Treasures and pictures from Turku

Whew, what a trip that was! We did a lot of shopping with my friend Ilse and this post is dedicated to showcase the treasures I found and to show you guys what a fantastic time we had.

So, Turku is situated by the sea in Western Finland. It used to be the capital of Finland during Swedish rule but when we were taken over by the Russians, the capital was moved to Helsinki which was then nothing but a small village. There had been numerous reasons for this (such as the fire of Turku that destroyed many buildings) but the main reason is that Turku is close to Sweden and the Russians wanted to keep Finland in check. Turku is an old university town and it has a magnificent castle dating back to 1280. It is also, in my opinion, a great place to spend a summer day.




What surprised us on this trip was how many really interesting design stores there were (and how little customers they had). We found really unique things. This ice cream necklace and button earrings were bought from a shop called Televisio. It only sells Finnish design, like Ivana Helsinki, Globe Hope, Lustwear. And everything from jewellery to dresses. There are even purses made out of milk cartons! The necklace is by Kooky Gems and earrings are by Keltainen Orava ('yellow squirrel' for those of you who don't speak Finnish).

Televisio

Hämeenkatu 32, Turku

tel. (+358) (0)2 231 0400

Just around the corner from Televisio we found Boutique Minne which is a vintage store/boutique that sells both vintage clothes and their own designs. This is where a found the most beautiful skirt ever made. I made a deal with the owner to buy it and she fixed the skirt so it would fit me in a matter of seconds (it was a bit too big for me). I really love this store and the owner, Marjo, is such a sweet and imaginative person. She is a costume designer so she definitely knows what she's doing. She uses both old and new fabrics and if you should need custom made clothes, she's more than happy to oblige.

This photo is taken in Boutique Minne. Look at those beauties! I loved the red tartan dress lying on the table in this picture and I really like the combo on the left (the skirt, belt and shirt). I could have scooped all the stuff with me (well, maybe except for the shoes but only because I don't remember seeing size 7 vintage shoes).

And here is Marjo (the gorgeous lady in black) telling us about her designs. Behind her is her atelier where she does the hard work that transforms into gorgeous dresses and skirts and everything fabulous.

If there's one shop you should visit in Turku, make it Boutique Minne! They're going to be on Helsinki Vintage Fair in Helsinki in September so if you for some reason don't have the opportunity to visit them in Turku (though you really should), come and see their designs then.

Boutique Minne

Kaskenkatu 2, 20700 Turku

tel. (+358) (0) 50 5166 124

So I bet you're wondering what I got from Minne... Well, here it is!

Isn't it the most fabulous skirt you've ever seen? Sorry, this pic doesn't do it justice because I had to shoot it myself at the same time I was wearing it. It's a bit girly but it has some serious butt-kicking attitude. Love it. And it's unique so there is no other one. *blows a raspberry*

We also visited historical sights beside the coolest shops. Here I am in the courtyard of Turku castle. We were a bit hungover from last night so we're not completely sure if we saw the whole castle but we did spend 2 hours there going through the small passageways and the great halls.

It was a warm, sunny weekend and we had fun. In this picture I'm having a throbbing headache from the night before. I didn't stay up that late and Ilse came back to the hotel 5 hours later than I did. And I still think that I was in the worse condition the following morning.

So that was our trip to Turku. It won't probably be our last because once I have some more money, I'll be paying Marjo a visit at Boutique Minne ;)