kleroux

Can anyone suggest a good place to purchase leather goods in Argentina..or rather B.A.? Did you have things custom made, or buy off the rack? How do prices, styles and quality compare with the US leather?

maryanntex

There are tons of places to purchase leather goods in Buenos Aires. You can have things custom made, or you can buy them off the rack. What is your definition of "good place"? Inexpensive? Good value? Expensive but good quality? What in particular are you looking for? Purses, jackets, shoes, belts, briefcases? Specifics, please.

drdawggy

leather jackets.Fashion-Uru Recoleta will tailor a coat for you for between 150-450, depending on the style and leather.

Trendy--go to the designer shops in Palermo Soho. Prices are comparable to Uru.

For less expensive options go to Murrillo street (near Scalabrini Ortiz) where you will find the "leather district" with dozens of shops in a two or three block radius.

For handbags...Prune and Skin offer mainstream bags at good prices. Again, check the designer shops in Palermo Soho for more expensive and trendy alternatives. A couple of shops in upscale malls are also worth checking--Patio Bullrich in particular.

For shoes--Lopez Taibo makes great shoes for men...several branches around town..including on Corrientes (downtown) and in Recoleta. Expect to pay slightly more than US 100 for a well made pair of shoes, comporable to say,...Johnston and Murphy in the US.

kleroux

Thanks for these replies. I guess my definition is a great price for something compared to what I'd have to pay in the US for something similar. I"ll be looking for something for myself,(purse, jacket?) and something for gifts, wallets and smaller things.

maryanntex

My friends and I did a lot of shopping when we were in Buenos Aires, and I'd that the prices there were definitely fair, and for the most part somewhat less than you'd pay in the U.S. We didn't find any great buys like we find in the U.S. when TJ Maxx gets in their top-of-line-line Italian purses. The prices at Prune, for instance, were a little better and the quality better than what you'd find at a comparable store in the U.S.

What we liked is that the items we bought were not like anything anyone else was going to have (unless they'd been to BsAs, too!) and that they were a great reminder of our trip.

A very tall friend got a jacket custom made at a store on Florida (some of the stores on Florida are good; some are not so good; you just have to look around)and it looks fabulous.

I got what I thought was a too-expensive jacket at Frenkel's and have worn it a zillion times and always get compliments, so I guess that per wearing and per compliment, it wasn't that expensive.

Here are the places my friends and I liked: Casa Lopez, Frenkel's, Prune, Welcome. You can google them to find the addresses. They are all fairly mainstream. Casa Lopez had lots of wallets and coin purses. Welcome had great briefcases and portfolios that are still being used daily two years later. These stores are not cheap--Prune is more reasonable and trendy than the rest.

I got great leather shoes at Sybil Vane in Petio Bullrich. Also, lots of cute stores in Palermo have leather goods. Also, there were some good leather stores in San Telmo. Just look around. They're everywhere!

LarryRGV

If you happen to be around Calle Florida, there is a great leather store just off of the Avenue. Sorry don't remember the name, but it is worth looking for in my opinion. At the foot of Florida is the Plaza Marriott. Go out the front door of hotel and turn left and then left again right away onto the street adjoining the Marriott. Cross to the other side of the street and in the middle of the block is the leather shop. I think right next door is, or was, a very nice wine shop where I mostly hung out while DW was shopping. Anyway, she bought leather coats off the rack for daughter and daughter in law. Both of whom are petite and the coats fit them great. DW, who is somewhat larger (how's that for tact?) had a coat custom made for herself which, when delivered, fit perfectly. The owner took the coat with her when she went to Florida and mailed it to us from there. I was in the retail clothing business for over 30 years and sold a lot of leather coats in my lifetime. The selection, prices and quality of the coats in this shop were excellent. They also had leather accessories.

kleroux

Dear Larry RGV......now if someone else can remember the name I'm in business!! Any chance there is a label in any of the things you bought? It sounds like the place to shop. Thanks.

owlwoman

I know the store too, I bought two really nice silk sweaters there, the store has a woman's name, I remember that much. They have a factory, will make coats to order. It's right around the corner from the Marriott. Wonderful assistance.

LarryRGV

OK, kleroux, I did what any smart man would do, I asked my wife. And, of course, like the professional shopper she is she has some info for you.

The owner's name(Great lady by the way)is Sylvia Chocron. We think her email is [email protected]

and we think the store name if Sylvia and Mario's. Maybe this will jog Owl's memory to see if she agrees with the info.

But worst case it is extremely easy to locate. Good luck.

Luisah

I will be in B.A. in mid-March and, of course, will be shopping, so am following this thread.

