Haute Concept

Forbes magazine has released it’s list of the most stylish cities in the world. Our friend across the pond in London take bragging rights as the most stylish city but Australia is definitely making waves with two cities on the top ten.
1. London, England
2. Paris, France
3. Sydney, Australia
4. New York, N.Y. (represent!)
5. Rome, Italy
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Melbourne, Australia
8. Berlin, Germany
9. Amsterdam, Netherlands
10. Madrid, Spain

1). London, England

“The Spice Girls and David Beckham may have both benefited from Tony Blair’s Cool Britannia campaign in the late ’90s, positioning London as cool, hip and happening, but it’s also the city’s history, multiculturalism and wealth that send it to the top of the Most Stylish Cities list.”

2). Paris, France

“There’s a beauty about Paris that other cities just don’t have….It’s romantic, classic, stylish and fashionable … not to mention the wonderful food. It’s no surprise that Paris is near the top of the stylish list.”

3). Sydney, Australia

“The opera house helps suggest that there’s high culture, classy cuisine and night spots, but it was the 2000 Olympics that really put it on the map. It’s been a textbook case of how to make a virtually unknown city in the middle of nowhere into a mega brand.”

4). New York, N.Y.

“If you live outside of the U.S., New York is perceived as being the capital of the U.S…..New York encapsulates everything that has always been wonderful about America….No other city has so much artistic, musical, business and entertainment talent, all in one place….Anyone who says they are bored in New York is hopeless.”

5). Rome, Italy

“The charm of Rome comes from the Italian style of life….This city’s high level of style is encapsulated in the art, food, music, beauty and history.”

6). Barcelona, Spain

“It has a very distinctive architectural style from the Gaudi architecture to the amazing cathedral La Sagrada Familia. Having a visual icon is incredibly important and that seems to count almost more than anything else. People like a visual image to attach to memories in their minds.”

7). Melbourne, Australia

“Melbourne is the city that Australians rank highest in the world–they rank Sydney second and London third….Melbourne is the one that people simultaneously admit to knowing least about but liking most. In fact, it would appear that the only thing they know about it is that it’s a city in Australia, but this fact is sufficient to rank it seventh place.”

8). Berlin, Germany

“Berlin is perceived as being stylish and in recent years has earned a reputation for being a trendsetting city….It has youth appeal, great nightlife and a strong youth culture.”

9). Amsterdam, Netherlands

“Amsterdam is all about sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and it works hard to keep that reputation. Amsterdam is one of a small handful of cities that I think passes the cool T-shirt test. ‘I heart Amsterdam’ on a plain white T-shirt would sell for more than if it were just a plain white T-shirt.”

10). Madrid, Spain

“”Madrid is one of the more visited cities in the index….People know it and visualize the city and its residents easily.”