Tel Aviv / Athens Trip - Page 2

Kolonaki is the place to go in Athens - from the cafes in Platia Kolonakiou to the stores as you climb the hill to Lycabettos. Though the dollar exchange rate's not going to help you much. There's also a mens store - Vardas - that has good quality clothes with a European cut, without having to pay the prices you'd pay for 'brand-name' designers here.

But more than that, there's the food. You'll enjoy that the most.

As it has been mentioned before, Kolonaki is to be visited, if one is looking for more upscale brands. The neighborhood is just above Syntagma (where your hotel, the Grande Bretagne is located). Now is the summer sales period here in Athens, and you can find discounts up to 50%, but you may encounter some difficulty finding something you like in your size.

Anyway, you should check out the Attica mall, it's just around the corner from your hotel, between Panepistimiou and Stadiou streets. Huge selection of brands. Also the stores in the basement and the gallery of the same building (Ferragamo, Hermes, etc)

Moving upwards from Syntagma, you should walk up Voukourestiou street, towards Kolonaki. Check out the shops along the way and on the sideways. Perhaps of interest to you is Green, at Voukourestiou and Skoufa. A rather american/ ivy league/ conservative east coast kind of place (wooden interior, leather furniture, etc), carrying Ralph Lauren, Allen Edmonds and the like. Walk Skoufa towards Kolonaki square, and when you find it, take a left in Patriarchou Ioakeim. Carouzos is to be found there (carries Zegna, Brioni, Kiton, Prada, Gucci, Santoni, Jil Sander etc - also bespoke shirt service with Zegna shirtings). Also, both in Panepistimiou and Patriarchou Ioakeim you can find Giannetos. It's the most established bespoke tailoring firm in Athens. They have their own RTW line, starting from 600 euros, and bespoke starts from 1200, and rising really fast. Especially the Kolonaki place (in Patriarchou Ioakeim) is the one to visit. Of course, there are other tailors, but I believe that is the only place where you can find someone that will be able to speak english and assist you.

Finally, below Skoufa, the parallel street is called Solonos. There is this store in the beginning of Solonos called Observatory. A nice place for casual dress, it carries Fred Perry, Penguin, Smedley, Rag & Bone jeans and the like.

Kolonaki is a more upscale place, long associated with the upper class, and hence the selection of brands there. But you should also check Aiolou street, below Syntagma square. Going down Ermou (the major commercial street of Athens) you'll find mostly shoe stores and high street brands (Marks & Spencers, Zara, Massimo Dutti etc). There you will find the Lacoste and Fred Perry stores. Especially the Fred Perry has everything 40% off, and it also has special prices on past season items. When you hit Aiolou, take a right. The place looks pretty decayed, but up until 40 years ago this is where the commercial and merchant centre of Athens used to be. Along the way you'll find the cloth merchants. The shops don't look like much, but they carry a good selection from various brands (Dormeuil, Zegna, etc), and decent discounts this time of the year. My opinion, if you have to buy only one thing, buy cloth.

Also check out the market district of Glyfada. Glyfada is one of the south suburbs, along the coastline. There is a Carouzos outlet there. Most of the items are 70% off retail, and sometimes even more.

As for going out, eating, etc, depends on your tastes. Definitely go for drinks on the roof bar of the Hilton, named Galaxy. Great cocktails and an amazing view. Gazi is the hottest place now downtown. It's the area near the old gas factory (great industrial architecture, nowadays used for art exhibitions, festivals, live concerts, etc). Also Psyrri is a neighborhood to visit for the night life. Lots of bars around the area. If you look for more mainstream clubbing, you should check one of the clubs at the waterfront of Athens. Not my scene though.

I really hope the above has been helpful. If you wish to ask anything more specific, don't hesitate to contact me.

I hope you enjoy your visit,
Thodoris

Is that nice vegetarian restaurant in Adrianou street in Plaka still in the terrace house on the left 100 meteres still in business? I liked the food in that little plaza down the bottom of the street that had a Japanese restaurant near the Anglican Church. There was an incredible underground 'pissoir' there....very handy after a big long lunch and Cambas rose.

