Discovered two great shops in Gent

Visitors from abroad always make a great excuse for exploring your own country. I took a Brazilian friend to see Gent this weekend and went into some shops on the way. One was on my to do-list, and another was a complete surprise.

Let me tell you about the last one first. I wanted to show my friend one of the oldest buildings in Gent, located in the street Nederpolder. Right across the street was a store I had never noticed before. There was no name or a clear sign, just a lot of accessories and a lady ironing inside. She was the owner and when I asked if this was a new store, she assured they had been at this exact location for at least 5 years. She sells clothing by the colourful Belgian brand Just In Case and a hell of a lot accessories. My eye fell on a beautiful winter scarf right when we were planning on leaving. I bought it, and she told me that the scarfs were overstock from Belgian designers who took out the tags. Apparently my scarf was originally sold for 300 euros. At 50 euros I still considered it quite expensive, but it's the most beautiful dark green and super comfortable and I wear it all the time. Behind the computer, eating, at work. Right to the point where my boss asked me yesterday if I was really that cold.

Pictures!

The object of my desire. It looks a litte grey-ish in the picture, but it's actually green. Also, I clearly have thing for dressing up trees with scarves.

I can't find the exact adress, but it's right where the street Hoogpoort changes into Nederpoort. If you're around that location and in need of a break, turn the corner and go to Huize Colette in the Belfortstraat. It's got a salon-feeling, with cosy corners and a selection of second hand books (you can buy them or read them for free right there). I'm devoted to Colette because of their great hot chocolate. I always take the Malteser one, my Brazilian friend took Yin Yan, a mix of white and dark chocolate, and proclaimed it 'best host chocolate ever'. If that ain't a quality guarantee, I don't know what is.

Over to 'Maaike Kleedt' in the Zuivelbrugstraat. This had been on my to do-list for a long time. The building used to be occupied by a bit of a boring shop before, but Maaike really turned it into something. She's as nice a shopkeeper as any, and sports an infectious smile. She looks a bit like the fashion godmother you've always wished for. Maaike Kleedt has a great selection of clothes you won't just find anywhere. I didn't know most of the brands, they were mainly Scandinavian: Odd Molly, Rules by Mary, Nakkna, Dagmar, ... The French Gerard Darel and (personal favorite of mine) Surface to Air are a few exceptions. I love the diversity, and the way the clothes are presented is really cool: they're on racks hanging from the ceiling. (Zone 09 tells me this is because the building is a little crooked. Before you raise your eyebrows, the building is part of a really old neighbourhood, called Patershol. And on a random sidenote, 'Pater' means 'Father', 'hol' means 'hole' but has the connotation of 'arse'. Just so you know where exactly you're shopping.) Prices range from affordable to quite expensive.

When you cross the street, you can get typical Gent candy in the cutest candyshop in the world: Temmerman (Kraanlei 79)!

Shopping in Gent: The Julie Andrews Connection

This catchy Mary Poppins tune has been going through my head all day, and only now I realise why. I was shopping with two friends today and they took me to the most wonderful little store in Gent. It's an amazing thing, living in a city for 6 years, thinking you know it through and through and then stumbling upon a completely unknown delight - a category Spoonful of Sugar definitely belongs to.



If you happen to walk by the store (located in the Bennesteeg, a very romantic street), don't let the exterior fool you. You see, it looks like a regular kids store - a very cute one, but still. I like kids, but I haven't exactly got the habit of buying clothes for my imaginary offspring, so it's really no wonder I had never noticed it before. The inside is very child friendly as well, but the racks are dotted with grown-up candy. You'll find some fine quality dresses (made by Vivetta, amongst others) and sweaters in fifties-style, next to a quaint selection of rings, earrings, broches and necklaces. And if that weren't enough, I spotted a few Cambridge satchels. I've been lusting over these for quite a while, so I was glad to be able to ogle one up close. Three spoonfuls (i.e. a broche, a necklace and a gift cheque) later we were out on the street again, rejoicing in all the cuteness.

Also in the Bennesteeg and never visited before was a shop called Solar. It didn't look like much from the outside (apparantly the shopkeepers in this street like to diffuse their public), but I've got this thing for tartan these days, and there was a nice patterned dress on display, so we took a chance. Solar is a Polish brand, and I had absolutely never heard of it before. The shop assistent is Polish as well, I think, because she talks with a faint accent. It's nice, a little juicy. She was very sympathetic - I asked her whether she was the owner of the store and she said she was, but I'm not sure if she heard the question. They had a pretty inconsistent collection - some very nice pieces, but also a few awful cloths - synthetic and rough wool. (I'm very sensitive about texture, just thinking about it sends shivers up my spine.) Still, it was cool to check out this kind of obscure brand, and they did have quite a lot of excellent skirts and dresses. They had some nice accessories as well: gloves, bags, scarfs. I bought a beautiful bird-patterned scarf and I'm looking forward to using it now the days are turning cold. So all in all, definitely worth checking out.

The tree looked like it could use a nice bird-patterned scarf.

Shoe shopping in Brussels: Mellow Yellow

This is probably a bit of a confession, but I generally don't like shopping for shoes. I'm very particular about them (same thing goes for purses). My tastes developed and broadened over the years, but shoe-shopping used to be an absolute disaster. First of all I didn't like most of the shoes I encountered. Secondly, the ones I did like were usually too expensive. And thirdly, I have humongous feet. The result was that most of the time I was already highly satisfied when a shoe fit, and didn't bother with looks or style.


I used to wear gray cheap look-a-likes of these. Avril Lavigne had nothing on me.

The last few years my budget became more manageable and I picked up on the aesthetics of shoes. My feet are still enormous and I suffer with every new pair, but hey, women used to endure way worse back in the good old days. When my feet hurt, I take my shoes off. You can't really take off your corset when you're about to faint. So yay for modern times! Anyway, I still struggle finding shoes that are good quality, original and affordable. I can't buy shoes at Zara or H&M, because they simply don't fit me. The shoes at Sacha fit (they sometimes come in a size 42, which is a huge relief for my 41,5s), but if spotting people wearing the exact same shoes as you were a drinking game, you'd be well on your way to a terrible hangover by mid-afternoon while wearing Sacha shoes.

Unfortunately, I didn't find a lot of other options. That's why a Mellow Yellow store turning up in Brussels was a nice change of scenery. I haven't bought any of their shoes yet, but for now I just like knowing it's there. It's in the Dansaertstraat (I hang out in this street a lot, does it show?), the prices are reasonable, the shoes are pretty. The shop is rarely crowded, and best of all, one of my lovely high school friends works there! If you spot a gorgeous curly girl behind the counter, chances are it's her. So go explore and say hi for me!