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

Catering
to a more reasonable budget than many of its international peers in Cairo, La
Vie En Rose is a moderately priced Canadian lingerie brand with several
branches in Cairo’s main malls, including Dandy Mall, Golf City Mall, Citystars and most recently Mall of Arabia.

The
Citystars branch is located on the second floor of Phase 2 across from Nine
West and Promod. The shop’s sharp lighting and white floors are set off by the
racks and racks of women’s lingerie and sleepwear. One thing is instantly clear
about La Vie En Rose; you may not be getting the best quality in terms of
fabric, cuts and designs; but you will be getting a cheap deal.

At any
point of the year, you will find a two-for-one deal or a similar offer on
underwear. At the time of this reviewer’s visit, the shop offered three-for-one
at 115LE and five underwear pieces for 150LE. The underwear pieces themselves are piled up on wooden tables in the
centre of the shop, often in dishevelled piles with no order to pattern,
colour, cut style or size.

At the
time of this reviewer’s visit, the available underwear was mostly in polyester
or similar fabrics with lace trimming, and very few cotton options. Taking into
consideration the heavy summer heat in Cairo, it may be best to avoid synthetic
fabrics. The items’ colours are muted, ranging from baby blue to dark
wine, with a few patterned options; but rarely any bold and funky colours like
certain counterparts. Cut styles available are g-strings,
thongs, boy briefs and high-cut bikinis.

At the
front of the shop is a collection of nightwear, mostly focusing on cotton
pyjama shorts (100LE) or trousers (180LE) in sedated colours such as lilac and
prints like grey gingham. A few more adult options are available such as a
black and white negligee or a short viscose black robe (230LE). Despite the impending doom of the summer
heat, you can still buy a fluffy fleece robe in black or wine red for 480LE.

Further into the shop, the shelves on both sides are lined with different bra styles
mostly in block colours of white, black, skin-tone beige and grey. There are a
few printed options available, and the bra styles range from padded to
crossback, seamless to t-shirt. A gel bra sells for 220LE, as does a strapless
bra with light padding, which comes with clear straps that you can adjust and
cross according to your preference.

Though
many of the pieces at La Vie En Rose are made with materials that feel cheap, and
colours and designs that are not necessarily trendy, a shrewd eye can still
find moderately priced lingerie and sleepwear.