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

With Talaat
Harb being home to an undying plethora of fluorescently-lit shop fronts, it’s
quite tempting to completely bypass them in order to avoid seizures. But every
now and then, a shop has the ability to turn your head.

Taking up a
corner at the intersection of Talaat Harb and Soliman Pasha Street, Vero Chic
is a locally owned leather and accessory shop full of bags, belts and shoes of
different styles and leather hues. The two-storey interior is very brightly lit
with little decor around, which focuses your attention on the displayed items.

What this reviewer
appreciated most was their simplicity in design. Many accessory shops in Downtown
Cairo carry loads of flashy, glittery and sequinned purses, so it’s rare to
find a basic bag that doesn’t look like a bejewelled and multi-coloured nightmare.

The first
floor is dedicated to a variety of cute sandals as well as leather bags, belts,
and briefcases. For 300LE and above, simple tote and bucket bags are made with
quality leather and come in different sizes and colours, while the hues tend to
stay around browns and blacks. With a little more detail, a black shoulder
purse (600LE) had a nicely constructed strap with thick stitching and a fold-over
closure at the top.

The second
floor – which appeared to be the shop’s stockroom – had racks of leather and
fur jackets. Yes; fur. With few designs available, the leather jackets varied
quite a lot in colour from purple to lime green and blue (1100LE). As for the
fur, we don’t know about you, but we find the concept disturbing so we avoided
trying the jackets on. Travel bags are also available, including Louis Vuitton
knockoffs, but the highlight of the shop was the huge leather saddles for
sale. Adorned with true Western stitching and detail, they’re beautifully made
and look like serious horseback riding gear.

If you’re
looking to rest after browsing through the shop, take a seat in one of the
cushiony chairs. Attendants flurry around and are appropriately attentive when
it comes to customer service, making your shopping experience easy.

Head to
Vero Chic when simple and functional Egyptian leather goods are what you’re
looking for; you won’t be disappointed.