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

Rapidly spreading around the city like wildfire, fashion boutiques seem to be the business ‘en vogue’ these days; online shopping accounts on Instagram and Facebook may have made shopping an effortless experience, but nothing beats shopping in the old-fashioned way.

Though an area like Zamalek is already packed with some of the best fashion boutiques in Cairo, including Boutique 51 and Boho Gallery for example, it seems like there’s still room for more to quench the never-ending thirst of fashion hunters – and it goes by the name of Boutique 17.

Located on the quiet street of Ahmed Heshmat, the relatively small shop is well organised, making it easy to shuffle through its items, which were distributed roughly according to their colour palette. Naturally, the first piece that caught our attention was of flashy coral hue; a casual short-sleeved oversized shirt, colourfully embroidered in the centre of the back (405LE), which would work well either on a pair of skinny jeans, or as a playful cover-up on the beach.

Being essential in any wardrobe, Boutique 17 has a rack entirely dedicated to the life-saving neutral tones of black, white and gray. This rack was mainly displaying cardigans in different shapes and lengths; we liked a long white one made of lace (700LE) that would be perfect for a chic outing, as well as a more formal sleeveless black cardigan that resembles a trench coat (400LE). Also displayed were a number of simple formal blouses, including a long-sleeves white blouse with a navy blue rim on the front shaping the outline of a vest and a white bow on the side (700LE(; a piece that could easily liven up a formal outfit, because it’s subtle without being boring or plain.

Other than that, we also found a dark green blouse made of pure silk for (600LE) and a dark blue top with puffy sleeves and tribal embellishment on the V-shaped neck (850LE). Boutique 17 also has a limited range of sandals and bags, along with a collection of hot shorts ranging up to 400LE.

Clearly, prices don’t make Boutique 17 a shop that you step out of with a bag full of clothes, but with brands like Ella Luna and Motel, which can’t be easily found here in Egypt – whether on Instagram or your average fashion boutique – Boutique 17 is certainly a place where you can grab yourself a unique piece of quality and glamour.