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Successful shopping in Istanbul
Update: 2. 1. 2012
Imagine… to go shopping for an entire week in a wonderful
city – where you only do the most important sight seeing
on Sunday because it's the expected thing to do… This is
what can happen to you in Istanbul!
The following article is the product of about 15 trips to Istanbul – I
am
rather addicted to this city and go there once a year if possible (or even twice...)!
If you travel to the Middle East for the first time, Istanbul is a good choice.
The city is rather westernized but still with a lot of Oriental charm. One of
the big advantages is that everything is written in Latin script, so we kann
read it – except of course for the signs for Russian tourists! Turkish
has borrowed a lot of words from French; and since the language is written the
way it’s spoken, the Turkish spellings always amuse me: a coiffeur becomes
a kuaför for example…
If you go shopping for dance costumes, you can pay in Turkish lira, euros or
dollars – or practically every other major currency. Most of the time the
price is given in Euro though. The majority of costume sellers don’t accept
credit cards but if necessary you can find ATMs at literally every corner (beware
of bank commissions).
Addresses and links are listed here.
If you would like to see what costumes from BellySu, SIM, Legend, Bella and others
look like, you can visit my gallery.
By the way: Istanbul has an excellent tango scene, one can go dancing in at least
one Milonga every night – and get cheap tailor made tango shoes. Read more
about this here.
Dance Costumes and accessories
It’s important to keep in mind that you don’t buy a dance costume
in 10 minutes. Sometimes we spent up to 2 hours in a shop to see and try on everything.
Most sellers also offer to adjust hooks and straps to your size, so you have
to go back one or two days later to get the costume. You see, it’s
really easy to spend a whole week just shopping in Istanbul!
There are two major areas to buy costumes: The Kapali Carsi
(Grand Basar) and Taksim. Some shops can also be
found in the Spice (Egyptian) Basar and other places. Nearly
all of the costume stores have a website.
All costume shops and designers offer the possibility of tailor
made costumes (no extra costs). Personally, I prefer to have
my costumes made according to my ideas and wishes. You can bring
detailed drawings, color schemes etc. or just seek inspiration
in the existing costumes – like "I would like to
have this costume, but in red and with a different skirt".
It’s also possible to order via fax or e-mail. But in my
experience the price is often better if you go to a shop in person
and negotiate. It’s
also easier to choose materials and colors. It takes about one
to two weeks to make a costume. So it’s best to order right
after your arrival in Istanbul (so you also have time for a fitting).
But of course the tailors can send the costumes in the mail if
it takes longer. Most of them are very used to this - they send
costumes to Europe, America and Asia on a regular basis.
Now let me take you on a walk…
For many people, the Grand Basar is one of the
main attractions on Istanbul. And it's very "grand" indeed!
You can spend a whole day there - and might get lost some times...
Very important advice: BARGAIN, BARGAIN, BARGAIN!!!! Never, under
any circumstances, buy anything for the price that is quoted first!!!
You will regret it!
If time allows it, spend your first day just
looking around and comparing prices. You will soon find out that
many shops have the same merchandise. So don’t buy something
at the first shop, you can always come back. And often the price
will suddenly drop the moment you leave the shop!
The range of goods for sale has changed over time.
I have detected a wider choice and more special shops than in
earlier years. Turkish bath accessories seem to be all the rage
at the moment!
There are many shops that offer dance costumes, but only a few
of them sell their own production (even if they tell you something
else). You will find that there are similar costumes in many
of the shops. The reason: There are only 4 to 5 producers who
make most of what is sold in the Grand and Egyptian Basar. For
the sellers there, costumes are just another merchandise like
handbags or carpets.
To determine the general price level in a shop you can do the „hip
scarf test“. All shops sell the same few models of hip
scarves, so ask their price to find out if it’s a cheap
or expensive shop. And if you buy something, don’t forget
to ask for the special price, especially if you buy several pieces.
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Aziza doing the "hip scarf test" |
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One of the few shops that actually sells their own products
is Gülseren Giyim’s. She has a lot of costumes
in store and additional showrooms. You can get a simple costume
for a good price, but there are also more expensive models. Most
costume on display are in the mid-price range, but just ask for
professional level costumes and Gülseren will be happy to
show them to you. She speaks several languages, so communication
should be no problem.
This is a good shop for accessories and hip scarves or if you
need a matching skirt for a bra-belt set you have bought elsewhere
(because sometimes they come with rather useless skirts). This
is also a good place for beginner/intermediate costumes. |
One of our favourite shops in the Grand Basar
is Ali Baba, a big store right in the heart of the
basar. I seem to even end up there if I am not looking for
it. It's situated in a way that you simply have to pass by
there sooner or later!
Besides other textiles there is a big choice
of dance apparel, from "tourist
souvenir" to professional
quality. The upper floor is dedicated entirely to dance costumes
and has 2 rooms, one for the cheaper priced costumes and
one for more exclusive but not too expensive models. It’s
here that we found bra-belt sets that have the typical Turkis
style with V-shaped belts but are still different from the
standard models you see everywhere else in the basar. The
skirts are on the skimpy side, but that’s what Gülseren
is for…
If your time is limited, this is also a good place to buy
your souvenirs, the shop has a large choice from t-shirts
to lamps. |
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It’s also worth to pay a visit to MAY, a
small shop that besides other also sells very nice costumes
from Misar
Butik. The latter has an atelier in the basar, but you
won’t find ready made costumes, it’s where she
makes costumes on demand (she also delivers to German costume
dealers like Sakkara). If you would like to order an individual
costume, this is where you will get very good quality for
a reasonable price.
There are countless other shops with standard design costumes
(like in the picture to the right). Some of them have a few
special models, so if you have enough time it pays to go
through everything.
