress or statement
belt, while guys can
get suited and booted
without looking like
they’re in the rat race.
Lady Day, 9 Hartenstraat,
+31 (0)20 623 5820;
www.ladydayvintage.com
What’s Cooking
A former fashion stylist for magazines,
Jacqueline Overtoom owns this cool and
quirky kitchenware store. She tells voyager:
“I sell ‘kitchen lifestyle’ things which are a
nice gift to take if you’re going to a friend’s
for dinner, or if you’re a tourist looking for
something to take back home with you.” Pick
up some glassware, cute aprons and lots more.
What’s Cooking, 16 Reestraat, +31 (0)20 4270 630; www.whatscooking.nl
Droog Design
To be a fan of contemporary design means
being a fan of Droog. The inspiring concept
store brings together over 300 products by
some 200 different designs, most of which
is homeware, from furniture to accessories.
Among the items you’ll find here are a reading
lamp that doubles as a clothes hanger (below),
and the ‘sugar cage’, a stylish alternative to
a sugar bowl, with a design influenced by
surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp.
Droog Design, 7b Staalstraat, +31 (0)20 523 5059; www.droogdesign.nl
Paul Frank
The Amsterdam outpost of the Paul
Frank empire of kitsch (the
brand originated in southern
California) has its bi-annual
sale till the end of this
month on branded goods
from clothing and bed linen
to watches, toys and more.
Ask about upcoming events,
as touring bands are sometimes
invited to play in store.
Paul Frank, 23 Hartenstraat,
+31 (0)20 423 2580; www.paulfrank.com
Marlies Dekkers
Lingerie maven Marlies Dekkers is famous
for her striking smalls. Her flagship store is
in nearby Rotterdam and her Amsterdam
branch is similar in style. Both have the feel
of a Manhattan loft or an exhibition
space. Her carefully sculpted
undergarments are worn by
celebrities including the
singer Nelly Furtado.
Marlies Dekkers, 13 Cornelis Schuytstraat, +31 (0)20 471 4146;www.marliesdekkers.nl
The Frozen Fountain
There may be a limit to how much
furniture you can realistically cart home
from a shopping weekend, but even if it’s
just for inspiration, you owe yourself a visit
to The Frozen Fountain. The shop opened in
1985, moving to its new location in 1992.
Over the years it has increasingly taken a
gallery-style approach to sourcing stock, by
commissioning local designers to produce
new and exciting work.
The Frozen Fountain, 645 Prinsengracht,
+31 (0)20 622 9375; www.frozenfountain.nl
