26 Best Shopping in New Orleans, Louisiana

Mignon Faget is the most famous jewelry designer in New Orleans, and her upscale sterling-silver and 14k-gold collections reflect her love and fascination with botany, nature, architecture, and the city's culture. Elements of bamboo, fleurs-de-lis, honey bees, red beans, and iron balconies have all been inspirations. Faget studied sculpture at Newcomb College at Tulane University and started out as a fashion designer in 1969, but she quickly gave up clothing to focus exclusively on jewelry. Her work has been featured in museums and shops around the world, but her biggest fan club remains right here in New Orleans, where her pieces are instantly recognized. In addition to her boutique on Magazine Street, she has a gallery at the Shops at Canal Place.

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum documents and celebrates Southern culinary heritage, so its gift shop, of course, carries some of the best cookbooks from the South. It also has food-related and New Orleans–centric gifts, cooking utensils, and vintage and modern cocktail tools and manuals.

This upscale women's clothing store provides on-trend apparel, shoes, and accessories from contemporary labels such as Diane von Furstenburg, Halston Heritage, Vince, Red Valentino, and Alice & Olivia.

This dreamy cottage of French and English delights has richly scented soaps, vintage and new linens, antique enamelware, collectible plates, and decorative accessories.

The ladies here are focused on ridding the world of sagging bra straps and overflowing cups. With a sharp eye for measurement, the staff specialize in finding the right fit, whether it's something for work or for a more romantic occasion. The store also carries sleepwear and gifts. Next door, at 5515 Magazine Street, is Basics Swim and Gym, a fitness and swimwear boutique from the same owners.

Geared toward fashion-forward college students, this store resembles a sorority-house closet jammed with hip, flirty, affordable clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories, ranging from casual to dressy, by brands such as Kensie and Tulle.

This dog boarding facility has a retail shop that stocks an array of gourmet pet food and treats, designer bowls, toys, health products, canine fashions, and doggie-themed home decor.

T-shirts and bumper stickers with the phrase "Be a New Orleanian. Wherever you are" deeply resonated with displaced residents after Hurricane Katrina. Since then, locals leave it to this shop's shirts, stickers, and hats to both satirize ("New Orleans: So far behind, we're ahead") and celebrate local culture in a clever way. The store has a second location at 713 Royal Street, in the French Quarter.

This high-end resale shop supports the local symphony orchestra by selling previously owned designer clothes, from casual to formal wear, as well as shoes, handbags, and jewelry. The shop also sells consignment items.

Silver jewelry adorned with the fleur-de-lis is the main attraction here, but you'll also find items that carry other New Orleans icons such as crowns, masks, hearts, and architectural details. In addition to jewelry, the store sells handbags, handmade paper, glassware, wood and ceramic boxes, batik scarves, ironwork, and more. Another location is at 818 Chartres Street, in the French Quarter.

Racks are filled with a mix of natural fabrics and stylish but comfortable clothing that stay on trend. The combination makes this shop a favorite stop for fashion-conscious mature women as well as college students looking for skirts, jeans, shorts, dresses, blouses, casual shoes, handbags, and jewelry.

Founded by stage and television actor Bryan Batt (he played Salvatore Romano on Mad Men) and his partner, Tom Cianfichi, this jewel box of a shop carries gorgeous home accessories and gifts, including New Orleans–themed toile frames, decorative items, stemware, tableware, accent furniture, frames, and more.

Popular for its diverse range of denim brands—the store carries more than 100 styles of jeans for men and women—this busy shop also offers a small collection of tops, jackets, and accessories, as well as T-shirts emblazoned with New Orleans slogans and local lingo. There's another branch at 2022 Magazine Street.

Unusual European antiques, most from the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, fill this shotgun house; the collection includes many large, very ornate pieces from the Louis XIV and XV eras. The inventory ranges from small decorative bowls and sconces to grand pianos and armoires.

This toy shop, beloved by both children and adults, sells the kind of items you won't find in big-box stores. While they do carry popular toys by LEGO and Playskool, the emphasis is on independent brands. You'll find everything from baby toys to play items for older children to party games for adults. The staff go above and beyond with customer service, and can help with shipping and assembly.

Local and regional blown-glass artists are represented in this Riverbend neighborhood studio, which also carries an eclectic mix of jewelry, pewter, ceramics, lamps, T-shirts, and more.

The building's contemporary architecture stands out, and the attractive layout inside invites customers to leisurely browse a selection with an emphasis on architecture, art, and fiction as well as books of local interest. The store hosts frequent book signings.

Imported porcelain, vases, ceramics, jewelry, and the store's own line of smocked children's clothing are popular gift items. The shop also has a showroom of home furnishings, including accent furniture, lamps, and antique accessories.

The first floor of this venerable New Orleans retail institution is devoted to outfitting men with classic suits (white linen and seersucker are very popular), sportswear, shoes, ties, and accessories, as well as the store's signature crawfish-logo polo shirts. The second floor is filled with dressy, casual, and formal wear for women.

The Italian-leather address books, fancy journals, hand-decorated photo albums, specialty papers, custom stationery, handmade invitations, and high-quality fountain pens sold here are fitting tributes to the art of handwriting. The store also creates gorgeous stationery with New Orleans themes.

Inspired by cheese shops in Europe, the stock here includes massive wheels and wedges of Gruyère, Brie, cheddar, blue, and exotic cheeses from around the globe. Owners Danielle and Richard Sutton pride themselves on the select inventory, which also includes specialty meats and a variety of great foodie gifts, such as cutting boards, preserves, pastas, cutlery, crackers, and more. Sandwiches and salads are served daily, making this a popular, and crowded, spot at lunchtime.

You're as likely to find designer duds by Diane von Furstenberg and Dolce & Gabbana as Ann Taylor and J.Crew on the racks of this upscale consignment store. New consignors come in every day, adding fresh inventory. A second women's store is at 5530 Magazine Street.

Designer Tom Mathis creates custom wedding and engagement rings and other in-house designs and also repairs jewelry. The shop also stocks a variety of contemporary designs by local, national, and international jewelry artists.

Jimmy Choo, Giuseppe Zanotti, Hoss Intropia, and Marni are just a few of the high-end brands available here. The boutique also carries handbags and jewelry.

Although the clothes may be stylish and contemporary, this beloved local boutique's approach is decidedly old-world elegance. Owner Yvonne LaFleur custom designs hats for all occasions, and her store is always infused with the soft scent of her signature perfume line. The romantic fashions here run the gamut from casual dresses and flirty skirts to lingerie, ball gowns, and a whole room filled with bridal dresses in a variety of styles.