This is not about shopping in the Grand Bazaar or in the Sultanahmet areas, but a discussion of some of the up-market shopping areas in Istanbul where fashionistas of both sexes can torture their credit cards to their hearts' desire and don themselves with the latest fashion from Milan, Paris and New York. Welcome to High-End Shopping in Istanbul!!
1. Nisantasi
This area a short drive away from Taksim is full of exclusive shops, boutiques and high-end restaurants. The prices are not for the faint-hearted, as a pair of designer jeans from a well-known Italian fashion label cost almost twice than in Milan. The average rental prices for shops per square meter in Nisantasi is among the most expensive in the whole of Turkey, which means a simple lunch (chicken salad and a cold beverage) at a local cafe would cost you a whopping 25TL and upwards. There is no cheap pide or kebab places in sight, only elegant roadside cafes and elaborately decorated restaurants serving European fares.
To a large extent, the streets of Nisantasi are very similar in terms of flaire and style to Madrid's legendary Calle Serrano and Calle Ortega y Gasset, on which expensive designer boutiques cluster around the street corners one after the other. The two main shopping streets of Nisantasi are: Abdi Ipekci Caddesi and Tesvikiye Caddesi, where some of the world's most famous fashion houses and chic designer labels congregate alongside the fashionable one-way streets.
On the left hand side is Beymen Nisantasi, a up-market department store specialising in terribly expensive designer labels from Italy, France, UK and the US. My impression is, everything is at least twice if not three times more expensive than in these labels' own country of origin. Better equip yourself with several credit cards before you venture into the store.
By the way, it is the first time I saw a Loro Piana boutique with a full ladies wear collection outside Italy...
2. Kanyon Shopping Centre (Kanyon AVM)
Prior to the opening of Istinye Park Shopping Centre, Kanyon Shopping Centre in Sisli is one of the most up-market places to spend your money in Istanbul. The complex is unique because of its architecture: the interior of the shopping centre is shaped like a canyon, and the complex is not sealed off from the outside, but with an open-air interior and with no roofs. Hence the air can circulate freely in and out of the complex. The good thing about this is, it saves lots of energy, especially in the hot summer months due to the reduced needs for air-conditioning. On the other hand, the bitterly cold winter air from outside also circulate freely inside the entire building during the winter months, and you have to dress up in thick winter jackets, wrapped yourself in scarves and gloves if you decide to visit Kanyon AVM when the outside temperature is -5 degree Celsius.
Among the shops and boutiques which set up store in Kanyon Shopping Centre is the exclusive departmental store Harvey Nichols of London (nowadays owned by a business group from Hong Kong). Like their flagship store in London's Knightsbridge, the selections of designer labels and evening wears in their Istanbul store are astronomically priced, even by West European standards, hence virtually off-limit to most wage-earning white collar workers in Istanbul. Given the average salary of most Istanbulites, only the very rich and affluent can afford to shop at Kanyon.
In spite of the high prices compared to the more traditional shopping area in other parts of Istanbul, on the weekends Kanyon is still packed with fashionable and rich Istanbulites. Even the restaurants inside Kanyon are of the expensive variety: be prepared to dish out at least 20TL for a light snack with tea/coffee, except for the Burger King in the food court on the uppermost floor of the shopping complex.
Even Illy Espressamente, the ambitious up-market coffee chain established by Illy Caffe s.p.a., the premium coffee beans manufacturer from Italy, also choose to set up their first speciality coffee shop in the whole of Turkey inside Kanyon.
Kanyon Shopping Centre is conveniently linked with Istanbul's Levant Metro system. It takes about 10 minutes by metro from Taksim to the Levant Metro Station. Follow the sign inside the metro station to the underground walkway linking the Levant Metro Station with Kanyon Shopping Centre's side entrance on the underground level.
3. Istinye Park Shopping Centre
This is probably one of the most expensive addresses to shop around in Istanbul till date. In addition to the more conventional (and cheaper) local high street fashion chains such as Mavi Jeans, Mudo and Yargici, the entire outdoor annex of the Istinye Park complex houses haute couture power houses from Italy and France, including Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Chloe, LV, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, YSL etc. In the evening, expensive limousines filled the parking lots while incredibly beautiful Turks, many of whom are terribly good-looking and dressed in extremely chic (even revealing) evening dresses and suits, frequent the fashionable open-air bistro in the courtyard, sipping drinks and listening to live music.
