Shopping Ritual

Every girl has a shopping ritual, most of the time carried out naturally, almost unintentionally. It all starts at the mall parking and the firm belief that this level always has a spot miraculously waiting for you, even if it’s a weekend and Christmas is at the doors. Then, there’s an undeclared sequence of shop visits.It doesn’t really matter what you intend to buy, you probably always find yourself stepping inside that store first, even if the day before you passed by on your way to a meeting. It is the store where you just grab-and-go, no need to visit the fitting rooms. You have developed a sharp visual accuracy, probably product of the collective hours and resources you have spent there. You also have stores where their small size is your medium. There, you always find the right white top and the needed confidence booster when desserts don’t seem to desert you. You have the I’m-broke-but-I-still-need-to-shop store, the I-always-find-the-perfect-necklace accessory haven, and the once-in-a-while shopping destination. You zigzag them all wondering if you’ve made the right choice while second-guessing if they might look like the stuff you recently bought on your favorite online store.

Subdued is basically Italian for cool

And then, once in a while, something beautiful breaks this routine: A new brand lands in town. On your way to grab that latte and into the next store, an unexpected window greets you. This time the newcomer carries the name Subdued. You are attracted by the fashion of the new clothes and their welcoming invitation to try them on. Subdued is basically Italian for cool. Established in the 90s, but only recently landing in Beirut BCC, it falls in-between looking effortlessly good and incessantly playful. It awakens childhood memories by linking them to adult outfit goals. It is already creeping into our shopping ritual, as unintentionally and naturally as the style it carries.