Salamanca the Golden Mile is comprised of two of Madrid‘s most upscale shopping destinations: the Ortega y Gasset and Serrano streets. The giant shoe on the photo above is on Serrano Street, Salamanca district, Madrid, Spain.
View of Palacio de Saldaña, at 32 José Ortega y Gasset Street in Salamanca district, Madrid. Photo: Luis García.
The Ortega y Gasset and Serrano streets house the most exclusive fashion and accessories shops, which gave this area the name of Salamanca The Golden Mile. It includes major international fashion brands like Chanel, Prada, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and the like.
This blog, however, is interested in the Spanish fashion houses.
Magrit, Ortega y Gasset, 19 is the recently inaugurated brand store of a long-standing Madrid shoe making house. Magrit has an excellent reputation for creating glamorous high heels that don’t destroy your feet. It all comes down to time-tested shoe lasts, created with both beauty and comfort in mind. (See the post on Magrit here). The brand is patronized by Letizia, Her Majesty the Queen of Spain, and other illustrious personalities of the Madrid high society. Don’t let it be a deterrent though! Even though the shoes are definitely high-end, the prices are still well below what some of the foreign luxury shoe brands charge. A definite must for a discerning shoe lover.
Most of the Spanish fashion and luxury houses, however, are located on Serrano. Here is a selection:
Hoss Intropia, Serrano 18 – a fashion house directed at young and youngish professional women. The price tag is correspondingly high. Hoss Intropia style celebrates a strong and independent woman who is a romantic at heart. They have a good shoes and accessories line.
Bimba y Lola, Serrano 22 – a clothing and accessories firm for the young crowd, specializing in fun, casual clothes. Their bags and shoes are cute and they have great sales.
ZARA, Serrano 23 (also Velázquez 49)- not much to explain. A company that has taken the global fashion retail market by storm.
Camper, Serrano 24 – another huge Spanish success. Camper sets the trend in funky shoes around the world. For casual shoes, they are quite expensive. As the company is very big, quality inevitably suffers. The interior design of their stores, however, is a real trip!
LOEWE, Serrano 26 – a luxury leather goods maker with a long pedigree, the brand is a natural fit for Salamanca The Golden Mile. Their bags and shoes are to die for, but also super-expensive. Not surprising, as the company is owned by the French luxury group LVMH.
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Serrano 27 – the queen of the New Wave of Spanish design, a lover of pop art and a fine art expert, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada designs apparel, shoes, accessories, home decor, children’s clothing, stationery, and who knows what else. I can’t think of what she does NOT design. Her signature candy-colored designs are instantly recognizable. Agatha Ruiz de la Prada‘s runway collections are always a big hit at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid. The Spanishoegallery Blog featured her work here, here, and here. Despite the wide diversification and commercialization of her brand name, the great Agatha is as authentic as they come, a true artist, always surprising and entertaining.
Purificación García, Serrano 28 – the company is named after its founder, the grand dame of women’s fashion in Spain. She does everything: apparel, shoes, accessories. Her elegant designs are characterized by stark lines and strong colors.
Photo: www.infohostal.com
Uterqüe, Serrano 40 (also Claudio Coello 54) – a fashion accessories firm from the same family as ZARA.
El Corte Inglés, Serrano 52 (also Goya 76-87) – the Spanish equivalent of Bloomingdale’s and Les Galeries Lafayette, it is the largest department store chain in Spain. Funnily enough, the name translates as “The English Court”. I guess it’s prestigious. I love their green and white triangle logo. Their bags look so good that we used to keep them forever. Founded in 1940, El Corte Inglés has become an indispensable part of the Spanish urban landscape – a true palace of consumption. You go there for everything. It caters to all generations and has served as a springboard for many up-and-coming Spanish designers.
So here you have it – Madrid‘s Golden Mile, the Spanish edition.
In the next post, I will be leaving the glitzy stuff behind to see what else is in store in Salamanca.
Cheers,
Ann