The whole ambience actually feels like a stage set of some popular local TV series. Everywhere there are beautiful people impeccably dressed up, with lots of cash to spend and lots of time in the world. Such image of luxury and endless night-life is probably not what most people expect of Istanbul. Yet the funny thing is, at hih-end places like this, ordinary tourists are much less likely to be harassed and cheated than in the more 'conventional' tourist ghettos of inner city Istanbul, such as Sultanahmet and the surrounding areas.
In addition to expensive designer boutiques selling unaffordable printed fabric bags, there are also a wide range of more affordable high-street labels inside the main complex. Here one finds virtually all the big names in Turkey's fashion industry, including Vakko, Beymen, Mavi Jeans etc.:
Vakko, one of the oldest and most prestigeous name in Turkish fashion scene, is famous for its quality silk scarves and tailored menswear; they also have various European fashion labels in their stores throughout Turkey.
Another well-known Turkish fashion label to be found inside Istinuye Park is Beymen.
Turkey produces some of the best quality cotton in the world, and it is hardly surprising that the country also produces quality denim jeans. My eternal favourite is Mavi Jeans.
The chain store Mudo is also quite popular in Turkey. They offer good quality simple daily wears at average prices.
For me, any shopping trip is no real shopping trip without a visit to Max Mara. Although it is sad to note that the quality of Max Mara womenswear had gone down somewhat in recent years due to their outsourcing of part of their production to China, their Made in Italy collections are still of very sound quality and wearability.
Then there is always the good old Furla to look for, plus the youthful Max & Co. To be honest, I am perhaps a little too old for Max & Co., but they offer interesting options now and then, and it does no harm to have a look into the shop during the window shopping session. The drawback is, prices of such imported luxury goods often cost twice as much in Turkey as in Italy or Spain, hence it is not really a bargain to buy all these foreign brand names in Turkey, unless you really cannot live without that particular piece.
4. Istanbul Bebek
A colourful and trendy suburb full of interesting little shops, delightful small restaurants and beautiful wooden houses, Bebek is a good place to go if you are looking for smaller, independent boutiques and stores. Many independent Turkish designers set up shops in this affluent corner of Istanbul and a stroll around the pretty seaside streets of Bebek will surprise you with its variety of shops, cafes and vibrancy.
Copyrights@ 2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
1. Nisantasi
This area a short drive away from Taksim is full of exclusive shops, boutiques and high-end restaurants. The prices are not for the faint-hearted, as a pair of designer jeans from a well-known Italian fashion label cost almost twice than in Milan. The average rental prices for shops per square meter in Nisantasi is among the most expensive in the whole of Turkey, which means a simple lunch (chicken salad and a cold beverage) at a local cafe would cost you a whopping 25TL and upwards. There is no cheap pide or kebab places in sight, only elegant roadside cafes and elaborately decorated restaurants serving European fares.
To a large extent, the streets of Nisantasi are very similar in terms of flaire and style to Madrid's legendary Calle Serrano and Calle Ortega y Gasset, on which expensive designer boutiques cluster around the street corners one after the other. The two main shopping streets of Nisantasi are: Abdi Ipekci Caddesi and Tesvikiye Caddesi, where some of the world's most famous fashion houses and chic designer labels congregate alongside the fashionable one-way streets.
On the left hand side is Beymen Nisantasi, a up-market department store specialising in terribly expensive designer labels from Italy, France, UK and the US. My impression is, everything is at least twice if not three times more expensive than in these labels' own country of origin. Better equip yourself with several credit cards before you venture into the store.
By the way, it is the first time I saw a Loro Piana boutique with a full ladies wear collection outside Italy...
2. Kanyon Shopping Centre (Kanyon AVM)
Prior to the opening of Istinye Park Shopping Centre, Kanyon Shopping Centre in Sisli is one of the most up-market places to spend your money in Istanbul. The complex is unique because of its architecture: the interior of the shopping centre is shaped like a canyon, and the complex is not sealed off from the outside, but with an open-air interior and with no roofs. Hence the air can circulate freely in and out of the complex. The good thing about this is, it saves lots of energy, especially in the hot summer months due to the reduced needs for air-conditioning. On the other hand, the bitterly cold winter air from outside also circulate freely inside the entire building during the winter months, and you have to dress up in thick winter jackets, wrapped yourself in scarves and gloves if you decide to visit Kanyon AVM when the outside temperature is -5 degree Celsius.
