Clothes, Tallinn

Foorum is a funky small shopping gallery next to Viru Keskus in Tallinn downtown. There is a limited number of shops, as the gallery is just one corridor. The floors above are part of the same center, but used for offices only.

The gallery has several nice boutiques, such as Camper, Timberland, Morgan, Miss Sixty and Tommy Hilfiger, to name a few. The emphasis is heavily on fashion and shoes. There is also a kiosk, optician and a few other stores. A few boutiques are located on the street side, too.

If you are not interested in shopping, the gallery is a magnificent place to visit due to its peculiar architecture (see image).

The Tallinn Armani is situated directly across the roas from the Radisson and as I ate my dinner the first night I looked across and promised myself that I deserved a little treat.

It's the only "big name" designer store for ladies that I came across in Tallinn, though several designers are represenred in the shopping centre.

The following morning I made my way across the road and found myself completely indulged by several shop assistants who were there to either let me browse or help me as I required.

I wanted some gifts to bring home for Christmas presents and found several smaller items for under a hundred euro - jewellery, socks, a t-shirt for my sister etc. I purchased the most divine suede gloves with little gold studs for around Euro150 - not cheap, but they do make a statement and had to drag myself away from several gorgeous bags that don't have quite the hefty price tags of some other labels.

Downstairs caters to women and in addition to the above items and to the incredible clothes they stock hats, scarves and throws, belts, shoes, boots and just about any other accessory a girl might desire.

Upstairs they cater for men. This trip, being "between boyfriends", I didn't go there:-)

What to pay: Expect to pay designer label prices, though I find that Armani stock something to suit every pocket even if you just want to bring back an Armani keyring.

Motivi -- written here without the hard rock umlauts (five dots over the letter "o") -- is a Italian fashion store chain for ladies. Compared to the other Italian shop we visited, Fornarina, the garments are designed for more of a business use and grown ups in mind.

Their Tallinn store is located in Kristiine shopping center, a few kilometers from the city center. The store is airy and the garments are laid out nicely, but it still has a bit tacky overall feeling -- due to being in a shopping center.

PO.P (for Polarn O. Pyret) is a Swedish originated children clothing store chain that has its Tallinn store in Kristiine shopping center, a few kilometers from the city center.

The PO.P clothes are traditional, very Scandinavic and relaxed. Their signature is a stripe pattern that you can find in almost any clothes they sell. The quality of the clothes is high and this is shown also on the price tag. PO.P in Tallinn is no exception to this rule, so don't expect any savings by going there. Some of the items are worth the money, and during sale seasons you can make real finds.

Reserved stores resemble a bit H&M and Zara. They all sell fashionable clothes on reasonable prices for both sexes. Reserved differs from its competitors in geographical distribution; the stores can be found only in former Eastern Bloc countries. However, this does not make the stores any less captivating than their Western counterparts.

The garments and other stuff are designated for the young adults. The store we visited in Kristiine shopping center had a wide range of items available for both business and leisure. The prices were reasonable, and the designs fashionable.

Ivo Nikkolo is the only Estonian fashion designer that has had some international success, especially in the Nordic region. There are several shops in Tallinn selling his clothes, including one in the old town; we visited the one in Kristiine shopping center.

The style of Ivo Nikkolo is quite Scandinavic, functional and original. It is classical with a twist of modern trends here and there. The range caters everything from business to smart casual.

The shop is well laid out, stylish in the boundaries of the shopping center, and there is enough space to enjoy the shopping.

If you are below 30 or just like to wear the latest young fashions, check out Fornarina near the city gates of Tallinn old town (outside of the old town, though). The store is filled with colourful garments, some more and some less skimpy.

Beside clothes, the store has a selection of shoes, bags and accessories. The overall amount of stuff on sale is excellent. There is nothing for men, except a couple of good chairs and magazines for killing the time while your lady is perusing the racks.

Tallinn's Diesel store is located on the second floor in Viru Keskus. The store is not the biggest -- as you can see from the picture -- but it still able to contain all required garments and paraphernelia. The store is relatively airy and luxurious, more poshy than most Diesel outlets.

Sadly, there is no price difference between Estonia and the rest of Europe... Fashion conscious Estonians fortunately keep the shops well packed and you may make real finds here. If you are keen on young fashion, don't miss this shop.