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

Once upon a time in the magic land that is called Citystars
there was one shop that outshined all the others. The shop had the coolest
shirts, the greatest bags, the most wonderful shoes, the funkiest jeans and the
trendiest dresses. That shop was Silvian Heach. Just like any other fairytale,
the story of Silvian Heach took a dramatic turn when it disappeared all of a sudden.
Sometimes, when other shops had outlets, they sold some of the Silvian Heach merchandise.
Then one day, out of the blue, Silvian Heach reopened in Citystars. As if
nothing ever happened, the shop was there again. Question now is; are we going
to live happily ever after?

Back in its native country of Italy, Silvian Heach is a
big player. Just like in Egypt, where we have a shisha place on every corner,
in Italy there is a Silvian Heach on every corner. Silvian Heach’s target
market is teenagers and young women who want to look sexy yet stylish. While the
shop once touted outrageous designs, like shirts with guns and swearwords all
over them, this season’s selection is not as controversial.

The summer 2011 collection includes a selection of
floral-print dresses, both short and long, as well as a Lady Gaga-inspired t-shirts;
neither of these trends are particularly new or interesting. This season
includes many Disney character t-shirts such as ones of Mickey and Minnie
Mouse. Quality-wise, this reviewer would place Silvian Heach at the same level as Zara.

You can score yourself a shirt at Silvian Heach for around
150LE and above. There is a variety of jeans cuts available from around 500LE,
which is a very high price compared to the sub-par quality. Silvian Heach has quite an extensive
collection of dresses, most of which are party dresses with a few casual
designs too, starting at 400LE. As with most collections this season, there are many floral and animal print designs. Apart from that, basic colours
dominate the collections, although there are a few funky
numbers in fuchsia pink and neon yellow.

The shop has a small bag collection, usually of either shoppers or
clutches available at 400LE and above. If you want shoes, Silvian Heach has
either killer heels or flats for 250LE and above. However, bear in mind that
the quality of shoes and bags is not that good, and a lot of plastic is used in
their designs.

So how does our fairytale end? Silvian Heach used to be a
great shop bringing new, affordable and different clothing to the Egyptian
market. Nowadays, Silvian Heach has unfortunately become too similar to other
standard women’s wear brands, and the prices have increased tremendously. It’s
a nice shop to browse through when you’re in Citystars but you may not find
your happy ending there. The End.