Eurotrash, Prahran

I’m strangely terrified by the woman who manages Eurotrash, the slightly eccentric vintage clothes shop on Chapel St. With her alarming red hair, heavy make-up and Ivana Trump accent, her and the collection of clothes seemed to have escaped over the wall from East Berlin only yesterday.

It’s an amazing collection, luxurious, if slightly edgy and definitely not prim and proper. There are some beautiful recycled clothes from labels like Chanel, Miu Miu and Versace amongst the leather, fur coats and spandex – plastic gold pants.

The best items are not featured on the walls or in cabinets they are amongst the crowded racks of clothes and shoes in the narrow shop. Beautiful faux (and some real) fur coats stood out from a predominately dark collection. Thigh length and heavy with fibres, they are coloured in deep chestnuts and black. I loved the inventive selection of leather items, especially this smock jacket made from pieces of fine, thin leather studded and layered together with a final piece draped from around the neck. There were some great little vests, leather skirts and a baby-blue leather mid - rift top with elbow-length sleeves.

Circular racks bursting with tops and pants obscured the narrow walkways, there is definitely a theme of black, lace and leopard print and there were a few items held together by studs and layers of fabric. There were some lovely long dresses, made from a mixture of fluffy white tulle and heavy stretchy fabric around the bust and some fantastic mini-skirts and shorts.

There was a beautiful purple coat with feathery embroidery on each breast pocket, on closer inspection it turned out to be Miu Miu and had been reduced from $1200 to $300. Shoes were in an elevated cabinet, there were some delicate and white heels with think straps and sandals, the feature being a pair of Chanel sling-backs. In the crowded, glittery window a black Chanel purse/bag flashed at me devilishly, though I'm not 100% sure of its authenticity.

There were some amazing pieces, and some trashy ones, which made the collection really diverse. Studded, flared jeans, red latex hot pants and a sequined vest made from long, fringy tendrils were interesting additions to an eclectic mix of vintage clothes

FINAL WORD: There are some serious European brands and quality items at Eurotrash. It’s expensive, but unique second hand shopping.


** Note – Eurotrash is a unique place for vintage fashion and a haircut ...
there is a small hairdressing salon at the rear of the shop.