Clothes Shopping in Montevideo

Ok this one is for the ladies....and the fashion conscious men ;)

When I was moving to Montevideo in October 2008 I had never visited before...never even been to South America! I had done all of the necessary research but one thing I could not get any information about is what is really available in Uruguay. What do I need to bring, what can I leave behind, what am I really going to miss from home?!

Here's a little summary of clothes shopping here in Uruguay's capital city. If you are coming from North America, Canada, Europe, Australia or other developed "Western" regions of the world simply forget what you know about clothes shopping! Although there are a few modern style malls, if you intend to live like a Uruguayan (especially with a Uruguayan wage!) then you can expect to shop in a very different way than you are used to.

Here are your options:

The Expo's - all along the main thoroughfare of 18 de Julio you will find old fashioned malls or emporiums. These often aren't easily noticeable until you walk in to find a network of corridors. There are many of these "expos", as they are called, dotted all along this long street but after a while you may start to feel slight deja vu as you see the same merchandise in the same colours over and over again. Inside these malls you will more often find 'make-shift' shops and stalls rather than separate stores.

Although these products are affordable (200-400pesos/8-10 dollars for a t-shirt) they are often of poor quality. Uruguayan's don't really produce clothes (unless you count the overpriced handmade stuff at Manos del Uruguay) and their import taxes are insanely high (somewhere around the 50-60% mark last time I checkedd) so they import really cheap goods from China or tatty leftovers from Europe and the States.

They do love their cotton jersey here...everything from t-shirts to pants seem to be made from the same material, in the same primary colours! Although it seems comfortable at first it bobbles like nobody's business and you may start to feel like a clone when you look around and see everyone wearing the exact same shade of green (why I ask? doesn't the song say there are 40?!)

For women I would HIGHLY suggest bringing as much of your favourite underwear as possible as they make them in very strange shapes here! Either they are super high-waisted 80 style (who wears that?!) or they are in this strange middle place between a thong and normal pants that is just an inevitable wedgie waiting to happen! Also they tend to make them from cheap man-made uncomfortable materials which isn't the best for a hot summers day! For men, although I can't speak from experience, I think I would suggest the same judging from the questionable y-fronts I have seen on offer!


The Ferias - The Ferias (fairs/markets) are your other option for affordable clothing.


Depending on how much of a bargain hunter you really are, you may consider checking out the expansive Flea Market Feria on Tristan Navarra which takes place every Sunday morning. I have to admit this isn't the most comfortable place to shop for clothes as EVERYTHING from live peacocks to fruit & veg and military memorabilia is on sale here but some great vintage clothing can be found if you scour. You do have to really weave through people, and you have to watch your money as pick pockets are rampant but its worth a look if you have the energy.

Wear basic and non bulky clothes as if you want to try anything on it will have to be over what you're wearing and in the middle of the street!

Fear not, there are plenty of other, more spacious, well organised feria offerings to choose from. If your spanish is up to scratch (or even if its not) you can check out this useful website La Feria which lists what they sell and where & when they take place - Tuesday & Saturday in Villa Biarritz which is the green area beside the intersection of Ellauri and Septiembre 21 in Pocitos, in Parque Rodo on Sundays and then there are ones out in the suburbs on other days.

Personally I like shopping here. Although it is a lot of the same stuff you will find in the expos sometimes the prices are cheaper and sometimes you will find a few unique stands and some nice Uruguayan made items. They will not sell what you are used to at home, this you will learn to accept...but with a new country comes new challenges which demand new solutions. If you really can't do without your familiar and designer brands there are also....

The Malls -

Punta Carretas Shopping: Here you will find the snobs (no offense to anyone who shops there...I go there occasionally myself to browse and drool over what I can't afford!). It is beautiful, showy, imported suburban American life. They sell all the familiars - Levis, Zara, Adidas, Nike and all their equivalent middle class shops but at greatly inflated prices. Anyone familiar with Zara will be amazed by the hike in prices for simple basic items (a cardigan that is permanently 14.90euro in Ireland is nearly 25dollars here and t-shirts range closer to the 20dollar plus mark than the bargain prices we're used to.



Outside this mall you will find this to be the area where all the snooty boutiques are located....you know, the ones you have to ring a doorbell to enter. If you don't have the money (everything is over 1000pesos/40 dollars, even the smallest item) just don't bother entering. The snobbish attitude and patronising looks are stifling!

Montevideo Shopping: A little further outside the city than Punta Carretas but along the same lines. Less snobby but prices are still high.

If you're looking for the cheaper places there is a branch of the Indian Emporium almost everywhere (in every mall and also many along 18 de Julio). These are the cheapest prices you'll find for clothes in Montevideo but again, quality is compromised.)


