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Joseph Debach
Here you'll find shoes with teeth and tongues, covered in cartoon collage, or with abacus and wheel heels. Created by Libyan designer Joseph DeBach, they're not necessarily that wearable, but they are works of art. They would look great on the mantelpiece: file under weird and wonderful.
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Josephine De Huertas & Co
For strappy heels and wow-factor floaty dresses, try this elegant boutique. It stocks Italian designers, including Missoni and Alberta Ferretti, and international designers from Paul & Joe to Anya Hindmarch. There's another store around the corner at Via di Parione 19.
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La Cicogna
Dress your little darlings in designer togs - DKNY, D&G, Missoni and so on - and hang the expense. Let's just hope they don't like puddles and mud. There's a second branch at Via Cola di Rienzo 268 (06 689 65 57).
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La Perla
Give your life an injection of va va voom with lingerie from La Perla, Italy's most famous lingerie brand. Luxurious lace-trimmed silk bras, negligees that you'll want to dive into and stiletto-heeled fluffy slippers - it's time to indulge your inner movie star.
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Le Gallinelle
With a tiled floor and marble counter, this well-known boutique used to be a butcher's shop. The only reminders are the hooks onto which the new and vintage women's clothes are hung, all cool, retro and stylish.
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Lei
Lei is the place for girls who like a bit of high-class frivolity at not-too-outrageous prices. The racks are filled with pretty party frocks, unusual tops and T-shirts, and there are delicious-looking shoes from brands as diverse as Camper and Katherine Hamnett. There's another branch at Via Nazionale 88 (06 482 17 00).
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Loco
Shoe fetishists should hotfoot it to Loco. More a trendsetter than fashion follower, it's small but big in attitude, with an interesting mix of original shoes by international and Italian designers.
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Luisella Mariotti
With semiprecious stones, crystals, glass and nickel-free metals, Luisella Mariotti creates spidery, out-of-this-world jewellery. Original pieces at reasonable prices abound in her backstreet shop.
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Maga Morgana
Maga Morgana, an independent boutique, stocks a mix of brightly coloured knitwear, woollen wraps, Minnie Mouse shoes and flimsy frocks. Some are Luciana Iannace's own designs; other items are sourced from Paris, Florence and elsewhere. Head down the road to Via del Governo Vecchio 98 (06 687 80 95) for silk and wedding dresses.
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Max & Co
Rome's young dandies, for whom clothes shopping is a serious business, come to Max & Co for MaxMara's funkier youth range. That means top-quality threads at not-quite-designer prices.
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Maxmara
Italians adore MaxMara - one of the country's most ubiquitous labels - for its classic, elegant style, ideal for creating the bella figura . There's nothing brash or brassy here: colours are neutral and simple, cuts superb and elegant, and fabrics luxurious. Branches include Via dei Condotti 17 (06 692 21 04) and Via Nazionale 28 (06 488 58 70).
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Misty Beethoven
Kinky gets slinky at this glossy-glam boudoir, designed entirely by the owner. Under a sexy chandelier made of black biros, stylish mistresses shop for Vivienne Westwood shoes and bags, Agent Provocateur perfumes, coquette corsets, scented candles and, if the mood takes them, naughty designer dildos.
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Original Fans Lazio Sportswear
Ever since Lazio won Serie A in 2000, Rome's first (or second, depending on your allegiances) football team has done little except negotiate with banks to stave off financial disaster, at the expense of on-pitch success. Fans can show their support by buying shirts, scarves, hats and tickets here.
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Outlet Gente
If your credit card doesn't cut it at the main Gente store, try your luck in its basement outlet, where anything from Prada loafers to Chloe threads are subject to democratic mark-downs of up to 50%.
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Posto Italiano
Posto Italiano provides a showcase for a number of emerging Italian designers while also stocking more established brands. Sexy, feline sandals share shelf space with coloured clogs and Clarks desert boots.
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Scala Quattorodici
You could easily walk past this low-key façade. But pause and peer and you will see some exquisite, hand-stitched off-the-peg and tailor-made outfits. It's ideal for the woman who wants timeless elegance (think Jean Seberg and Audrey Hepburn) that's still a little unusual.
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Sciù Scià
Not much bigger than the shoe boxes cluttering its interior, Sciù Scià sells its own range of handmade ladies' shoes and multicoloured suede bags. The vibe is sensible yet chic, ranging from classic pumps to comfortable sandals.
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Sisters
Interior-design emporium Sisters is as much a gallery as a shop, with marble busts juxtaposed against black-and-white chess-patterned sofas. Think Andy Warhol meets Gian Lorenzo Bernini and you'll get the picture. And the price.
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Super
Lauded by French Vogue and Japanese Elle, minimalist, unisex Super ditches big-name bores for hard-to-find threads from Italian innovators February and Mario's, and progressive foreigners such as London's Poetic Licence and Anglo-French label April 77. The retro furniture's for sale, as is the cool collection of quirky designer novelties.
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Suzuganaru
Suzuganaru's men's and women's boutiques sit side by side, selling quirky, individual clothes you won't find anywhere else. Some of the women's clothes are made in the shop, and there are little dresses in unusual prints, light-as-air chiffon pieces, and accessories such as bright lacquer bangles. Next door the men's clothes are lower key but equally hip.
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Tartarughe
Ask a stylish Roman woman where she got her classic-yet-individual outfit and she may well point you in Tartarughe's direction. This small boutique sells grown-up clothes that are just frivolous enough to make them interesting. Designer Susanna Liso's outfits are ideal for a special occasion, with tops that are whispers of chiffon, multicoloured dresses and strikingly cut jackets.
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Tina Sondergaard
Sublimely cut and whimsically retro-esque, these handmade threads are a hit with female fashion cognoscenti, including Italian rock star Carmen Consoli and the city's theatre and TV crowd. Each piece is a limited edition and new creations hit the racks every week.
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Tod's
Tod's trademark is its rubber-studded loafers (the idea was to reduce those pesky driving scuffs), perfect weekend footwear for chilling at your country estate. This flagship store is a temple of top-of-the-range casual shoes and expensive leather accessories.
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Valentino
King of Roman fashion, Valentino made his name dressing names like Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn and reached his peak in the 70s. Here you'll find his slightly more affordable range, aimed at a younger market than his couture collections - the latter, featuring superb evening gowns, have always been inaccessible to all but the most wealthy customers.
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Vestiti Usati Cinzia
Cinzia remains one of the best vintage shops on this street. Jackets (in leather, denim, corduroy and linen), slouchy boots, screen-printed T-shirts, vintage skirts and suede coats crowd the walls.
