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Juana de Arco
Since 1998, designer Mariana Cortés has been dazzling Palermo shoppers with colorful, sexy, playful women's underwear and sleepwear, often inspired by traditional Argentine costumes.
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Kellys
This one-stop souvenir shop stocks a wide range of wonderful Argentine crafts - everything from cowhides (they make funky rugs) to handmade Mapucho ponchos and mate (traditional Argentine tea) paraphernalia.
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Khori Wasi
This big high-ceilinged store stocks high quality indigenous arts and crafts - both traditional and contemporary - from across Latin America. Expect to find terracotta figurines, stone statues, and painted ceramics, along with fine hand-woven shawls, rustic ponchos, and colorful embroidered wall hangings.
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La Cave de la Brigada
With over 30,000 bottles on the shelves and cellar-cum-tasting-room downstairs, this brilliant wine shop is the pride of wine connoisseur Hugo (of La Brigada fame) who selects all the wines personally. His favorite is a 1994 Felipe Rutini Cabernet and Merlot blend but try to get that past the door! A bottle of Mora Negra de Finca las Moras 2003, a delicious Malbec and Bonanda blend, makes a fine souvenir.
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Maria Vazquez
Black, grey and white is the only constant in Maria Vazquez' latest collection that spans evening wear (long black gowns with shoestring straps), work gear (tailored grey trouser suits) to streetwear (thigh-length grey hoodies with patterned cut-outs) - something stylish for everyone.
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Materia Urbana
Head upstairs to this sprawling whitewashed gallery-cum-store with wonderful work by over a hundred local artists and designers specializing in contemporary sculpture, ceramics, painting, photography, jewelry, home decor, and design. We especially love Maria Moreno's striking silver necklaces incorporating natural materials such as wood and coral.
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Mercado de San Telmo
Encompassing an entire block, this market was built in 1897 by Argentine architect, Juan Antonio Buschiazzo (who also designed the Recoleta Cemetery). With its wrought-iron interior and glass skylights, it's one of BA's most atmospheric markets. It's also where locals shop for their fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy, and the shopkeepers are real characters. You'll find fascinating stalls selling antiques, bric-a-brac and vintage clothes.
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Moebius
Fifteen local designers sew up colorful, retro-inspired clothing for women and men at this highly affordable San Telmo boutique. The 1950s-style, patched-together skirts bring down the house. Sweaters, stylish T-shirts and kitschy 'pleather' shoulder bags and wallets all make great gifts.
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Nadine Zlotogora
The original, eccentric, and often unisex, fashion of Nadine Zlotogora has an old-world feel to it. Recent romantic collections have featured fitted bodices, long jackets and crushed skirts with lots of layers.
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Nakua
This low-key boutique - so laidback there's a lounge, coffee table and magazines - stocks cool, casual urban wear for guys and girls. The standouts are fab, locally-made T-shirts, such as Belle Mondo's retro printed muscle tees in gelato colors.
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Owoko
Named after the cartoon planet plucked from this clothing creator's head, Owoko sells cute kids' T-shirts, pants and pajamas (ages newborn to nine), all decorated with bug-eyed cartoon characters donning catchy attire to match the season. Your child gets a Planet Owoko story with every purchase.
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Papelera Palermo
This fabulous store specializes in handmade stationery, journals and address books, beautiful postcards and cards, and gorgeous dyed leather goods in a range of bold colors, including desk sets and pencil cases. Best of all are the cow-hide notebooks - they make great souvenirs.
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Paseo Alcorta
One of BA's most upmarket shopping malls, Paseo Alcorta isn't as chaotic or as big as Abasto, but includes many of the same stylish Argentine brands, along with exclusive European designers, leather goods and shoes, kid's shops, a couple of good cafes, a cinema complex, and children's play area.
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Patio Bullrich
Small but swanky, Patio Bullrich is the place where cash-laden porteños (locals) come to drop their dough and drink coffees at one of several swanky on-site cafes. A number of BA's top designers have shops here.
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Prüne
Easily the finest store on Florida, fabulous Prüne is the place to head for chic leather handbags, purses, boots, shoes and jackets. The quality is splendid - just look at that stitching!
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Puntos en el Espacio
Racks of original edgy unisex collections by rising young stars in the local fashion world line the walls of this enormous concrete-floored space. Each range is clearly sign-posted so once you identify your favorites you can watch that space. At the back of the store you'll find funky shoes and accessories.
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Rapsodia
Leave your party clothes at home and stock up here. Cocktail dresses, flowing shirts, sweaters, satiny scarves and Rapsodia's must-have jeans (the ones with the wings embroidered on the butts) are all available at great prices.
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Rossi & Caruso
The leather goods here - knee high riding boots, belts, bags (and even saddles!) - may be more expensive than most stores, but the quality is superb. They also sell gaucho knives and silver mates , both of which make super souvenirs.
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Tango Brujo
True tangophiles should go directly to Tango Brujo which stocks contemporary styles in addition to traditional tango shoes, along with hats, bow-ties and braces, Carlos Gardel CDs, books and posters.
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Tierra Adentro
This beautiful shop is one of our favorites in BA. Working with nonprofit organizations to help preserve indigenous communities throughout South America, Tierra Adentro sells exquisite handcrafted textiles, blankets, wall hangings, cushion covers, fabulous silver jewelry, and furniture upholstered in traditional textiles.
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Tramando
Designer Martín Churba creates some seriously stylish yet playful fashion that's guaranteed to make you look sexy. It's always exciting to see what he's going to do next. His recent collection was a homage to the Bolivian indigenous community with colorful, flowing textured fabrics.
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Uma
Ladies, hold off on blowing your budget until you check out Uma, where leather jackets, shoes and hand bags are all knock-out good looking, versatile and wonderfully wearable to boot! There are also branches in Patio Bullrich and Galerías Pacífico.
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Un Lugar en el Mundo
This gorgeous women's boutique, with a big glass table in the center topped with fabulous fashion accessories and feminine flirty collections on the racks, is best visited during the week if you want to try anything on. There's little room to move weekends when BA's beautiful young things are out in force: they especially love the colorful slinky jersey dresses.
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Winery
Spacious and modern Winery not only stocks an excellent selection of Argentine varietals, but boasts a wine bar so you can taste before you buy. You pay by the glass. The staff is knowledgeable, and there are branches around the city.
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Zival's
This is one of the better music stores in town, especially when it comes to tango, jazz and classical music. Listening stations and a big sale rack are pluses, and they'll ship CDs, DVDs, books and sheet music abroad too.
