It truly was a challenge - with my tight budget I ventured into the streets of Valletta with not overly high hopes. After all, Malta is an island and as I used to live on a Mediterranean island before I knew that retail isn't the key focus of the local economy. I couldn't find Zara, H&M, Topshop - none of my usual go to high street fashion stores. When I was about to lose all will to live and curl up in a ball on the cobbled streets of the Maltese capital, it happened. I found a little shopping centre just off the main shopping street (the main shopping street means stalls of caricature artists, little cafes with delicious cakes and tarts and about a gazillion souvenir shops with an odd jeweller's here and there). This little shopping centre had Bershka in it! I absolutely love Bershka - it's owned by the same company like Zara but the style is for slightly younger audience. Not far from Bershka was Stradivarius (also owned by the same company but this time the style is slightly more sophisticated - the current collection had a proper Bohemian vibe, I could have spent all my money there!) and Miss Selfridge (which was insanely overpriced - c'mon Malta!).
The dress of code of the Malta Fashion Week event was smart casual - despite my limited resources (in terms of budget, time and knowledge of local shops) I think I nailed it. I went for an Eastern European chic with the most beautiful strappy heels I've seen in a while!
For those who either live in Malta or travel there quite often:
Where would YOU go if you were to get an outfit worth a fashion show?