Shopping: The Chain Gang

Shopping: The Chain Gang

If you scan any Buenos Aires mall plan most of the stores will be unfamiliar—foreign labels in Argentina are mainly limited to sportswear and designer gear. Here's an overview of the homegrown chains.

Akiabara (www.akiabara.com). Slick jeans, pants, and suits pull sharp twenty- and thirtysomething chicks to Akiabara like metal to a magnet. The slinky tops and soft, asymmetric knits come unadorned—no prints, no embroidery, just plain lines and good draping.

Ayres (www.ayres.com.ar). Fine, strappy tops in bold colors like cherry and tangerine tell you that women who shop at Ayres don't mind standing out at the bar. For sweeter wallflowers there are ultra-soft cache-coeurs (wraparound cardigans), suits in powder-blue drill or rose-patterned-burgundy velvet—pretty but cool at the same time. The jeans are beginning to rival Rapsodia's at the top of the most-wanted list.

Bensimon (www.bensimon.com.ar). Imagine the lovechild of Paul Smith and Laura Ashley—Bensimon is it. It's the first local menswear brand to prove that even macho porteños can wear pink, and its retro-print tees and floral shirts have become some of the most-imitated items on the market. Add to this the brand's jeans and its thinned-down Scandinavian-look sweaters and corduroy jackets, and you have the place David Beckham would shop were he on a budget. Bright turquoise walls with hand-painted cherry blossoms offset heavy mahogany-look cabinets whose open drawers are filled with stripy socks and colorful boxers that just ache to be taken home.

Caro Cuore (www.carocuore.com.ar). Argentina's favorite underwear brand does cute cotton panty and bra sets in bright colors as well as sexier fare. Although the stuff sold here is fun for flopping on the couch or spending the day in bed, don't come looking for support, be it structural or from the sales staff. Assistants look on unsympathetic to the fact that the bras have no cup size and the Calvin-clone men's boxers have a very limited size range.

Giesso (www.giesso.com.ar). A classic gents' tailor for nearly a century, Giesso is now pulling a Thomas Pink by adding jewel-colored ties and shirts to its range of timeless suits. Plain and pin-striped button downs are still on offer, though, as are cufflinks. A new women's-wear line includes sober suits and cashmere overcoats.

Kosiuko (www.kosiuko.com.ar). Branches of Kosiuko, the ultimate local teen brand, are always packed with trendy adolescents served by hip-wiggling staff not much older than they are. The girls come for the improbably small, low-cut pants, the guys for budding metrosexual-wear. Kosiuko's fragrances and deodorant are a favorite with the population's most-perspiring age-group.

Ona Saez (www.onasaez.com). The ultra-fitted jeans at Ona Saez are designed to be worn with sky-high heels and slinky tops for a sexy night out. The menswear is equally slick, mixing dressed-down denim with cool cotton shirts and tees.

Paula Cahen d'Anvers (www.paulacahendanvers.com.ar). This store's founder hails from a local dynasty and her choice of logo—a little embroidered crown—lets you know that that her clothes are for urban princesses. Her take on preppy is tongue-in-cheek, mixing blazers and straight-leg pants with puffed-sleeve shirts and ties, or floral tees. The candy-striped onesies and bright corduroy dresses of the kids' line, teamed with patent Mary Janes, are enough to make even the biggest girls' hearts melt.

Portsaid (www.portsaid.com.ar). Professional women who want a feminine touch to their work clothes shop at Portsaid, where satin-ribbon ties and discreet beadwork soften otherwise practical garments. Simply-cut suits and twin-sets come in colors like baby pink and aqua to make you stand out in a drab office; woolen winter coats are always a bargain both in terms of quality and style, be they classic cuts or fuller '60s-influenced designs.

Prüne (www.prune.com.ar). It's definitely favored by smart working chicks. Prüne does handbags that are chic but practical, with thoughtful compartments and enough room for all your bits 'n' bobs. Colors tend to be rich and dark and leathers are ultra-supple. Details like steel rings linking bags to straps lend urban touches. Leather jackets, belts, and shoes are also on offer.

Rapsodia (www.rapsodia.com.ar). The most sought-after jeans in town come from Rapsodia—look for the ocher wing design on local girls' back pockets. The shop is also the temple of Buenos Aires' boho princesses, who can't get enough of owner and model Sol Acuña's floaty, embroidered Indian tops. She's also a big Stones fan, as many of the thin rock-print T-shirts testify.