Barcelona Shopping: The Insider’s Guide to Passeig de Gràcia

When you’re looking for that special something to start a love story, something you can rely on time and time again, you need a label you know you can trust. Having designed her first piece at the age of 13, it’s fair to say that Stella McCartney is a dab hand at creating serious fashion that is made to last. One of only 19 freestanding stores to carry the designer’s name worldwide, the Stella McCartney boutique on Passeig de Gràcia is the place to go when you’re looking to make a no-risk investment for your wardrobe. Whether its her classics (Stella Essentials) or statement pieces (look for her most recent collaborations), you know you’ll be getting your money’s worth with a Stella McCartney design.

A white t-shirt, a neutral cardigan, a black jumper. There are certain items which every self-respecting fashionista will need in their wardrobe regardless of the latest trends. Unfortunately, all too often the affordable high-street option is not the best out there, especially if you don’t want to end up wearing the same thing as your colleague. Luckily, H&M’s minimalist sibling & Other Stories, strikes a convenient mid-way between high-street and designer, offering stylish Scandi designs at reasonable prices – the perfect place to find fresh replacements for your favorite classics.

If you’re the kind of person who could spend hours window shopping, or as the French so vividly put it, faire du lèche vitrine (literally ‘window licking’), then you’ll know that a good window display is crucial to an afternoon’s shopping adventure. Luckily for us, in Barcelona the luxury Italian fashion house Prada – famous for its designer displays – recently opened a flag-ship store on the Passeig de Gràcia. The window displays at Prada capture the imagination and at times seem to take on a life of their own; they’re frequently the object of a collaboration with famous designers and artists. A true delight.

Your holidays are a special time to kick-back and relax, forget your troubles and have fun… but they’re no excuse to forget your fashion sense. If, for you, holiday clothes don’t mean tie-die shorts and sarongs then chances are you’ll be pleased to stumble across Mango on Passeig de Gràcia. The high-street staple offers stylish casual wear and seasonal favorites at affordable prices, perfect for wandering the hip backstreets of Raval or grabbing a smoothie at one of the beach huts on the Barceloneta beach.

Named after one of the patron saints of Barcelona, Santa Eulalia is a luxury fashion store offering a carefully curated selection of designer fashion to style-conscious locals for nearly 200 years. The impressive selection of international luxury brands has earned them the reputation for being one of the best designer hotspots in town. But what you really want to look out for is their footwear, and in particular their sneaker collection that you will struggle to find elsewhere: Isabel Marrant, Anya Hinmarch or Balenciaga are just a few of the names you’ll find on offer.