I went to Madrid a few months ago to visit a friend who moved there for work. While the gorgeous city has got every designer brand you could think of (and many of them are conveniently close to the city’s major museums!), the best discovery I made while I was there was Bimba & Lola. I keep meaning to start a Facebook group “Bring Bimba & Lola to the US!”. The store has an amazing selection of affordable (think about double the price of Zara), ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, and jewelry. They have a slew of boutiques around Spain and recently expanded to Asia (they have locations in Portugal, France, and a few other countries as well…). If you’re traveling to Europe or Asia I urge you to look at their site to see if there’s a Bimba & Lola boutique in the city where you’ll be! The boutique targets 20 to 40-somethings and they’ve got a slew of original pieces that will take you from the office to the bar. The over-all aesthetic is feminine, but understated and most of the designs come in both neutral as well as popping colors.
I was just in Spain, too. I didn’t see Bimba and Lola (I wish I would have known about it) but the store I loved there was Massimo Dutti. It is owned by the same group as Zara and is all over the world except here! They had fabulous clothing at great prices.
If you liked Bimba Y Lola, wait to see Mimótica Micola!
They are from Barcelona, I discovered the shop this summer when I was on holidays there.
I bought the most beautiful bag ever! It is all made in spain and the shop is the best place to stay when you have a blue day!
check it out: http://www.mimoticamicola.com
Cheers!
Kate