The other must visit is the ice cream shop in Doukididou St in Kalamaki near the intersection of Poseidonos. Try the parfait combo. Heavenly!

bumping this thread up because it's the only one that mentions the store. What's the quality like on the house label at Carouzos? They seem to stock top lines. Any clue on the maker? Price range?

i was in israel for three weeks about 2 months ago and i'm preparing now to open what i believe is the first modern tailor shop in the country (tailors do exist but don't do anything beyond alterations i believe)

feedback i get is either ''huge waste of your time,israelis don't dress up period'' or ''we're dying for some proper clothes,if not suits at least shirts,where do we sign up!'' as for men's stores it's an absolute shame: high end is NAUTICA, TOMMY HILFIGER and the basic lines at that....

as for food, israel is considered one of the top '' food concepts pioneers'' but yea compared to NYC it might not be a very fair comparison, fresh ingredients are a world apart to american ones but it's something u might not be able to tell in a quick visit and by looking at a menu....

good luck. Israel used to have a number of bespoke tailors and shirt makers, about 7-10 years ago they were dying off. if you really want to know, go to the area in tel aviv off of ben yehuda where they sell fabric - nahalt benyamin, and ask if there are any survivors. about 10 years ago there was one they called the "last of the mohicans" he was about 90. I had several suits made by an old moracan guy in jerusalem named Meyer, but he was pretty old and frail 10 years ago.

I'll tell you my take on it - the only real logical market for bespoke clothing is for the serious guys in high tech - and they all travel alot, so they can shop internationally, and not that many of them dress well.

but, good luck.

In Greece the Grande Bretaigne rocks. Its the finest hotel in Athens and it bords the Constitutional square. If you have an iPhone or wifi capable mobile phone, you get free wifi from the adjacent Constitutional square (Syntagma). From the airport take the Metro and Syntagma square stop is literally a 30 second walk to your hotel. Its a 4 minute walk to Monastiraki (the ancient market) where there is a tremendous amount of shopping to do and things to see...and food that rocks. Everyone speaks English so its easy to navigate. The Acropolis is a few minutes walk up hill from the ancient market. The cloth merchants and tailors are within 5 minute walking distance too....good choice on place to stay.

I recently did it all as a tourist and loved Athens

The house label isn't something spectacular. Suits I think are between 600-900 euros on retail. Some made here in Greece, some in Italy, and they even have some raincoat or jackets made in China. Fused or half-canvassed. They are well-made for what they are, but again, nothing spectacular. A bit conservative.

But they do carry most of the top brands, and they even own the franchises for Zegna and Brunello Cuccineli. There are two chains of stores, Carouzos and Carouzos Sketch. The mainline carry Cornelliani, Zegna, Isaia, Kiton, etc. The Sketch stores are more fashion-forward, carrying Varvatos, Jil Sander, Prada and the like. And there are some real bargains at their outlet stores, where most of the merchandise is 60-70% off (and the reason I own so many Jil Sander and Prada ties).

By the way, the real posh district for shopping in Athens is in Kifisia. It's a suburb in the north of Athens, with a strong preppy undercurrent. That's why here in Athens preppy is called VP (Voreia Proasteia = Northern Suburbs).

Ermou St and Kolonaki for good shoes...and Plaka for food near the Japanese Restaurant and the Vegetarian on Adrianou St (olos)

Kolonaki mostly. Ermou St is more high street, as the British define that. Kalogerou is probably the best for shoes in Kolonaki.

Thanks! Yoox has a few of their tailored house label pieces and it's always hard to tell from just a few small shots.

Modernist, do you have any comments about the Glou bespoke shop on Lambraki, in Piraeus?

It's not bespoke, it's MTM, and basic at that. Bespoke in Athens, if one does the legwork, starts at 400-500 euros for a two-piece, plus the cost of fabric. Of course most tailors tend to be grumpy old men, and if one wants something deviating a bit from the norm it's an uphill struggle, but perseverance is eventually rewarded. The problem is that most of them make cloths for old men, who are still in the habit of having suits made (RTW was introduced in Greece in the late 50s, early 60s), and haven't had anything made for a younger man for a while now. Some less committed friends of mine use military tailors. They charge 150-200 euros, plus fabric, for a half-canvassed suit. Not ideal, but still better compared to something similarly priced off the peg.