Raval is a great area to shop for affordable vintage in Barcelona. Any number of tree-lined, café-filled streets feature stores that offer the more adventurous shopper a break from the super-fashionable but mass-produced offerings of the larger brands on the city’s main drags.
One such example of fabulous and funky retro items is Wilde Vintage, where they stock pretty much nothing but sunglasses in this tiny but neatly set out store. Ironically vintage is the perfect way to actually look up to date with your shades at the moment, as old brands like Ray-Ban, Carrera and Le Specs all make a come-back with their iconic shapes and old-school feel.
http://www.wildevintage.com/Home.html
There is an amazing range of one-off pieces in here, and there are by no means expensive. Mainstream labels are all offering versions of what is stocked at Wilde, but the biggest difference is that you will get one-on-one service and the choice of hundreds of special, hand-picked pieces, all the while being free to soak up the groovy local atmosphere going on right outside the door.
1970s shades by Phillip Clark
Time your visit to coincide with the evening happy hour in the neighbourhood bars and you have the perfect excuse to toast your unique purchase, with a suitably retro cocktail of course.
