With just 15 days of delay – which is practically nothing in an artist world and less than a minute in Serbia- the news that sounded too god to be true became, guess what- true! Chumic, a new hub of fresh and young fashion ideas is, starting from today, OPEN!

A section of otherwise pretty ghostly and almost deserted shopping mall from the ‘90s came to life with a dozen of little designer shops one next to another. The opening night was not pompous, but rather charmingly intimate and we could all finally take a good look inside and around and try on the clothes that still didn’t have price tags on, which was a very liberating experience, I must say.

As far as I am concerned, starting from tomorrow, I have at least three good reasons to frequently venture inside the marble jungle of Chumic: sharp, black aesthetic of Dejan Despotovic’s shop, fairy-like atmosphere of the shop shared by Ana Ljubinkovic and Remake home accessories and No Brothers No Sisters shop by Tijana Pavlov and Stevancevic sisters – possibly my new favorite designer boutique in the whole wide Belgrade. And like that wasn't enough, there are also Dejana Momcilovic, Punkuffer, Atelje Alternativa, Pedja Neric, Vlada Stojanovic and many more!

Good luck, Chumic!

Follow the white rabbit to enter the fairy-like Ana Ljubinkovic / Remake shop.

Fresh fish served with fresh new designs.

So, kids, I am back. And this is the situation: I leave Belgrade for just a couple of weeks in the heat of summer; I come back- and it is autumn! A classical back-stabbing, if you ask me.

So, how on earth was I going to show off my suntan when it was barely 20 degrees?! Well, I chose to ignore the weather and continue with summer dress code. The result? The first cold in A/W 2011 season. Sniff!

However, let’s not get all gloomy now.  There must be something good in witnessing the confident and inevitable steps of the approaching autumn…. Like the end of those boot-sandals that were on everybody’s feet for two consecutive summers (this was their decadence phase- it is over!)…or…I know! Red lips! Sure, you can wear them in summer, but we all know that the weather in our beloved city is much too hot and that our faces are much too red for that. …eeeeer…..there must be something more….Oh, what am I thinking! This is a good one, no- this is a GREAT one:

Belgrade will get its brand new and exciting creative and shopping hub, because more than a dozen new shops by young Belgrade designers will open all at once, one next to another! So, the brand new shops of Tijana Pavlov, Ana Ljubinkovic and Jovana Bozovic, Dejan Despotovic, Dejana Momcilovic, Pedja Neric, Sonja Krstic, Vlada Stojanovic, Atelje Alternativa (Stevancevic sisters, Danijela Glisic, Ivana Ristic, Ingrid Huljev), Dressing (Ana Grebec, Katarina Puzić, Marija Sinđelić, Katarina Kovačević Katia, Tijana Žunić, Ana Vasiljević), Punkuffer …  will be just few steps away from each other. Where? Prepare for another surprise!….it is in the very center of the city, and yet on one of the least expected places- in “Cumicevo sokace”- an almost deserted and seriously crumbling shopping mall.

Not so long ago, this place was bursting with glitz and kitsch. See, the ‘90s were the worst of times for Belgrade, but for some they were the best of times, and those had "Cumic" and its marble, steel and fake shine to demonstrate it. Times are changing again for this place, so what today is a ghost town tomorrow will be bursting with life and creativity, or rather- as soon as the designers finish with refurbishing and ‘90s interior design exorcism.

Don’t pinch yourself, I have double-checked this. The opening day is scheduled for October 15th- see you there!

PS: For the readers abroad, you can try to pronounce Chou-mitch-aevo sou-kat-che – or simply forget it and just enter it on your next visit to Belgrade from Nusiceva Street after grabbing a Chili Mocca in Grinet cafe, which I recommend.

PPS: Sniff, sniff, sniff.

Tijana Pavlov, photo by Zoran Trifunovic for FAAR magazine

Dejana Momcilovic, photo by Sever Zolak

Dejan Despotovic, photo by Marko Sovilj

After “Identity” boutique (featuring JSP by Prokovic sisters and Lilu shoes by Danijela Biskup) was moved from its charming Dorcol location to glass and marble of Eurocentar shopping mall, reputation of this Belgrade quarter as a designers and creative hub where all the cool clothes are seemed a bit shaken. For a moment. Because this Friday, less than a month after the mentioned moving, at 1 PM sharp, a new, interesting place is opening in one of the quarter’s beautiful streets, in Gospodar Jovanova 7.

Being named after a cult beatnik short movie proved to be a sort of prophecy for Pull My Daisy vintage shop, as after they had closed the shop in its initial location, they spent almost a year without a permanent address, or “on the road” if you will. However, this time they have gathered forces with Fish and Toad- brand of colorful cotton underwear with a good sense of humor, and announce handpicked Belgrade designers as the shop’s special guests.

Pull My Daisy might have a nice new address, but don’t expect them to settle down and get boring. Featuring mix of vintage and cutting edge, this will be no ordinary shop, and neither will be the working hours: the store will be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 to 9 PM. And, to prove my point further, check out these lovely bones as they show off some of the Daisy treasures. Skeletons in action of saving Dorcol’s hip reputation!

A nice lady recently told me how much she enjoyed checking out all the beautiful designs at belgradeflapper.com, but that she could never wear any of them in real life. She is an executive in absolutely-non-creative-at-all industry and would get a lot of strange looks for wearing stuff the more lucky ones indulge in daily. Poor dress-coded thing! So, I feel especially good about recommending this place, as it is all about saving that kind of girls from the beige and the boring, while keeping them inside the safe zone of work-friendly outfits.

Designed By started with idea of gathering numerous different designers from Belgrade and all over the world under the same brand. From what I know, it has proved to be equally successful in gathering completely different customers under the same roof of the little shop in Milenium shopping mall in Knez Mihajlova street.

Check out the summer collection and the current sales prices that will keep your spirits high during those long office hours.

On the other hand, jewel colors (nicely contrasted by plane grey walls in the shop…and the ones in the bank you work in) and clear, modern cuts leave enough space for creativity, so your after-work Ms Hyde can have her fun just by adding an accessory or two. Or three - for your Corporate Chick Gone Wild ensemble.