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Whether you're looking for a unique handicraft, the latest boutique-vineyard malbec, a one-off pair of rhodochrosite earrings, or jeans no one's got back home, you're bound to leave Buenos Aires with your suitcases full. Argentina’s designers inject their wares with creativity, and innovative items can be found everywhere from elite boutiques to neighborhood street fairs.
If you love the hustle and bustle, elbow your way through the city's outdoor ferias. The array of open-air markets testifies to the fact that locals enjoy stall-trawling as much as visitors do. Crafts—whether traditional or contemporary—often take center stage, with artisans proudly selling their own creations; however, the selection can also include art, antiques, curios, clothing, jewelry, and assorted household goods.
At the other end of the spectrum, this city certainly isn’t lacking in high-end couture. During Fashion Weeks (www.bafweek.com.ar) in February and August, Buenos Aires turns the spotlight on both its world-class designers and its talented up-and-comers. But at any time of year you can swank it up at Patio Bullrich or at posh Recoleta boutiques where the security is as tight as an airport.
Clothing bargains are harder to find than they once were, but that doesn’t mean visitors should pay through the nose. Although haggling isn’t commonplace, do ask for a discount if paying in cash, especially if you decide to snap up leather wrist cuffs for all your cousins at a sidewalk stall. Also look out for the tax refund sticker in many shop windows.
Argentina is cow central, and leather goods—from boots to jackets to polo saddles—are an excellent value. Buenos Aires' well-established antiques trade is also thriving, but modern houseware shops are putting up some fierce competition. On the wine front, many local vintages still aren't exported, so this may be your only chance to try wines from regions other than Mendoza.
It’s not just about retail therapy, either. Part of the Buenos Aires experience can be wandering around and stepping, unexpectedly, into a restored mansion selling silk frocks and vertigo-inducing heels, then taking a break at a bistro or juice bar. People-watching is the name of the game. Known for their good looks, Argentineans like to watch and be watched from the café sidelines.
Acres of skirts, structured wraps with oversize funnel necks, and loads of layers: yes, it's all very Yamamoto. These party clothes maxing out on volume are the result of architect-turned-designer Jazmín Agostini's "building" her garments on mannequins, rather than using patterns (her cutting table is the centerpiece of the Palermo shop).
The recycled rooms of an old town house are the unlikely backdrop for this brand's more exclusive lines. Ultratech women's tees and flexible yoga shoes contrast with riotous floral wallpaper and mauve lace curtains. Paint-striped walls and chicken wire offset swoosh wear for the guys.
Intrigued by the sounds you've heard on your trip? Take some home with you from Notorious, which has a strong selection of local rock, folk, jazz, and tango. Friendly staff will happily make suggestions. The shop is small, but there are plenty of listening stations, so you can try before you buy.
"Listen, mortals": so begins Argentina's national anthem, which this ultrahip music store has taken as its name. You may be mortal, but the staff aren't. They subscribe to the High Fidelity school of service—unless you're Bob Dylan, expect to be abused. Avoid their sneers and turn to the unrivaled selection of local folk, rock nacional, and indie, bursting with Argentine artists no one back home has even heard of, let alone heard.
Despite turning out jeans, retro-print tees, and hoodies that rival those of other local brands, Old Bridge has somehow never hit Buenos Aires' most-wanted list. All the better for you: the quality is as good as the competition but prices are much lower.
Wine lovers come to this independent store and bar for a glass of something cheerful and a bite to eat. English-speaking sommeliers are on hand to help you make sense of the wide selection of Argentine wine sourced from all over the country. They also host tastings with guest winemakers to get you closer to local vintages.
A spacious wine store that also includes a café and patio perfect for sipping your purchase, Pain et Vin is run by a savvy husband and-wife team. This recent addition to the Palermo wine scene takes pride in boutique labels and offers tastings, accompanied by house-baked sourdough.
Making paper funky, piles of handmade sheets and envelopes, leather-bound diaries, and vintage notebooks are arrayed on simple trestle tables. Writing implements range from old-world pens to chunky pencils. The store often showcases work by top engravers and graphic artists, who return the favor by designing covers for sketchbooks.
If you're a serious shopper with only enough time to visit a single mall, make it this one. Resident fashionistas favor Paseo Alcorta for its mix of high-end local chains and boutiques from some of the city's best designers. Trendsetters such as Jazmín Chebar and Allô Martinez make cool clothes for women, while María Cher and Chocolate offer more classic chic; the men can hold their own at Etiqueta Negra and Félix. The international presence is strong, too, with stores like Swarovski, Lacroix, Cacharel, and Zara, as well as the usual sports brands. There's even a personal-shopper service if it all gets too overwhelming. Complimentary hotel transfers, free Wi-Fi, and a classy food hall give you further reasons to drop in.
The city's most upscale mall was once the headquarters for the Bullrich family's meat-auction house, and stone cow heads mounted on pillars still watch over the clientele. A colonnaded front and domed-glass ceiling are further reminders of a past age. Fashion fans can check out international brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Cacharel, Lacoste, and Carolina Herrera; on the local design front, urban leather-ware brand Besha has a shop here, as does Ricky Sarkany (the enfant terrible of Argentine footwear, who sells dangerously pointed stilettos in colors that walk the line between exciting and kitsch). The edgy but elegant menswear brand Etiqueta Negra opened its first store outside the snooty northern suburbs here, and La Martina gives it fierce competition. When the bags begin to weigh you down, stop for cake at Nucha, on the Avenida del Libertador side of the building.
