The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

It must be
something in our genes that instinctively attracts us to shoes. That’s why we
can never walk past a shoe shop without just having a look around. Of course,
we rarely ever walk out without making a teeny-weeny purchase.  

That’s why
when we passed by Catwalk on the constantly busy Abbas El Akkad street, we
couldn’t resist paying what we promised ourselves would be a very short visit. A
huge red ‘Sale’ sign lured us in. Another sign declared that all items on offer
sold for only 95 LE. By which point, walking away from Catwalk was out of the
question.

The upper
level of the two-floor shop has a very limited space and doesn’t hold more than
a few pairs of shoes and purses. The lower level is more spacious and offers a
more diverse collection of footwear and handbags.

This
reviewer was looking for brown sandals; the shop assistant tried to help by
showing us a pair of tawny sandals that had cheap-looking turquoise faux-gems
and yellow beads. He urged us to try them on, but we insisted that the
turquoise wasn’t really our thing. The only pair of sandals that we did like
was only available in white and black, but not brown.  

Catwalk
stocks different styles of sandals, ballet, flats and flip-flops. Some items
tend to go overboard with the beads and the sequins, but there are a few items
that are simple in design. The shop also carries practical loafers in basic and
neutral colours. Open-toe wedges are also available in a variety of colours and
styles. This reviewer was particularly smitten with a pair of deep red straw
wedges.  

At the time
of this reviewer’s visit, all shoes were priced at 95 LE, while all handbags
sold for 145 LE. A pair of beach-friendly golden flip-flops with a huge yellow
faux-gem cost 95 LE, but looked as if it shouldn’t cost more than 20 LE.  

A small
collection of items was stacked at the back of the shop and sold for 69 LE per
pair. Said collection includes high-heeled sandals, pumps and bright-coloured
ballet flats, most of which looked dusty, shabby and worn-out.  

As for
Catwalk’s bag collection, nothing succeeded in catching our attention. A red
pleather bag with a huge red rose on the front did stand out, but was too
bright for our liking.

Although
Catwalk isn’t the first shoe shop that comes to mind when we are looking for
quality shoes, Catwalk’s cheap prices makes up for the low quality.