One of the latest and most interesting additions to this wave of new designer shops is Glamúr. Located in the basement of a building on Skólavörðustígur, this shop has managed to cram into its tiny space all a girl (or an adventurous boy) might need to look great on a good night out. Glamúr has both second-hand and new clothes as well as shoes and accessories. There is a rack of clothes that glimmer and shimmer, a good choice of knits and perhaps most interestingly of all, a corner with clothes from new, upp-and-coming Icelandic designers.
Glamúr is the love child of two young couples who have paired together in running the shop. In a world of cold marketing schemes this attitude of a happy partnership in running a business is at the very least rare, and probably helps to explain the cozy feeling inside the shop. As with the punk bands of old times, the goal seems not to be to make a big profit but simply to do something, as opposed to just sitting at home with all the talents you may possibly possess, keeping them to yourself.
Besides being the name of the shop, Glamúr is also the name of one of the clothing labels sold there. Glamúr clothes are feminine but have a certain rock and roll edge to them, black being the colour of choice for most of the designs. There is some lace and some glitter, and tops double as short dresses. Each piece is pretty much unique, so you will never run into exactly the same outfit that you have bought (and mind you, this is pretty rare with prices that won’t break your piggy bank) being worn by someone else. But interestingly, the same fabrics are used in different designs, which gives the label a homey and cozy feel.
Sonja Bent is another young designer presented in Glamúr, her designs differing completely from any other in the shop, and not only because of wool being her chosen material. The designer says that clothes are worn only to be taken off, so sexiness plays a big part in her designs. Up until now sex is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of knitwear, but Sonja’s designs might make you think twice – I’m talking see-through knitted dresses here, not woolly socks and leg warmers.
The thing that makes Glamúr stand out from other similar shops with second-hand clothing is that here you get a coherent, not chaotic, selection. There is no need to spend hours looking for the perfect piece that may or may not be there. With glamour in Glamúr through clothes old and new, they seem to be the perfect things to get dressed in, before undressing.
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