Want to SAVE, EMAIL, and PRINT your picks? Sign up for a Purple Passport account to get started.
in New York
-
ABC Carpet & Home
881 and 888 Broadway, nr. E. 19th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
Historic furnishings emporium packed to the rafters with antique and cutting-edge pieces.
-
alice + olivia
80 W. 40th St., nr. Sixth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Flagship of the sophisticated yet flirty line with a slightly retro edge.
-
Anthropologie
375 W. Broadway, nr. Broome St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Hip boutique offering flirty retro fashions and quirky homewares.
-
Apple
767 Fifth Ave., nr. W. 59th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Slick underground 24-hour showroom and store offering interactive displays of high-design gadgets.
-
Azaleas
140 Second Ave., nr. Ninth St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Sunny boutique known for its fun yet feminine pieces.
-
Barneys New York
660 Madison Ave., nr. E. 61st St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
Fashion-forward retailer known for must-see window displays and hot designer duds.
-
Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Ave., nr. W. 58th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
An iconic treasure trove of timeless and forward-looking fashions.
-
Bloomingdale’s
504 Broadway, nr. Broome St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
Historic department store offering a great range of accessible designer pieces.
-
bluemercury
2305 Broadway, nr. W. 83rd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
This small storefront stocks a stellar collection of high-end skincare and beauty brands.
-
Bond No. 9 New York
9 Bond St., nr. Lafayette St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Funky perfume boutique whose signature scents are inspired by the Big Apple itself.
-
Calypso St. Barth
900 Madison Ave., nr. E. 73rd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Sunny boutique offering delicate feminine fashions inspired by the Caribbean.
-
Cartier
653 Fifth Ave., nr. 52nd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Legendary Fifth Avenue flagship of the classic French luxury jewelry brand.
-
Century 21
22 Cortlandt St., nr. Broadway
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
Chaotic department store offering designer fashions at deeply discounted prices.
-
Chanel
15 E. 57th St., nr. Madison Ave
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Striking glass-fronted Manhattan flagship of the haute French fashion house.
-
Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Ave., btwn. W. 15th St. and W. 16th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
19th century cookie factory turned gourmet market.
-
East Village & Lower East Side
East Village & Lower East Side
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
Edgy, multicultural neighborhood that’s packed with funky vintage shops.
-
FAO Schwarz
767 Fifth Ave., nr. E. 58th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
Unleash your inner child at this legendary toy store.
-
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Ave., btwn. 48th St. and 59th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
true
Renowned hub of New York fashion boutiques and department stores.
-
Fisch For The Hip
153 W. 18th St., nr. Seventh Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Upscale consignment shop offering a fantastic selection of pieces by top designers.
-
Flight 001
96 Greenwich Ave., nr. W. 12th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Well-stocked travel boutique that caters to the jet set.
-
FROCK
170 Elizabeth St., nr. Kenmare St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Fab collection of vintage designer pieces from the '60s to the '80s.
-
Henri Bendel
712 Fifth Ave., nr. E. 56th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
The iconic New York shop offers a flirty take on upscale accessories and young labels.
-
Hermès
691 Madison Ave., nr. 62nd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Peruse Hermès’ classic line of leather goods and fine accessories at this plush Madison Avenue flagship.
-
Intermix
98 Prince St., nr. Mercer St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
A fashion-forward boutique for the young and designer-savvy urban fashionista.
-
Jeffrey
449 West 14th St., nr. Tenth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
A fashion heaven for the shopper who craves exclusive, meticulously curated runway designs.
-
Jill Stuart
100 Greene St., nr. Spring St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
The flagship boutique of Jill Stuart’s delicate, vintage-inspired womenswear line.
-
Jimmy Choo
716 Madison Ave. nr. 64th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Stiletto fanatics, prepare to max out your credit cards at this glam boutique.
-
Journelle
3 E. 17th St., nr. Fifth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Upscale lingerie boutique offering whimsical yet wearable pieces.
-
Keiko New York
128 W. 23rd St., nr. Sixth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Famed swimwear designer known for her flattering cuts.
-
La Petite Coquette
51 University Pl., nr. Tenth St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Legendary European-style lingerie shop famous for its expert fitting staff.
-
Louis Vuitton
1 E. 57th St., at Fifth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Glossy, glimmering Fifth Avenue home of the classic Parisian luggage maker.
-
Madison Avenue
Madison Ave. btwn. 57th and 85th Sts.
