Shopping IN Buenos Aires

Shopping is a must when you're down in Buenos Aires. Amazing clothes are cheap and housewares (rugs, artwork, tchotchkes) are cheap! Men who like colorful, stylish casualwear should check out Felix (Gurruchaga 1670, Palermo Viejo; 54-11 4832-2994; www.felixba.com.ar).

And the entire Palermo Viejo neighborhood is perfect for shopping amid bookstores, fashion joints, designer housewares... There's even a great soapmaker at Sabater Hnos (Gurruchaga 1821, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires; 54-11 4833-3004; www.shnos.com.ar) where a cool brother and sister team make blissful scented soaps that make great gifts back home. They even make little, same-sex gay soaps of boys/girls holding hands. Cute! Travel Tip

Running northward from Plaza San Martín, Av. Santa Fe is the street where the upper and upper-middle classes shop. Christian Dior and Givenchy coexist with Adidas, Nike and Puma.

Av. Corrientes is the best shopping area for books (new and used) and music, especially tango.

The San Telmo neighborhood is ideal for antique shops. The Feria de San Telmo (Dorrego and Humberto Primo) takes place at Plaza Dorrego every weekend throughout the year from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Another outdoor market is Feria de Mataderos (Av. de los Corrales and Lisandro de la Torre; +54-11/4687-5602; www.feriademataderos.com.ar), which is only open on weekends and holidays. Dances, typical dishes and games can be discovered here.

Av. Alvear offers art galleries and international clothes designers' shops: Armani (Av. Alvear 1740), Polo Ralph Lauren (Av. Alvear 1720, Florida St and A v. Córdoba) and Louis Vuitton (Av. Alvear 1751). Most shops are boutique-oriented, specializing in one particular kind of merchandise or designer.

Av. Cabildo is an excellent open-air shopping mall, with about 20 blocks of shops. Other shopping malls are Alto Palermo (Av. Santa F e 3253) and Paseo Alcorta (Salguero 3172). And you cannot miss the most exclusive one: Patio Bullrich (Av. Del Libertador 750).

Unicenter shopping (Av. Panamericana and Martinez; www.unicenter.com.ar) is a pioneer in Martinez, the northern area of Buenos Aires. The southern area, however, has its own shopping malls.

Avellaneda boasts Alto Avellaneda Shopping (Av. Güemes 861; www.altopalermo.com.ar), featuring Village Cinemas and loads of shops.

The traditional tango area of Abasto, birthplace of Carlos Gardel, is home to Abasto de Buenos Aires (Av. Corrientes 3275; +54-11/4959-3576), the biggest in the city, featuring Hoyts General Cinemas. Look for leather goods, furs and funky gaucho gear on Florida Street (by Plaza San Martín); you will find real bargains due to the exchange rate.

Palermo Soho, also known as Palermo Hollywood, is a neighborhood dotted with small, intimate boutiques that offer trendy goods: clothing, accessories, art pieces, lamps, decoration goods, footwear and whatever you can imagine.

Traditional department store Harrods (Florida St. and Av. Córdoba) finally reopened in 2003. Only the ground floor has been renewed, but there is a plan under way to give Harrods back its splendor.

No sports enthusiast will come away empty-handed if she visits the junction of Av. Córdoba and Av. Scalabrini Ortiz, where you'll find more than five blocks of specialist sports shops offering amazingly bargain prices.

There is a new trend for the daring ones who choose their outfit in Galería Larreta (Florida 971 and San Martín 954) or Galería Bond Street (Av. Santa Fe 1670). Both are in the vanguard of clothes and accessories.

In Galería Larreta you will also find shows and art exhibitions and will discover the Diseñadores del bajo, a group of 15 young clothes designers.

Galería Bond Street also offers tattoos, body piercing, eccentric hairstyles, colorful shoes and CD shops, where heavy metal, thrash, house and dance may be heard.

The Palermo Hollywood area is a cool option for new clothes designers. Trosman Churba (Armenia 1998) designs can be bought in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The most famous customer is Björk, who fell in love with Trosman Churba clothes at its store window in New York.

Plaza Serrano (Jorge L. Bores and Honduras), together with its bars and pubs, is the epicenter of this movement: clothes, shoewear, eyewear, accessories and objects such as lamps, furniture, decorative objects and so on.