So, are you up for this tour around Sitges' fashion and design stores? We are happy to go for a walk with you. In fact, to make the experience even better, we will be accompanied by Patricia L. de Guevara, stylist, creative director, and personal shopper based in Sitges for more than 25 years. A real treat, no doubt about it!

All right then, if we're all here and ready, let's get started. So, if you're up for it, first we'll let Patricia share some details of what her profession is all about: "My job is a very personalized one where I help my clients dress according to their needs and preferences, always taking into account what suits them best and the context in which they are going to wear their clothes: summer and winter, day and night, a party and a business meeting are not the same thing". In any case, and this is what she stresses particularly, "what I never do is make women or men feel like they're in costume; they need to feel totally comfortable and at ease".

Patricia's work doesn't start with this tour of Sitges' fashion and accessory stores. It starts way before, once the customer explains what he or she needs. With this information, she prepares the shopping day by first visiting the establishments she considers most appropriate to see what they have, and even setting aside a few garments or accessories.

Now that we are a little more familiar with what a Personal Shopper actually is, we get underway. Patricia points out that the most interesting stores can basically be found in the center of Sitges, around the island made up of Mayor, Sant Francesc, Parellada, Jesús and other adjacent streets. "Basically, they are small, multi-brand stores, with very good taste on behalf of their owners, who even create their own collections and who have a customized attention that you won't find in big stores or franchises". And is there such a thing as a 'Sitges style'? "I think we could refer to an urban style influenced by the beach, by the Mediterranean".

Our tour begins on Calle Jesús, where Patricia has us stop in front of the window of a very special shoe shop, which works with original design Spanish and Italian shoes "and custom-made lasts that make them very, very comfortable".

Next stop: an emblematic Sitges jewelry store located at Cap de la Vila Square. It is now run by Meritxell, who was first a salesclerk and is now the fashion agitator in this store, "where we are always aware of the avant-garde, but even more so of our customers, whom we love to surprise and guide through top brands as well as original and top-quality labels".

We turn left and head down Calle Mayor, one of the most important shopping streets in Sitges. There we step into the multi-brand store owned by Merche, whose unique feature is that she offers her own exclusive collections to her customers: "As a matter of fact we often ask them to manufacture for us". In her commitment to this differential value, Merche shares an illustrative comparison with us: "I don't know what I'm going to eat this afternoon, but two weeks ago” -we spoke with her at the beginning of November- “I already closed what will be our collection for next summer".

Next to Merche's store is Ana's. A different store thanks to its surprising variety of products: cell phone cases and accessories on both walls, and in the center, several displays of elegant and colorful costume jewelry that she designs and manufactures herself. "Yes, I know it may come as a surprise, but I do the same thing with both products: I give the customer advice and offer many options: if he/she wants a cell phone case, I bring out 20 of them and in different colors, and if he/she is looking for a bracelet, I ask questions and offer the ones I think best suit him or her."

Now, a stop for 'men's fashion'. And for that, we go down the narrow Carrer Nou, where Ismael founded a small but spectacular store that he runs together with Emilio. Its differential feature is that they work with international brands of clothing and shoes that are impossible to find in other stores in Catalonia and even in Spain, such as Run Dorff or Duke & Dexter. Casual, elegant fashion, with sober colors and a superior quality in both fabrics and manufacturing. Emilio acknowledges that 70% of his public is gay, "and what people appreciate most is being able to find this style that is so far removed from the stereotype of bright colors and tight Lycra".

Another small street, Bon Aire, is home to another treasure in the form of a women's fashion store. It's run by Ana, who is very clear about what she offers: "I sell differentiation". And it works for her, considering that she acknowledges that she has a high number of loyal customers, who she always keeps in mind when she receives new collections: "In certain cases, I WhatsApp them pictures of clothing that I know they will like; and in others, I offer them the possibility of stopping by after business hours".

And we bring our tour of stores in Sitges to a close with an interior design business. We're referring to another emblematic store in Sitges, located on Calle Parellades. The salesclerk, Sonia, repeats the Sitgetan mantra of personalized service: "Here we offer you advice, we guide you and we even come to your home so you can have that perfect piece of furniture or object that makes the difference and fits your personality".

And here ends our shopping tour, which only includes a tiny selection of stores and that illustrates what a day (or several days) of shopping in Sitges can be like. As we always say, the good thing about Sitges is that there are always constant surprises: waiting for you around any corner... or in any shop window. Simply... well you know, just let yourself go ;)