Among the shops and boutiques which set up store in Kanyon Shopping Centre is the exclusive departmental store Harvey Nichols of London (nowadays owned by a business group from Hong Kong). Like their flagship store in London's Knightsbridge, the selections of designer labels and evening wears in their Istanbul store are astronomically priced, even by West European standards, hence virtually off-limit to most wage-earning white collar workers in Istanbul. Given the average salary of most Istanbulites, only the very rich and affluent can afford to shop at Kanyon.
In spite of the high prices compared to the more traditional shopping area in other parts of Istanbul, on the weekends Kanyon is still packed with fashionable and rich Istanbulites. Even the restaurants inside Kanyon are of the expensive variety: be prepared to dish out at least 20TL for a light snack with tea/coffee, except for the Burger King in the food court on the uppermost floor of the shopping complex.
Even Illy Espressamente, the ambitious up-market coffee chain established by Illy Caffe s.p.a., the premium coffee beans manufacturer from Italy, also choose to set up their first speciality coffee shop in the whole of Turkey inside Kanyon.
Kanyon Shopping Centre is conveniently linked with Istanbul's Levant Metro system. It takes about 10 minutes by metro from Taksim to the Levant Metro Station. Follow the sign inside the metro station to the underground walkway linking the Levant Metro Station with Kanyon Shopping Centre's side entrance on the underground level.
3. Istinye Park Shopping Centre
This is probably one of the most expensive addresses to shop around in Istanbul till date. In addition to the more conventional (and cheaper) local high street fashion chains such as Mavi Jeans, Mudo and Yargici, the entire outdoor annex of the Istinye Park complex houses haute couture power houses from Italy and France, including Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Chloe, LV, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, YSL etc. In the evening, expensive limousines filled the parking lots while incredibly beautiful Turks, many of whom are terribly good-looking and dressed in extremely chic (even revealing) evening dresses and suits, frequent the fashionable open-air bistro in the courtyard, sipping drinks and listening to live music.
The whole ambience actually feels like a stage set of some popular local TV series. Everywhere there are beautiful people impeccably dressed up, with lots of cash to spend and lots of time in the world. Such image of luxury and endless night-life is probably not what most people expect of Istanbul. Yet the funny thing is, at hih-end places like this, ordinary tourists are much less likely to be harassed and cheated than in the more 'conventional' tourist ghettos of inner city Istanbul, such as Sultanahmet and the surrounding areas.
In addition to expensive designer boutiques selling unaffordable printed fabric bags, there are also a wide range of more affordable high-street labels inside the main complex. Here one finds virtually all the big names in Turkey's fashion industry, including Vakko, Beymen, Mavi Jeans etc.:
Vakko, one of the oldest and most prestigeous name in Turkish fashion scene, is famous for its quality silk scarves and tailored menswear; they also have various European fashion labels in their stores throughout Turkey.
Another well-known Turkish fashion label to be found inside Istinuye Park is Beymen.
Turkey produces some of the best quality cotton in the world, and it is hardly surprising that the country also produces quality denim jeans. My eternal favourite is Mavi Jeans.
The chain store Mudo is also quite popular in Turkey. They offer good quality simple daily wears at average prices.
For me, any shopping trip is no real shopping trip without a visit to Max Mara. Although it is sad to note that the quality of Max Mara womenswear had gone down somewhat in recent years due to their outsourcing of part of their production to China, their Made in Italy collections are still of very sound quality and wearability.
Then there is always the good old Furla to look for, plus the youthful Max & Co. To be honest, I am perhaps a little too old for Max & Co., but they offer interesting options now and then, and it does no harm to have a look into the shop during the window shopping session. The drawback is, prices of such imported luxury goods often cost twice as much in Turkey as in Italy or Spain, hence it is not really a bargain to buy all these foreign brand names in Turkey, unless you really cannot live without that particular piece.
4. Istanbul Bebek
A colourful and trendy suburb full of interesting little shops, delightful small restaurants and beautiful wooden houses, Bebek is a good place to go if you are looking for smaller, independent boutiques and stores. Many independent Turkish designers set up shops in this affluent corner of Istanbul and a stroll around the pretty seaside streets of Bebek will surprise you with its variety of shops, cafes and vibrancy.
Copyrights@ 2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
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