Dress to Impress Your Wallet: an inexpensive store to shop for clothes in Europe

Have you ever taken a vacation only to realize you didn't pack for the right weather?  Last May I flew into London in order to begin an around Europe rail trip and found myself freezing!  I continued to tell myself; it will get warmer.  By the time I was in Amsterdam though, I was still freezing and the two long sleeve shirts I had brought along with the one pair of jeans were just not going to hold out.  That is when I wandered into one of the best places for budget travelers to pick up extra, fashionable and cheap clothes.

Founded in 1841by two brothers, Clemens and August, in the Netherlands, C&A began as a textiles company and in 1861 opened its doors as a clothing store. Did you know that JC Pennys didn't open until 1902? By providing fashionable, off the rack wearables C&A quickly began spreading around Europe, opening stores in France, England, Germany and several other countries.  Today there are about 900 stores throughout Europe (Although England has recently done away with the store) and they are still growing.

The store offers a wide selection of clothing and in typical European style they generally look "fashion forward" compared to what you get in the States.  While I was in Amsterdam last year I found several great Jackets on the clearance racks which I would have expected to pay at least twice as much.  Whether you run out of socks or need a new pair of jeans to replace the ones you cut the legs off of to use as swimming trunks you can find a cheap pair here. 

Locals " affectionately" refer to C&A as Cheap & Awful but that is no more the case than Old Navy.  And even less the case because their clothes generally hold up to wear and style more like the Gap (ok ok this may not be saying much but come on you're on a budget and H & M is a bit pricey).  I was in the KaDeWe (Kaufhause de Westens: the largest department store on the European Continent: Berlin) last summer and realized I just couldn't afford anything there.  I approached a sales lady and asked "gibt es ein C&A nahe?" [is there a C&A near by] in poor Germany, and she jokingly rolled her eyes at me and gave me directions. It is just one of those stores that everyone knows is inexpensive and no one admits that half their clothes come from there. I recommend searching out these stores whenever the need arises and you will certainly be happy you did. 

If you are in Berlin one C&A is going to be over by the Zoo train station.  I f you are facing the entrance of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (the one all hollowed out from a WWII bombing) it will be down the street behind you on the left (KaDeWe is the opposite direction).  When in Amsterdam you can find at least one of the C&As straight down the street Damrak that runs directly into the Central train station (half underground half above).  After spilling sangria on your best shirt in Barcelona you will be able to find a C&A right near the Catalunya Metro stop north of Las Ramblas.  After following my advice and visiting Tuebingen you will be able to find the nearest C&A just a short train ride over to Reutlingen, the nearest big city.   

Of course there are many more of these stores around and you really should have no problem finding one in most major cities as you travel around Europe, topping off your wardrobe and figuring out what you forgot to pack.

Comments

[Kenny]

Hi,
I am surprised by this post. C&A to me (being a European myself and having lived in 4 countries across the EU) is out. Years ago this shop was fine but it's like Gap, their customers have outgrown the brand and today C&A is more for "oldies" or "outies" - it's just not very stylish...
Anyway, I think you can find international brands and shops everywhere, no need to go for this one.

[Chris Cook]

Thanks for the comment Kenny. I agree C&A isn't really the place to go shopping for high fashion but when traveling and in a pinch it is budget friendly.