Shopping

For those among you who want to shop till they drop, herewith a listing of shops and shopping areas in Brussels.

Uptown Shops | Avenue Louise

The Avenue Louise in Brussels is the Madison Avenue of New York. The Belgian clothing company “Olivier Strelli” is located here. All international fashion houses have boutiques on this avenue or on the Boulevard de Waterloo or Avenue de la Toison d’Or.

Delvaux

If you are in the market for a new handbag make sure you pay a visit to Delvaux. They produce the most exquisite hand-crafted handbags/accessories. They have two locations in Brussels.

Boulevard de Waterloo 27
Téléphone : +32 2 513 05 02

Galerie de la Reine 31
Téléphone : +32 2 512 71 98

Stijl

Rue Antoine Dansaert 74 (Metro: Bourse. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
Huge men and women’s wear emporium focusing on cutting-edge Belgian designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs and Raf Simons. They also sell Helmut Lang, John Smedley and Romeo Gigli. Their children's clothing shop, Kat en Muis, is at no. 32.

Nina Meert

Rue Saint Boniface 1 (Metro: Porte de Namur; bus #71. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
A Flanders-born designer, Meert creates refined and expensive clothes which offer a nice relaxed alternative to other more starchy designers. She uses silk and knitwear extensively, and at the rear of the store, you'll find an impressive collection of wedding dresses.

Olivier Strelli

Ave Louise 72 (Metro: Louise. Mon – Sat 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
One of Belgium's most established designers, Strelli has been creating simple, classic and very modern clothes for years, often with a splash of color - the rainbow scarves for women are very popular. Prices are on the high side.

Elvis Pompilio

Rue du Midi 60 (Metro: Bourse. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
From eccentric hats which look like wedding-cakes to simple berets and his trademark cowboy hats, Belgian hatter Elvis Pompilio deserves his high-fashion reputation. The women's shop and the adjacent men's shop at rue des Lombards 24 are should not be missed: prices average at 125 euros. He also does made-to-measure and sells accessories such as parasols and specs which are more decorative than useful. Belgian royals Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde are just some of the store's customers.

Emporio Armani

Place du Grand Sablon 37 (Tram #92, #93, #94. Mon, Wed – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
Sleek and smart casual suits, jeans, underwear and accessories for both men and women in the mainstream Armani vein. The store is spacious and the staff is welcoming.

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M)

Rue Neuve 80 (Metro: de Brouckère or Rogier. Mon – Thu & Sat 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Fri 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Swedish store with all the high-street fashion trends. Expect to find a mixture of cheap suits, club gear and youthful and casual clothing. There are male, female and kids' sections, as well as underwear and accessories. Items can be exchanged in all the H&Ms in Europe and they accept major European currencies. There are other branches on rue Neuve 36 and chaussée d'Ixelles 41-43.

Gianni Versace

Bd de Waterloo 64 (Metro: Louise. Mon 1 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Tue – Sat 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
Everything you expect from a Versace outlet — swish marble decor, stylish clothing and enormous prices. Caters to both men and women.

L'Homme Chrétien

Rue des Pierres 27 (Metro: de Brouckère or Bourse. Mon – Sat 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Kitsch extravaganza of a store, with a mixture of men and women's vintage and second-hand clothing and shoes, as well as the owner's own designs. These are a combination of quirky fashion-student type ideas — such as customised skirts made out of religious pictures — and stylised versions of high-street fashion. A tad overpriced but there are occasionally jumble-sale type bins worth rummaging through.

Parachute Jump

Ch de Waterloo 579 (Tram #93 or #94. Mon-Sat 10.30 a.m. 6:30 p.m..)
Chic clothes of outstanding quality, whether sportswear or dressy. Pricey, but with polite service and an interesting range of accessories and bags, you're sure to find something you like. Not too far from the Chatelain area.

Privé Joke

Rue des Riches Claires 8 & 12 (Metro: Bourse. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
This shop stocks standard club and streetwear labels such as Carhartt, Ben Sherman and Lady Soul, and they've recently expanded into boys' wear and girls' wear. It's host to occasional DJs who want to practise in the booth and there are always flyers for club nights and raves to be picked up

Peau de Zèbre

Rue du Midi 40 (Metro: Bourse. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. 7 p.m.)
Cool clothes — street wear, urban gear, cargo pants and hooded vests — for kids and teenagers (ages 0-18).

Smadja Ave Louis

Lepoutre 21 (Tram #90 or #23. Mon – Sat 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
Lots of Paul Smith offerings amongst others at this smart, elegant and slightly off-the-beaten-track store.

Zara

Rue Neuve 48-50 (Metro: de Brouckère or Rogier. Mon 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Tue – Thu 9:30a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri – Sat 9:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
This Spanish chain caters for the young professional with lots of smart, conservative suits for both men and women. They also do a wide range of dresses, accessories, jeans and shirts. There are several branches, with another one at avenue Louise 8-10. The same company owns the more up market men’s wear store Massimo Dutti on Avenue de la Toison d'Or 22.

Other Up Town Shops

Gucci

Boulevard de Waterloo, 66

Caroline Biss

Avenue Louise, 21

Giorgio Armani

Boulevard de Waterloo, 28

Louis Vuitton

Boulevard de Waterloo, 59-60

Polo Ralph Lauren

Boulevard de Waterloo, 52v

J.M Weston

Avenue Louise, 52

Chanel

Boulevard de Waterloo, 63

Hugo Boss

Avenue Louise, 43-45

Lancel Paris

Avenue Louise, 7

Dior

Boulevard de Waterloo, 61

Hermes

Boulevard de Waterloo, 50

Thierry Mugler

Avenue Louise, 80

Façonnable

Avenue Louise, 33

Scherrer Boutique

Avenue Louise, 52

Sablon Area

Emporio Armani

Place du grand Sablon, 37

Charlottes aux Pommes

Rue de Rollerbekk
Ready to wear from Prada, Jil Sander, Issey Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier.

Downtown Shops

The Rue Neuf is a traffic-free street lined with shops on both sides. It also has a shopping mall called "City 2". Fifteen years ago, this was the street to shop for non-designer item shopping. Unfortunately, we’ve been told, this has turned into “little Morocco”. It may be better to do your shopping in the uptown shopping areas. It will be more relaxing.