How Bazaar, How Bazaar

From the glass shops and evil-eye bead stands to the carpet boutiques, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (think extremely ornate mall) offers plenty of goods to take home to family, friends, and of course, ourselves. Carving out a few precious minutes from a shoot last week, my colleague Shiona Turini and I snuck off to spend some dough. Here’s a sampler of our shopping tour in Turkey:

First-stop: Meters away from the bazaar entrance. Tunics and satchels, some made from old woven fabrics, others from popular prints a la Burberry, hang from the outdoor stands, tempting buyers to spend before even stepping inside. Purchased tunics for the moms, bags for the sisters. Regret not buying these tie-dye scarves.

Second stop: Inside the bazaar, after a number of left turns. Gorgeous lamps! Wait, those are hookahs…But inside a glass shop, we find lovely actual lamps to hang from our ceilings. Sweet. Even sweeter, the Turkish delights tasted at candy stores–good for roommates and coworkers. Quick stop for Turkish coffee before keeling over from over-stimulus.