This store's founder hails from a local dynasty and her choice of logo—a little embroidered crown—lets you know 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 stripy sailor tees. The candy-stripe onesies and bright corduroy dresses from the kids' line are enough to make even the biggest girls' hearts melt.
Replicating a private home, this classic two-story edifice is filled with eye-catching items sourced from 80 Argentine designers. Browse among the hand-painted penguin wine jugs and chunky woolen rugs; then wander upstairs to discover one-off jewelry pieces in the boudoir or head out back for a well-deserved coffee on the pretty patio.
The young at heart and their kiddy counterparts can thrill together at the quirky use of animals on Pesqueira's signature pieces, including jumpsuits, bags, purses, and accessories. Don't leave without at least picking up a leather bear-face sling purse.
Classic silver trays, cutlery sets, tea sets, and ice buckets have been favorites on porteño high-society wedding lists for more than 125 years. Department stores worldwide stock Lappas silverware, but why pay export prices?
Tucked into an arcade, this tiny shop is filled with delights for both boho chicks and collectors of singular ethnic jewelry. Complex, chunky necklaces with turquoise, amber, and malachite—all based on original Araucanian (ethnic Argentine) pieces—and Mapuche-style silver earrings and brooches are some of the offerings. Happy customers include Sharon Stone, Pedro Almodóvar, and the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.
Professional women who want work clothes with a feminine touch shop at Portsaid, where satin-ribbon ties and discreet beadwork soften otherwise practical garments. Simply cut suits and twin-sets come in bright pastels to make you stand out in a drab office; woolen winter coats are always a bargain both in terms of quality and style, whether they are classic cuts or fuller '60s-influenced designs.
Among the kitsch offerings at Positivo are button-covered satin handbags, metallic mate vessels, and thermos flasks in enough garish colors to match any outfit.
Trendy design types and bearded literature students frequent this corner store, which shares an entrance with the Miles Discos record shop. Non–Spanish speakers can bridge the language gap with Sin palabras, an illustrated how-to dictionary of Argentine gestures. Quirky gift options include flipbooks like El gol del siglo, depicting Maradona's celebrated goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.
Smart working chicks, busy moms, and older ladies who lunch all adore Prüne's chic yet practical leather bags, with thoughtful compartments and enough room for all your stuff. Colors tend to be rich and dark, while guest collections offer a brighter, quirkier alternative. Details such as studs and steel rings linking bags to straps lend urban touches. Leather jackets, belts, and footwear are also sold at Prüne locations city-wide.
Some of the most-sought-after jeans in town have been purchased in Rapsodia—look for the ocher wing design on local girls' back pockets. Buenos Aires' boho princesses worship this store, as they simply can't get enough of owner and model Sol Acuña's floaty, embroidered Indian tops and hippy-chic dresses.
This modern glass-and-steel construction may be smaller than most of its Buenos Aires counterparts, but it's not lacking in stores. Most classic Argentine high-street brands are represented, including Ayres, A.Y. Not Dead, and Delaostia for women and Key Biscayne for men. There’s also an impressive movie theater on-site. Offering fabulous views of the famous Recoleta Cemetery, the mall breathes added life into an area mainly inhabited by corpses.
Soccer players, soap-opera stars, clubbers: everyone seems to be wearing one of Refans' trademark T-shirts. They come in ultrabright colors, emblazoned with quirky Italian phrases like "siamo fuori" ("we are out," a reference to the FIFA World Cup). Lucas Castromán, a local soccer star himself, is behind the brand. Anoraks, hoodies, jeans, and messenger bags round out the offerings.
This cavernous auction warehouse is crammed with furniture, mirrors, statues, rugs, dinner sets, and even salvaged doors and windows. Scores of chandeliers glitter overhead, and glassware is packed into cabinets along the edges. Some pieces are antique, others are simply old—size them up during the week, then return for the auction. Alternatively, you can make an advance offer which opens bidding in your absence.
Top-quality workmanship and classic cuts are what have been bringing distinguished customers such as King Juan Carlos of Spain to Rossi y Caruso since 1878. This flagship store specializes in riding gear (think Marlborough fox-hunt rather than Marlboro man) but also carries luggage, leather jackets, gloves, and shoes. Should you require a saddle, those sold here are the best in town.
For custom-made, haute-couture tango wear and accessories (including fabulous feather hairpieces), visit the family-run Segunda Generación.
Despite being crammed with furniture, this corner store looks extravagant rather than chaotic. It's probably due to the alluring European collectibles, ranging from terracotta amphoras and gilt-wood church candles to Louis XV–style chairs reupholstered in buttercup-yellow silk.
This spot specializes in funky fabric toys; heavy stitching gives their dolls an appealingly punky look. Crates are filled with an ark-worthy selection of button-eyed calico animals, including some that can be worn as scarves and backpacks. Check out the fun zebras and pigs, too.
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