Tres Cruces: This is one of the first big shopping malls in Montevideo and so is the most outdated. It is always very busy as the main bus station takes over the whole ground floor. It has only one floor of offerings so if you know what you want is there then it will be a quick trip because this is not really a place for browsing. You'll find a list of all the stores on their website

Basically I'm trying to warn those of you that are fashion forward and love your clothes that a move to Uruguay will require 2 things - a lot of excess baggage coming here and an expected drop in standards when you settle here! You won't find the same quality, you won't see trends translated in to stores as quickly (especially because our seasons clash with the release of new lines in the Northern hemisphere), and you won't find the bargain items you're used to at home.

This is NOT to say that you'll be wearing a potato sack this time next year! They have everything you need....just be prepared to search more, buy less, and pay a LOT more for those quality investment pieces.

Carnaval in Uruguay!

Bless them for trying! Uruguay quite reminds me of Ireland in trying to keep up with the Jones'....Despite their little size Uruguayans boast that their Carnival (Carnaval in Spanish) is the longest in the world. Although this may technically be true (as it "lasts" the whole month of February), in reality there are only a few big events and these cannot be said to rival those of their famous Carnaval neighbour, Brazil.

Don't give up on them just yet though, Uruguay's Carnaval is unique and most definitely worth a look!

Usually Carnaval month is kicked off with "El Desfile Inaugural" (the inaugural parade) on the main thoroughfare of '18 de Julio' at the end of Janurary - however this year a storm worthy of Noah's Ark blew down the eastern coast of Uruguay making that tradition close to impossible on its usual day. This parade includes everyone: the humoristas, parodistas, revistas, murgas, sociedades de negros and lubolos - I'm still learning the distinctions between all of these: Murga's (check out a video here) are like barbershop harmony singers making political jokes, I'm slowly getting to know all the local politics but luckily the music is internationally enjoyable! Lubolos are the white guys who paint their faces black, play the tambores (drums) and walk as though wearing feet shackles so as to pay tribute to slave communities who founded the candombe tradition in Uruguay. Anyone want to help me out with the rest?





Personally my favourite part of Uruguay's Carnaval is "El Desfile de Las Llamadas" (the parade of the calls). This takes place of the first Thursday and Friday of February and showcases all the Candombe Comparsas (local community drumming groups) who march through the traditionally black neighbourhoods of Sur and Palermo. They play fantastic beats, the women wear next to nothing (mostly without the hot body that is usually expected to accompany such clothing) and they wave flags big enough to clothe about 20 families....and its good luck to touch them so get in there and have a feel :)




First come the Estandartes (the banners...these introduce the different comparsas), then the massive flags followed by stars, moons, lights and fantastical bodies all carried by masked bearers. These are said to be representative symbols of the relgions practised by the slaves before they were brought to South America. Then arrive the Gramillero and Mama Vieja...the apparently old but still very vibrant (and often rather excitable!) old couple. Behind them comes the ever so important Escobero who sweeps away any negative energy with his broom...before the comparsa beats their way through the streets!

Other events go on throughout the month of February. From what I can see (and hear!) so far is that these "other events" mostly consist of Murga...everywhere! There's murga every night in Defensor Sporting Club on 21 de Septiembre (between Bulevar Espana & Bulevar Artigas)...I know this because the wind carries EVERY single note through the window of my apartment! There's also some bigger shows in the Velodrome in Parque Battle but really you can find Murgas, Humoristas & Parodistas (they all seem the same to me!) at tablados (venues with stages) throughout Montevideo during February so you have no excuse not to witness this cultural tradition!

If you're feeling a little more adventurous you should try travel to some of the small coastal towns...they may be small but their carnaval events are just as much fun (if not more!). I went to La Pedrera and it was fantastic, lots of water balloon fights, music and colourful flags everywhere, a great parade, and just generally an air of fun and laughter...not to mention great surf! I've also heard great things about the carnaval events in Punta del Diablo too...and there you get two for the price of one because it is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see, with or without carnaval.

One small step...

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my blog about living in Montevideo, Uruguay :)

I remember trying to research this wonderful little city and country before I departed on my adventure here and found it close to impossible to get some decent (and recent!) information...as such this is my small contribution toward solving that problem.

Feel free to leave comments, ask questions and correct me when I'm wrong (its VERY rare but has been known to happen once or twice).

It'll take me some time to get my first few posts up (seeing as I still have to get internet in my apartment) but for now you can quench your thirst for information with an expat interview I did for the Total Uruguay Blog. It explains all about why I moved here, how the transition went, what I found difficult etc. You can read it here