Your shopping experience can also vary from day to day,
depending who is in the shops. So in the end it’s
best to visit them all!
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If you prefer Tribal Style to glittery sequins,
there is an entire street in the basar for your taste. One
shop after the other with tribal jewellery and textiles.
And the same rules apply: Most shops have similar things,
so look around first and compare prices. |
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Do you sew your own costumes? There are various
textile shops where the designers buy the materials for their
costumes as well, especially along the Yaglikcilar Caddesi.
Many shops have multiple small rooms, and it's worth checking
them all out.
One of there is Tozanli Ticaret in one of the many small
courts off the main street. They carry high quality chiffon,
velvet, stretch and glitter fabrics.
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There are more shops in the Egyptian Basar, but
don’t expect any surprises – dance costumes
are sold as a mass article here and often a bit more expensive
than similar models in the Grand Basar. Coming from the
main entrance by the water you can walk uphill and get
lost in all the little streets where you can find everything
one needs for daily life.
This is
also where you will see many shops for fashion jewellery,
pearls, rhinestones etc. for very good prices! Ever bought
sequins at home in little plastic boxes for a lot of money?
Here you can find them in big plastic bags, and dirt cheap. |
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Now we cross the Galata bridge
and take the "Tünel" train uphill. If you turn
to your right after the station, you will find a steep street
downhill that has many music shops. If you plan to buy an instrument,
you should do it here. It’s much cheaper than in the basar,
depending on the quality.
Walking uphill you can follow the rails of the tramway up to
Taksim square. This is Istiklal Caddesi, the perfect street for
fashion shopping. And all the CD shops have their doors wide
open and play the latest tunes rather loud… Not to far
from the Tünel station there is a shop to the left that
sells garments made of Indian fabrics – I really like shopping
there… |
Close to Taksim square you can find one of
Istanbul's most famous costume tailors: SIM Moda Evi (Evi
means house). They have wonderfully designed professional costumes
in their own special style.
I have custom ordered some costumes here that came out exactly
as I had drawn them and fit perfectly. There is also a big
range of costumes from the rack in the shop, they even have
a special department for larger sizes. This is not a "cheap"
shop but with a bit of negotiating you can get a good price
for a really beautiful costume (don’t expect the same
dramatic discounts as in the basar though). |
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Simi /Legend
Costumes is close to Taksim square as well. It’s worth
it to climb the stairs up to the 5th floor! She designs great
costumes with original ideas. I also have some of her models
(custom made).
There is a small choice in the shop, but her strong
side is the design of individual costumes. They even can make
a bra/belt-set in one week, so you can for example order on one
Saturday and pick it up the next Saturday. |
And now comes the moment we have all been waiting for….
Thanks to the new Metro it’s easy to get to Turkey’s
most famous costume designer: Bella. They have been in
the business for over 50 years and know how to make breathtaking,
top quality costumes. Of course, sometimes it’s also the
price that takes your breath away… And there isn’t
much use in haggeling here. But the good news is that they have
costumes in various price categories, so you can buy a Bella
costume even if your budget is limited.
The amount of available costumes varies – if there is
a big dance festival in Europe it can be that they send a
lot of costumes there. But anyway, if you spend enough time
in the show room and ask for it, they will also show you half
finished costumes in the color you are looking for. This has
the advantage that you can try the costume on, have it easily
adjusted to your size and you can also choose how much bling
you want on it (which will determine the price). You can then
get the costume in about 2 or 3 days.
Beware: If you are allergic to cats, be careful – there
are about a dozen cats in the showroom. We also call it the
Cat Cave :-) Don’t wear black if you come here…
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Close to another metro station you
will find another worthwile shop, Bellysu.
This is a collaboration between the dancer Serap Su and a
former Bella designer. The costumes are therefore a similar
style. Serap Su speaks English, and talking with her you
will find that she is an experienced dancer who knows what
is important in a costume and how to make it fit and stay
put while dancing.
We were convinced by the quality and I had two costumes
made there. The seamstresses really went out of their way
to finish my costumes on time and they fit perfectly.
There is a street in the same area with many fabric shops.
So if you would like to choose the material and color for
your costume yourself you can take a stroll there first. |
Situated in Aksaray, two tram stations after the Grand
Basar, is the "Oto Han" building. It's really worth a visit
since you can find three costume shops there: a subsidiary
of SIM Moda Evi, Giz Moda and San Eil (spoken
like Chanel)
Moda Evi.
The latter has a bunch of costumes in carnival colors,
but you will also find really elegant designs and some
rather unusual models for a good price.
Last time I was there only Turkish was spoken, but with
some pantomime and a calculator communication works just
fine.
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Nightlife
What would a dancer's visit to Istanbul be without a "Turkish
Night" show? These are clearly designed for tourists but offer
an excellent opportunity to see several Oryantal dancers and really
nice folklore groups. You can choose to have dinner there or just drinks
(some fruit is included). And the price typically also includes the
drive back to the hotel in a mini-bus.
Well known places are Orient House and Kervansaray.
The dancers change, but the big star in Orient House is Birgül.
So ask on what evenings she will perform. In Kervansaray you can see
today's most famous Turkish dancer: Asena! Despite the more expensive
price, a visit there is worth it just for seeing her - plus Serap Su
who is a great dancer as well.
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Birgül |
Asena |
Serap Su |
Folklore group at Orient House |
The folklore groups inbetween the Oryantal dancers are also very good
and worth the visit.
Dance classes
Most of the time I am too busy shopping in Istanbul - but if you have
the time, you can contact one of the teachers on my list.
Non-dance tips
Find information about hamams, hotels, general shopping etc. here.
All addresses and links for this text are collected here. |