All the shops mentioned sound interesting and I agree with maryanntex that it's hard to beat the prices on the top-of-line Italian leather purses at TJ Maxx. However,I hope to find something that I can't find at TJ's or anywhere else here, so I'll be looking for design and color.

What about silver jewelry? Any bargains? Unusual design?

Thanks. I'm excited about seeing Buenos Aries and shopping!

tengohambre

About two months ago a good friend of mine was in BA and bought two coats at Sylvia & Mario. It was at the tail end of her trip and, with her being on the large size, they had to make the coats custom. She was very happy with the prices and designs she was shown. She said the salespeople were very accomodating. They told her the coats would ship in a about ten days time.

In any event, the coats took about over a month to arrive (after a couple of emails inquiring about the delay) and they weren't what she expected. They were overly large ("swimming on me" was her expression), with sleeves way too long and she thought the leather seemed a bit different, though she couldn't be sure. When she emailed the store telling them these things they couldn't be more apologetic or more accomodating, suggesting she send the coats back for alterations, etc. They really wanted to do whatever they could to make the coats right. However, she thought it was not worth the time/effort to follow through with that approach that so she will fix them here. Her concern was that they didn't arrive as they should have in the first instance.

Notwithstanding this story, she says the store has good merchandise (she has made shoes in the past so knows leather) and fair prices and would likely shop there again, perhaps. Yet, if you aren't taking the items with you you may want to be extra careful about final fit and the like.

maryanntex

Luisa, I got some really pretty bangle bracelets with zodiac signs for my daughter, daughter-in-law, and myself at Antonio Belgiorno on Avenida Santa Fe 1347 http://www.antoniobelgiorno.com/. Not inexpensive, but I wear mine all the time. They have some unusual things--fun to look even if you don't buy.

There were neat earrings with flat glass square beads being sold for $4 or $5--maybe less--at a booth at the Sunday flea market at San Telmo. This was not in the square where all the antiques/used merchandise is, but on the way in where they sell knitted goods, paintings, etc. There are a number of street fairs on the weekends that sell things like this, but this is the only one in BsAs that we went to.

owlwoman

Yes, that is the store, Sylvia & Mario, I knew there was a woman's name in there somewhere.

Luisah, I really liked Prune for handbags (bought 4 of them), I still use one of them as my every day bag (black of course). They are in every mall in BA.

Have a great trip....I'm ready to go back myself!

StanKase

For those familar with Andrew Marc's top of the line bomber jackets that have an MSRP of $750-$800 in the US how much would an off the rack equal quality with some destinctive design in a mens jacket be in BA and where. I would take it home and not ship. To save 20% it is not worth doing.
Your experience, please.

Luisah

Thanks all. This is exciting, I'm getting a lot of good information.

Maryann, I looked at the web site and really like the silver and wood pieces -- very unusual. I'm looking forward to seeing more at the shop.

The earrings sound like nice, and inexpensive gifts. Someone on another thread wrote that she'd bought braided leather with silver bracelets at a reasonable price -- another gift option.

Thanks again.

drdawggy

My wife purchased a lambskin jacket from Mary Guerberg, a designer with a shop in Palermo Soho. She paid just under US 200. I priced a jacket similar to the one I have linked for $225. These prices were late last year....so they might be higher by now...but still appear about 50% less than the non-sale price at Saks for an Andrew Marc jacket....Guerberg is a designer who only makes one jacket in each size for each of her designs...so you will wind up with a distinctive jacket.

http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/...&ev19=1:13

kleroux

I just checked the Andrew Marc picture from Saks and I sure wouldn't spend that kind of money for that jacket. I thought it was ugly. I"m looking forward to the styles in Argentina. The information about Sylvia and Mario and the Antonio Belgiorno were great. Thanks..

Orlando_Vic

This is a pretty good discussion of where to buy leather goods <http://tinyurl.com/33vqqk>.

ecp222

great info. Thanks

jodicook

We just got back from BA. I would skip Murillo Street ... honestly, the leather wasn't that great and it's all the same. There are some VERY nice stores on Florida, but as per posts here, you just have to wander through them and see which ones have good quality vs. others. Casa Lopez is amazing although the prices are higher than many others in BA. I also agree with the Palermo posts ... Dune was an amazing store - I went there too late (had already bought 2 other coats) so didn't buy another but I wish I would have went there first as they were the BEST out of any that I saw in BA. Really unique and amazing quality. The good thing about Palermo is they have maps in every store of all the stores ... they update it pretty frequently - so you can walk into any store there and grab one and it will give you a sense of the best shopping areas.