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
true
One of the world’s most luxurious shopping districts, laden with high-end labels.
-
MALIN+GOETZ
177 Seventh Ave., nr. W. 20th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Hip skincare boutique that pairs cutting-edge hydration technology with earthy naturals.
-
Meatpacking District
Meatpacking District
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
true
Former industrial neighborhood turned hip designer hangout and nightlife destination.
-
Mina
32-A Cooper Sq., nr. E. 5th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Secondhand designer shop stocked with pieces from the celeb-beloved Albright Fashion Library.
-
MoMA Design and Book Store
11 & 44 W. 53rd St., nr. Fifth Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Museum shop-cum-design showroom packed with funky must-have gizmos.
-
Nolita
Nolita
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
This gentrified corner of Little Italy is packed with nifty designer boutiques.
-
Odin New York
199 Lafayette St., nr. Broome St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Handsome menswear boutique vending trendy yet timeless wardrobe staples.
-
Pas de Deux
328 E. 11th St., nr. First Ave.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Hip boutique packed with feminine, fashion-forward pieces.
-
Pixie Market
100 Stanton St., nr. Orchard St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Funky London-grunge boutique known for its eye-catching, fashion-forward pieces.
-
Prada
575 Broadway, nr. Prince St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Funky Koolhaas-designed Prada boutique housed in a former Guggenheim museum building.
-
Printed Matter, Inc.
195 Tenth Ave., nr. W. 22nd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Ultra-funky bookstore-cum-gallery specializing in artists’ publications.
-
Resurrection
217 Mott St., nr. Spring St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Hip vintage boutique that draws celebs and designers with its impeccably curated collections.
-
Saks Fifth Avenue
611 Fifth Ave., nr. W. 49th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Department Stores
true
Elegant designer haven offering the ultimate in luxury retail to New York’s well-heeled elite.
-
Scoop NYC
1273-1277 Third Ave., nr. 73rd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Hip boutique offering an impeccably edited collection of trendy designer fashions.
-
Searle
1124 Madison Ave., nr. 84th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Scoop stylish outerwear at this high-end coat and dress purveyor.
-
SoHo
SoHo
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
19th century industrial district-turned-artsy gallery and boutique haven.
-
Strand Book Store
828 Broadway, nr. E. 12th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Sprawling independent bookstore famed for its “18 miles of books.”
-
The Shoe Box New York
537 Third Ave., nr. 36th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Family-run shoe boutique offering a well-curated selection of designer footwear.
-
Tiffany & Co.
727 Fifth Ave., nr. W. 57th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Upscale jeweler and design house that’s been supplying the upper crust since the 1830s.
-
Tom Binns Megastore
41 Perry St., nr. W. 4th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Tiny West Village boutique packed with Binns’ upscale-punk designs.
-
Town Shop
2273 Broadway, nr. W. 82nd St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Vintage lingerie shop famous for providing NYC’s most fashionable ladies with perfectly fitted brassieres.
-
Vera Wang Bridal Salon
991 Madison Ave., nr. 77th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Brides-to-be book early to come ogle the pretty dresses at this Vera Wang bridal flagship.
-
West Village
West Village
New York
NY
Shop
Markets & Neighborhoods
Once famed for its bohemians and Beatniks, the West Village now boasts a fab selection of chichi boutiques.
-
Zabar’s
2245 Broadway, nr. 80th St.
New York
NY
Shop
Boutiques & Design Shops
Historic gourmet grocer known for its specialty coffees and posh European cookware.
From Bloomingdale's humble "Little Brown Bag" to Tiffany & Co.'s luxe blue bag, New York shopping institutions have turned ordinary paper shopping sacks into status symbols the world over. And it's no wonder: with quaint neighborhoods teeming with tiny boutiques side by side with mammoth department stores and designer flagships, New York's got retail rapture in the bag. Whether you're looking for an elegant gown, gritty pair of jeans, or an avant-garde piece for your home, this fashion and design capital has got you covered–the sheer selection of merchandise crammed onto the small island of Manhattan is mindboggling. Even if hunting through the racks is not your bag, it's worth exploring the city's shopping meccas for the creative window displays and ample people-watching opportunities.
