SHOPPING IN BERLIN
Mitte
U-Bahn: Weinmeisterstrasse & Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
S-Bahn: Hackescher Markt
When I’m shopping for jeans, shoes, boots & trainers, I hit the streets of Mitte, specifically Alte Schönhauser, Neue Schönhauser, Münz & Rosenthaler Strasse. They’ve got a Lee, Replay, Diesel, Mavi, & Levi’s and tons of shoe shops, brilliant!!! For a more trendy Berliner ‘scene’ style shop for women’s & men’s wear check out Apartment, 8 Memhardstrasse. (It’s quite hard to find: go down the stairs from the art gallery
U-Bahn: Franzoesische St
For more high brow fashion it’s worth visiting Galeries Lafayette, 76-78 Friedrichstrasse on the corner with Französische Strasse. It’s also worth visiting just to see the stunning central light cone designed by Jean Nouvel and then there’s Quartier 206, 71 Friedrichstrasse, where you can combine luxury shopping with admiring the Henry Cobb/IM Pei Art deco marble and glass interior.
Vintage in Mitte
I would say in general Berlin is better for vintage shoe shopping rather than vintage/second hand clothes. An exception to this rule is Cash, 11 Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse, sister shop to Apartment. They sell second season garments from the likes of Raf Simons & Marc Jacobs as well as second hand gems.
Prenzlauer Berg
U-Bahn: Eberswalder Strasse or Rosenthaler Strasse
I was very glad when I found Kastanienallee. You can definitely shop here for a fraction of the cost of Mitte shops and the clothes on offer are a good alternative to that of H&M or Top Shop. Just start off at the top of Kastanienallee and it’s a nice stroll down to Rosenthaler Strasse. Apart from the array of clothes shops, some independently run, there are loads of cafés & a few record shops to swing by en route.
Vintage in Prenzlauer Berg
Check out the second hand shops on Oderberger Strasse, a colourful road, just off Kastanienallee, stuffed full of everything! For shoes and more shoes go to Calypso, 61 Oderbergerstrasse.
Kreuzberg 36
U-Bahn: Schlesisches Tor, Görlitzer Park
This is where you will find shops run by the local designers themselves as the rents are more affordable the further you get away from Mitte. Bourbon, 38b Schlesische Strasse has a great mix of young designers and vintage wear. A power walk away is another little gem, Fopling Flutter Design Clothing, 11 Lausitzer Platz. They sell “street style” tops, t-shirts, hoodies & fake sticky together wristband watches.
Vintage in Kreuzberg 36
My friend leaves the house on a night out with 4 pairs of shoes in her handbag & has hundreds of shoes of all shapes and colours adorning her walls at home. I was jealous, so she took me to the places where she buys her shoes and they were just a couple of humbly run second hand shoe shops next door to each other on Wiener Strasse, Jumbo second hand 63 & 64 Wiener Strasse, a very good little discovery. There were a couple of good looking guitars and amps for sale in there too.
Kreuzberg 61
U-Bahn: Mehringdam
You’ll find a really cool skateboarding/surf style shop called Été clothing on 18 Bergmannstrasse. Bergmannstrasse is also a great place for more mature laid back fashion as well as furniture shopping there a various shops selling antiques as well as wardrobes and tables made from solid wood. If your a fan of Berlin bric-a-brac shops, then this is also the street for you. Great for a rummage!
Vintage in Kreuzberg 61
There seem to be quite a few second hand shops dotted around Bergmannstrasse & Mehringdamm. Colours Kleidermarkt, 102 Bergmannstrasse is also worth a visit if you have the time to spend routing through a warehouse full of clothes. You pay by the amount they weigh!
Kurfürstendamm
U-Bahn: Zoologischer Garten, Kurfürstendamm
S-Bahn: Zoologischer Garten
All the shops you would find in any big city on one main street. Is also home to the famous KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), 21 Tauentzien strasse, Berlin’s equivalent to New York’s or London’s Selfridges. For a shopping break visit the café/restaurant in the skylight of the building to enjoy the amazing panoramic views, indulgent cake and sip on pink champagne.
Hugendubel, 13. Tauentzienstrasse is an excellent all-round bookshop that also stocks novels in English. What makes it particularly enticing are the squashy sofas to sink in whilst browsing/previewing your purchases. Or you can have your caffeine fix in the in-store café accompanied by as much reading matter as you like.
Charlottenburg
S-Bahn: Savignyplatz
This area is great for more mature/sophisticated fashion. There are also a handful of good second hand designer shops and well as a scattering of high quality cafes and restaurants!
Forget the clothes mission for a bit and spend some time leafing through one of my favourite book shops and I am pretty that's also why it has become a favourite of Karl Lagerfeld’s too!! Buecherbogen, 1 Schlosstrasse. They have a great selection artsy, film design & architecture books with a wide selection being in English as well.
For ultra-chic interior design ideas and furniture, feast your eyes on the best products by international designers in this stylish four-floor emporium called Stilwerk, 17 Kantstrasse.
