If you’re already fed up with Lisbon’s vintage shops and crave for less classic and more contemporary products, head to the trendy Praça do Principe Real. After a few minutes of rest in the shadowy Jardim do Principe Real under the 100-year-old parasol-like cypress tree with a canopy of 23 m, enter the pink, Neo-Moorish Ribeiro da Cunha Palace with horseshoe windows and white domes. This renovated 19th-century building houses one of the city’s trendiest and unique shopping spaces – the cozy and stylish Embaixada.
In the Art Nouveau interior featuring neoclassical nude paintings and chandeliers supported by cherub statues you’ll find classy concept stores, most of which dedicated to Portuguese fashion designers and brands. As there are no doors between those stylish shops (the interior designer’s idea was to create a sort of souk, or Arab bazaar), nothing will disturb you as you’ll be moving on from one store to another, listening to nostalgic fado music played in the background. Among a dozen of trendy boutiques which include i.a. a space with pieces of fairy-tale fashion by the trendy Portuguese designer duo Storytailors, you’ll find an interesting store with fashion by URZE Portuguese Mountain Lifestyle – a brand founded in the 1990s in Manteigas, Serra da Estrela Mountains. The raw, minimalistic interior harmoniously matches the clothes displayed in the space. They are made of wool, linen and burel – resistant and artisanal Portuguese fabric made in 100% of wool from the northern, mountainous regions of the country, traditionally used for capes and coats worn by the mountaineers on cold, rainy or even snowy days. The clothes – mainly jackets, coats, jumpers and capes - mostly come in bright, joyful colors which contrast their raw, yet innovative design. It is worth mentioning that the tailoring of those clothes is impeccable and their prices – quite moderate for such high quality.
As you can see, I gave the brand a try and put on a striking, furiously red Sherlock Holmes-style cape and an original, light green circular cape, clipped with a brooch called pregadeira.
Once you’ve shopped till you’ve dropped, you can take a seat at one of the tables in Embaixada’s beautiful patio and admire all the things you’ve bought.