Buenos Aires is a sophisticated city where visitors look for classy souvenirs. Among the top buys are leather items, mate sets (the national drink), and silver jewelry.
According to London Image Institute, you can save time navigating through the city with a personal shopping guide who can curate a set of perfect venues according to your interests and budget. Gloria loves Buenos Aires and has dedicated her career to helping travelers see it through the eyes of a cultivated local.
Ask for a Shopping Tour Service
A local guide is the best person to take you to Buenos Aires’ fashion shops and showrooms. You can find designer clothes, accessories, and other Argentine merchandise for sale in these places. This tour is an excellent way to avoid tourist traps and get a taste of the city’s shopping scene.
Argentines love to shop for shoes, handbags, and leather goods. In fact, the country is one of the world’s largest consumers and producers of leather goods. Many of the best quality bags you’ll find in the city are made here. These bags rival those from fashion’s biggest luxury brands but cost only a fraction of the price.
In addition to leather goods, Buenos Aires offers an array of designer clothing and accessories. Many of the major international brands have outlets in the city. The best places to find these outlets are around Villa Crespo and Aguirre Street. The most popular stores include Nike, Christian Dior, Lacoste, and Puma.
Other stores worth visiting stores include Kosiuko, 47 Street, and Como Quieres Que Te Quiera. In some cases, a personal shopper will be able to provide you with special deals or discounts. They will also be able to find you items that are hard to find in a typical store.
Buenos Aires is a diverse and vibrant city with plenty to see and do. From the historic neighborhoods of San Telmo and La Boca to the revamped dock area, you’ll find everything from trendy nightclubs to fusion restaurants. The city is also home to a variety of museums and exhibitions. However, keeping safety in mind is important, especially when visiting the more edgy areas. There have been reports of robberies in these neighborhoods, so staying safe and sticking to the main streets is important. Use radio taxis from a central location or an app like Uber to avoid being scammed by unlicensed drivers. Investing in a local guide is the best way to ensure you’ll have a safe and memorable trip.
Look for a Personal Shopper
Be it for a bespoke leather jacket or the edgy, au courant designs that willowy portenas (Buenos Aires residents) wear so well, tourists tend to arrive in Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital with plenty of room in their luggage for purchases. But if you’re looking to avoid tripping over a language barrier or simply want to skip the stress and hassle, consider hiring a personal shopper in advance.
Companies such as Creme de la Creme offer bespoke shopping tours and styling services, led by Vanessa Bell, who has combined her London fashion industry experience with Argentine cultural insight to create a unique service that caters to the needs of visitors to Buenos Aires. She also counts some of the city’s top designers among her friends and clients.
Unlike in the West, where large malls have replaced traditional street-side shops, Argentina’s major shopping districts have a local feel and are often dominated by the same types of stalls selling tango CDs, cheap electronics, and knock-off soccer jerseys. However, some of the more interesting options include the so-called leather district, Villa Crespo; Murillo Street in Palermo; and the artisan markets in the working-class barrio of Mataderos.
The shopping scene in Buenos Aires is also notable for its emphasis on women’s clothing and accessories, including shoes and handbags. This is evident in the local fashion, which blends classic Argentine style with trends from around the world. As a result, it’s easy to find pieces that will blend seamlessly with your wardrobe at home.
For winter, which lasts from June to August, our advisers recommend packing warm and comfortable clothes, such as thick leggings and classic jeans, long-sleeve shirts or tunics, and jackets and sweaters for layering. Accessorize with a pair of leather gloves and a stylish scarf.
Nous Etudions offers unisex, vegan collections in vibrant monochrome colors such as lemon yellow and cotton candy pink for the more stylish and fashionable shoppers. Other brands to look out for include Ylang Ylang, which does eco-friendly and sustainable collections in a variety of shapes and sizes, and Norma, which offers feminine silhouettes in lace, silk, and linen.
Look for a Shopping Guide
Buenos Aires is one of the more sophisticated shopping cities in Latin America. There is a huge amount of choice, and the quality can be excellent, especially with leather goods such as shoes, bags, jackets, etc. Mate sets (Argentina’s national drink) make good gifts, as do silver jewelry, wines, and tins of dulce de leche. Local designers for clothing are also popular purchases in Buenos Aires, as are fine woven rugs and tapestries.
The fashionable barrio of Palermo is a great place to look for boutiques and independent brands. You’ll find everything from high-end to more affordable fashion and accessories in shops dotted around the neighborhood. In particular, the streets surrounding Plaza Armenia and Plaza Serrano are lined with stylish boutiques offering a mix of locally designed clothes and major local designer brands.
You’ll find a range of specialist shops selling all sorts of products in the city, including tango-themed merchandise and hats inspired by gaucho culture. There are even stores selling vintage Argentine football shirts for Boca Juniors and the national team. Rossi & Caruso, on Aguirre Street in Villa Crespo, is a top spot for horse lovers looking for saddles and tack, but the shop attracts non-equestrians too, thanks to the high-quality craftsmanship and reasonable prices.
Another top tip is to seek out the ‘ferias’ (markets) in local neighborhoods – these are places where people sell their used goods at bargain prices. Often, you’ll find books and other second-hand items, but there are also leather goods, furniture, antiques, and so much more on sale in these markets.
In addition to the ferias, many large malls in Buenos Aires offer some good value shopping options. The Galerias Pacifico in the beaux arts building on Calle Florida has a fantastic selection of galleries, and you can get some decent bargains at its food court restaurants and on clothing and shoe brands at its outlets.
You should be aware that IVA, the equivalent of VAT, is added to all items in Argentina, although foreign visitors are eligible for a rebate on their purchase when they leave the country. To claim the rebate, you must present a copy of your receipt to customs on departure.
Look for a Shopping Tour
If you want to improve your Buenos Aires shopping experience, hire a local expert to show you around. With a personalized shopping tour, you can visit boutiques, hidden showrooms, and artisan workshops to find what’s on your wish list. Whether you’re looking for leather, souvenirs, or the latest fashion items from Buenos Aires up and coming designers, your guide will customize a tour to suit your interests.
While it’s easy to pick up your own clothes and accessories in Buenos Aires, there’s nothing quite like getting the insider scoop from a local. A personal shopper can save you time and money by showing you the best places to shop and letting you know which stores to avoid. Plus, they can help you find the perfect size and fit so you can feel confident that your purchases will be a good investment.
For example, Sophie Lloyd, a fellow Brit who runs the boutique personal shopping company Shop Hop B.A, specializes in fashion. She honed her style knowledge in Shanghai, where she was a stylist, and now offers bespoke Buenos Aires tours to visitors looking for more help with their style.
She also has a knack for finding the best deals. Her advice: “Avoid malls unless you’re looking for a designer bargain at a major store.” Instead, she’ll take you to the Argentine equivalent of the Bon Marche — Galerias Pacifico —in downtown Buenos Aires to check out high-end boutiques.
Besides snagging great deals on designer goods, you can also get a taste of the local culture by visiting a working-class market in Mataderos. Here, stallholders sell everything from mate to ponchos and cow horn-handled knives. And gauchos (Argentine cowboys) often perform for the crowds.
Natalie Schreyer’s The Buenos Aires Shop Girl blog is another key resource for shoppers. The California native, who moved to Buenos Aires three years ago, regularly features showroom shops and their designers on her site. She’s well-connected with other Buenos Aires shoppers offering luxury shopping services and is happy to put you in touch.
