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

The word ‘trendy’ is so exasperatingly meaningless, but the pursuit to be exactly that is a relentless and unforgiving one; no more so than in Cairo. Syria Street in Mohandiseen isn’t short on trend-following merchants, and Jack & Jones is one of the flashier stops on the busy street. Sharing quarters with Vero Moda, the Jack & Jones section is to the right of the doors as you enter, and winds into a narrowing area that leads to the fitting rooms.

As you enter, the wall of denim is the first element to catch your gaze. Displaying jeans in different shades of blue, the wall doesn’t exactly showcase much of a range. Reaching up to 950LE, the jeans are pretty gaudy; some featuring heavily faded parts and awry stitching. On the plus side, almost all of the sizes you could want are shelved neatly below, while each model is artistically hung above its pile, making for easy browsing. Other simpler jeans are available around the shop, but what they lack in garishness is more than made up for  in their peculiar colours. Case in point is a pair of jeans that from afar looked grey, but on closer inspection revealed themselves to be a grey-static-come-silver colour.

With winter at its peak, the shop’s snug hoodies are plentiful. At 365LE a piece, they’re not a bad investment and our thorough inspection deemed them to be of good quality. The fake American college motifs plastered across the hoodies could be a deal breaker as they seemed not to stock any other styles. In a similar vein, t-shirts donning the same mock-up logos cost a modest 135LE a pop. Although they’re unspectacular, they’re generally very well-cut, and feel as solid as a t-shirt can be.

Fashionistas can all agree that cardigans never go out of style, and there are a few decent options at Jack & Jones. A grey shawl-collar cardigan is smart and feels above average in quality, but sells for an absurd 875LE; the same as many of their coats and jackets. Said outerwear, like the jeans, is too loud; with excessive pockets, questionable dog-tooth patterns and unnecessary belts. That’s too much for one article of clothing.

Shoe options are minimal and generally forgettable, albeit two pairs that stood out. The first were a pair of high-top leather Converse imitations made of hard, thick green leather that sell for 699LE. The other pair that caught our eye was a pair of high-top boat shoes made of beige suede. They’re a little steep at 875LE, but we hope they’d withstand Cairo’s streets better than other suede footwear.

Staff members are generally respectful of personal space, but do loiter nervously in the corner of your eye, waiting for your beckoning. The unbalanced and seemingly arbitrary pricing at Jack & Jones and its unexceptional products make it hard to develop any kind of brand loyalty, but its convenient location and pious following of trends make it worth the occasional peek.