Athens in American Vogue
«Destination Athens» features in the View global shopping section of the March issue of American Vogue. It suggests that visitors to Athens add some stores to their list of must-sees. It tells them where to find gold jewelry in Byzantine designs, handmade sandals, ceramic beads and worry beads. And it shows that, despite various travel advisories, one can walk about carefree in Athens. Devi Kroell, who designs hip carry-all handbags, came here with Irini Arakas, who wrote the piece, to see the stores and photograph them. Kroell is the daughter of Austrian Ambassador to Athens Herbert Kroell, who sent us the flattering article to show us what his daughter is doing in Athens where, he said, she is planning to get married in May to her fiance, Alessandro Chiurazzi. «Our wedding will be in a Greek church and we plan to close off part of Plaka for the wedding party.» For the wedding presents, she has chosen to give a coin showing Alexander the Great to the groom, one with the head of Athena to her sister and for herself an authentic copy of the Minoan bee from the National Archaeological Museum, «but it costs $1,800 and I have to think about it.» She found the coins at the shop of A. Patrikiadou at 58 Pandrossou. The sandals came from Stavros Melissinos, who has been making them for 50 years at 2 Aghias Theklas in Monastiraki. The worry beads she bought at Kombologadiko at 6 Koumbari, Kolonaki, and wore them as a necklace. Thank you Devi Kroell and thank you Ambassador. We hope to return the compliment in writing on our first visit to your lovely country.
