Karama Crazy!!



Bargain hunting in Dubai... Feels very
much like a covert operation!

So Emma and I took a shopping trip to Dubai last month. If you have ever been to Dubai, you can't help but be either fascinated (or in some cases replused) by this fashionable and sophisticated city in the desert. The Middle East's shopping and fashion capital!  Dubai is home to two of the largest malls in the Middle East, Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. Dubai Mall famous for it's aquarium and Mall of the emirates infamous for it's indoor skiing slope. In terms of shops, you can find anything! From the high street stores like H&M and  Top Shop to the opulant fashion houses of Versace, Michael Kors and Gucci. You'll find them all in Dubai.

Where're the shoes?

Despite this, Emma and I were in Dubai for,  one very special reason. We wanted to find the illusive Karama! The home of imitation designer products We jumped in a taxi at Mall of the Emirates and asked him to take us to Karama. One of the best things about Dubai is that all the taxis are metred (and cheap!!). It cost us 70 Dirham (about 14e) to get to Karama. It is worth noting that on Fridays, the shops at Karama do not start to open until after 3pm. The area of Karama is a series of small shops selling copies of designer goods. The copies are still expensive. However, they are still a fraction of the cost of the real thing. An imitation Michael Kors bag, for example cost about 400 Dirham (80 euro) which is still a fraction of the price you would pay at the mall. 





Who knew that behind

        this door you'd find...

But Emma wanted to get shoes. And all we could find were bag shop upon bag shop. We kept asking people in the different shops where the shoe shops were until finally, one guy told us to follow him. We followed him out of the shop, down the road to a tall building. We went up a lift, (at this point we were more than a little Scooby dubious as to where he was leading us to!) and got out on the second floor. The second floor was a long, white corridor with doors off it. The man knocked on one of the doors and you could hear bolts being opened inside. (Yep, the fear of being sold into a particular profession was high!) Emma and I looked at each other nervously and went in.

...All of this!

We were both pleasantly surprised when we went inside and were greeted by what could only described as a secret showroom of thousands of handbags, shoes, belts and other accessories. The apartment was tastefully decorated with chandelliers, chairs and display case upon display case of illuminated handbags and shoes. There were many efficient sales attendants there to help with queries on sizes and colours. Emma and I were there for about two hours wandering around the different rooms off the main showroom. The show room was home to  D&G,  Mulberry, Michael Kors, Chanel and Dior copies to name but a few. Bargaining is expected here so don't be shy! Emma got a gorgeous pair of red, imitation,Versace heels and a pair of  Michael Kors ballet pumps for a really good price. It is important to remember that these are imitation so do not spend too much on those coveted heels!

When we were finished browsing around this strange show room, we paid for Emma's shoes and left through the big white door. The door was bolted behind us. We just stood there for a second or two completely incredulous of the accesssory wonder land that we had just been privy too. A very strange but memorable experience!



Emma's Versace heels!