Today I went to my first Saturday outdoor market in Radom. Whereas the general idea translates perfectly from Milano, application is much different.

In Milano a city street is conscripted for the day, and the stalls/tents/tables/whatever are setup in two lines down that street, with the pedestrian walkway through the middle. In Radom, the market is setup in parking lots around a shopping center, the stalls meander around — SOOO, you could actually get lost or, heaven forbid, miss something of major importance to you!

In Milano there is a general sense that food and vegetables are along this side or at this end, and all the rest is jumbled up together… So you’ll have Prada shoes next to cheap Chinese purses next to cashmere sweaters next L’Oreal makeup next to colanders. In Radom there seems to be a really, really, really inexpensive, low quality, low fashion end, and a much higher quality end… and they are positioned on separate sides of the shopping center… so you don’t have to be distracted by things that are out of your price and/or taste range if you don’t want.

In Milano, fashion items were much blingier than in the US. In Radom, things on the really really really inexpensive end are waaaaaaayyyy tooo blingy… Just downright tacky blingy. It also seemed that, though many of the items were set for warmth in the cold Polish winter, had features that would negate the warmth — like cutouts of lace in the back… Or peekaboo holes running down the entire arm. In the higher quality section there everything from understated style, nice sleek cut, to Old Lady Chic… or just Old Lady… And everything is made with good fabrics, for warmth, and to last…

In Milano the nicer fashion items were usually reserved for women’s shopping. In Radom, there are men’s suits and sport jackets in the mercato… and touching the fabrics, some of these shops had very nice items.

The fashion sense in Radom was not up to Milano standards… but really, that would go for anywhere else in the world.

In Milano the shops are owned and run by all kinds of people — Italians, Middle Easterners, Africans, Eastern Europeans… In Radom, everyone seemed to be Polish.

In Milano the Visa or Bancomat signs are displayed in about half of the shops… In Radom it seems to be all cash.