29 Best Shopping in Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Local design hero Celedonio Lohidoy has created pieces—often with frothy bunches of natural pearls—for Kenzo and Emanuel Ungaro and his work has even been slung around Sarah Jessica Parker's neck on Sex in the City. He favors irregular semiprecious stones, set in asymmetrical, organic-looking designs such as butterflies and daisies. 

This three-story Recoleta town house sells chaps and bridles alongside asado steak knives, maté gourds, and silver jewelry. Racks stuffed with boots begging to be scuffed up gleam temptingly at the back of the shop, and if you find the supple canvas and leather sports bags too conventional, check out such novelties as leather rifle cases. Price tags are sky high, but the quality is superlative.

Pine floors, pine walls, pine cabinets: it's all very country at Cardon, where you can get the estancia look at reasonable high-street prices. The horsey set comes here for no-nonsense sheepskin jackets and riding boots. Cowboy hats and other traditional gaucho-style leather items from the talabartería line make great gifts.

For foxier-than-thou footwear that's kicking up storms on milonga floors worldwide, head to Comme Il Faut; dedicated dancers love its combination of top-notch quality and gorgeous, show-stopping colors like teal or plum, usually with metallic trims. Animal-print suede, fake snakeskin, and glittering ruby take-me-home-to-Kansas numbers are some of the wilder options.

An imposing theater dating from 1919 provides a fabulous backdrop for this bookshop. The former foyer holds a small selection of CDs and DVDs; the orchestra seating area has art books and fiction (including some English works); specialist subjects are arrayed in the circle; and you pay at the box office. Argentine cookbooks, illustrated gaucho classics, and coffee-table tomes are some of the weighty souvenirs. There are similar offerings at the less dramatic store on Florida.

This small boutique has enough accessories to make the rest of your outfit a mere formality. Berry-size beads go into chunky but affordable necklaces, which take flora and fauna as their inspiration, while all manner of handbags line the back wall. Need a royal seal of approval? Argentina-born Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has been photographed wearing their fun, oversize earrings.

It makes perfect scents to visit Fueguia's perfume and candle-making laboratory to create your own eau de. Named after the nine-year-old native Patagonian girl who was abducted by HMS Beagle captain Robert FitzRoy, Fueguia has more than 100 fragrances to choose from, including Uruguayan jasmines, Tucumán lemons, and Neuquén roses.

This small handicraft shop is run by a non-profit organization that trades fairly with more than two-dozen indigenous communities in Argentina. The shop smells like the aromatic palo santo wood used to make the trays, platters, cutting boards, and hair combs they carry. Other offerings include carnival masks, handwoven textiles, beaten tin ornaments, and alpaca jewelry. Prices, though higher than in markets, are reasonable; quality is excellent (hence the name, meaning "the best" in the Wichi Indian language); and you know your money is going to the artisans. There's also a store in Belgrano at Vuelta de Obligado 1933.

This is a preferred address for skaters, clubbers, and alternative-minded teens. The stores downstairs sell club wear, punky T-shirts, and band pins, while those on the top floor have slightly classier offerings from local designers who aren't big enough to set up in Palermo. If you're in the mood for a tattoo, you can take your pick from a large selection of ground-floor studios.

Vintage vultures should swing by Galería Quinta Avenida, which has a host of dusty boutiques ideal for a few hours of rack-roaming. There's a particularly good selection of leather jackets, as well as accessories like specs from the 1950s and '60s. Keep an eye out for irregular ferias americanas, impromptu flea market sales.

Savvy staff, some trained as sommeliers, will guide you through Grand Cru's peerless selection; the vast range is dominated by high-end wines from small wineries.

In Argentina loafers mean Guido, whose retro-looking logo has been the hallmark of quality footwear since 1952. Try on timeless handmade Oxfords and wing tips; there are also fun items like a tomato-red handbag or a cow-skin tote. Accessories include simple belts and suede wallets.

Model-turned-designer Dolores Barreiro provides a fresh take on tribal prints by injecting them with bold colors. Acid oranges and yellows fuse comfortably with turquoise and lavender: the result is a fun collection of Indian- and African-inspired beach frocks, wraps, and skirts.

Previously known for innovative, beautifully designed necklaces and rings, Homero has taken a new turn by adding heirloom pieces to its selection: choose from jewels (including complete sets), watches, and other unique items—each with its own story.

Branches of Kosiuko, the ultimate local teen brand, are always packed with trendy adolescents served by hip-wiggling staff not much older than they are. The girls come for the improbably small, low-cut denim, the guys for budding metrosexual-wear under the Herencia brand. Kosiuko's fragrances and deodorant are a favorite with the population's most perspiring age group.

Ligier has a string of wine stores across the city and lots of experience guiding bewildered drinkers through their impressive selection. Although they stock some boutique-vineyard wines, they mostly carry big names such as Rutini, Catena Zapata, and Luigi Bosca, as well as more modest mass-produced wines.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Bored of drab utility-wear? Rethink has, well, rethought the issue. Grown-up skaters and sophisticated rockers love its well-made jeans, hoodies, and tees. Simple in cut, they come alive with graffiti-inspired designs, which spill over onto the shop walls.

It may be easy to pass by this unprepossessing Recoleta shop, but there's no way Fabián Zitta's evening dresses could go unnoticed. Local starlets love his bold designs, notable for their volume: picture balloon skirts, puffball sleeves, or organic-looking ruffled tubes snaking over severely tight bodices. Each collection includes black, white, and one other (usually blinding) color. Brides-to-be must give his wedding collection a whirl.