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

It’s easy to miss Tommy Hilfiger at Dandy
Mall. Located to the right side of the mall’s main entrance, the shop is usually empty. It’s
understandable that shoppers might bypass it; the brand has rarely hit the
headlines for being groundbreaking or shocking in recent times. That may be so, but the shop’s chic and
elegant casual wear is always a pleasant reminder that high prices can still
buy you quality and not just a brand name.

The basic polo shirts, for example, sell
for 595LE. Although a three-figure price for a plain garment will always seem a
little much, the cut of the shirt, the slightly thicker-than-usual material and
the small white-and-red logo all lend the line a simplicity and class that the
brand would do well to focus on. Instead, we found polo shirts that looked like
adapted rugby shirt designs with a horizontal colour block across the middle
that flaunts the Tommy Hilfiger name in large obnoxious letters.

Smart-casual chequered shirts in
questionable colours dominate the shop too. One particular example that
offended this reviewer was a shirt whose light green was only a few hues away
from being luminous. It didn’t help that the rest of the chequered pattern was
constructed of white and pink lines.

It’s not all bogie and girl colours,
though; similar patterns in blue and white with buttoned-down collars are smart.
Again, it’s the simplicity that makes it stand out.

In most other countries in the world, your
beige chinos would be moved to the back of the wardrobe; the ultimate sign of
winter’s impending arrival by now. Not in Egypt, though. Two shades of said
beige, khaki and navy versions look better than the black and the olive green
versions. All sell for 795LE. Basic jeans in various shades of blues sell for
around 900LE, although the noticeable thickness of the denim makes them more
suitable for Cairo’s winter than its summer.

Casual t-shirts bearing the Tommy Hilfiger
name in various designs are rife, and sell for around 500LE. Like the polo
shirts, the cut and the material feel a little superior to other similar tops,
although some of the designs tread over the line of fitting in with the casual
smartness of the rest of the shop. One of the better examples was the grey-static
t-shirt with a large green Tommy Hilfiger reed crest plastered across its front, which looked a little like the Fred Perry logo but for the regal-looking
lion emblem in the middle.

As a brand and as a shop, Tommy Hilfiger is
as good an example as any of the mantra that less is better. The sheer
simplicity and effortless designs of their garments is the biggest appeal,
though some may look for a little bit more flair for their money.