If you want to experience a grab bag of diverse goods, you might want to start in New York's most shopping-friendly neighborhoods. Something-for-everyone Fifth Avenue is a classic New York experience of crowded sidewalks, noisy street vendors, and beautiful architecture. You're equally likely to come away swinging a shopping bag of goodies from high-end designers like Louis Vuitton and Cartier as from trend-on-the-cheap havens like Zara and H&M, to say nothing of a sack from Saks Fifth Avenue. You'll find grown-up tech toys at the 24-hour Apple store and kiddie toys galore at legendary toy purveyor FAO Schwarz. Fifth Avenue's calmer and tonier cousin Madison Avenue is label central, with everyone from international heavy hitters like Hermès and Chanel to casual niche brands like Tom Ford and Oliver Peoples represented. It's a strip where starlets and socialites clutch status-symbol shopping bags in one hand and Valentino handbags in the other.
But if you're looking for edgier offerings, it's worth heading downtown to more eclectic neighborhoods. SoHo, which in the 19th century was a bastion of sweatshops and grimy industrialism, today is more "Prada handbag" than "hell in a handbag." The Rem Koolhaas-designed Prada store is one of the finer examples of forward-looking designer boutiques that line the pretty sett-paved streets. Equal charm can be found in the West Village's crooked lanes, and though the beatnik poets' corners have largely given way to chichi boutiques like Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren, there are still quirky finds in the mix like Three Lives & Company bookstore. Likewise, the countercultural and melting-pot vibes in the East Village & Lower East Side have been diluted with hipster gentrification (the hip handbags here come courtesy of Paris’s Jamin Puech), but the area is still a haven of vintage clothing, vinyl shops, and retro wares like sweets at Economy Candy.
Speaking of sweets...if all this fashion hunting is making you hungry, head to Chelsea Market, where the only accessory you'll need is a canvas shopping bag in which to stash your gourmet loot. Formerly a Nabisco cookie factory, today the space is a mix of artisan food purveyors (like Fat Witch Bakery−a must-stop for brownies) and cooking supply stalls−we've been known to eat our way through.
While these markets and neighborhoods are ideal for a wander, sometimes you just want the all-in-one-place convenience of a department store, and New York is more than happy to oblige in that, well, department. You can surely carry one of the iconic lavender shopping bags from grand dame Bergdorf Goodman with pride−the classic retailer once devoted nine months of secretive late-night meetings to the redesign of its signature sacks. And there are more than enough reasons to stuff them with treasures, from the refined fashions (including crème de la crème designers like Missoni and casual standards like Diane von Furstenberg) to the stellar shoe, handbag, and jewelry selection. The street-cool designers featured at Barneys New York are of both the established (Comme des Garcons, Marni) and up-and-coming (Thakoon, Wayne) varieties. That cutting-edge spirit is reflected in the shopping bags come holiday time, when the historic retailer swaps its signature plain black bags for outlandish designs. To fashionably feather your nest, pay a visit to the "department store" of home design ABC Carpet & Home. No, the plush antique carpets won't fit in a shopping bag, but you can stuff one full of smaller finds like exotic throw pillows, soft Pratesi linens, and handcrafted jewelry from Tibet.
But if these massive temples of retail just put bags of fatigue under your eyes, head to New York's intimate niche boutiques for a more personal touch. Intermix is like a younger, much smaller version of Barneys, with up-to-the-minute labels like Vince and Parker. Also offering an impeccably edited collection of trendy designer fashions is Scoop NYC−the shopping bags here (which change with the seasons) have become a collector's item among urban fashionistas. Similarly, tote bags from the sprawling Strand Book Store are an "it" accessory among the NYC well-read set; with 18 miles of new, used, and rare books on offer, you'll find plenty of good reads with which to fill yours.
If you really just want to indulge your inner girl, though, you can get shamelessly feminine at La Petite Coquette, a European-style lingerie shop where the frilly underthings are expertly fitted by the knowledgeable staff. Go ahead and gawk at the every-girl's-dream peep-toe stilettos at Jimmy Choo (the bags are pretty lust-worthy too). And the cat's out of the bag at Calypso St. Barth, where the flirty, delicate fashions inspired by the Caribbean aren't just for beach-going−many pieces, like the silk wrap dresses, will work year-round.
For a great gift or souvenir, check out cult perfumer Bond No. 9 New York, where the signature fragrances were inspired by the Big Apple itself. Design geeks will go bananas in the MoMA Design and Book Store, a museum gift shop that does double duty as a design showroom. Among all the funky gizmos and high-design gift items, one of our favorite finds is actually quite simple: a set of wooden replicas of NYC landmarks all sold together in one sack. It's called “New York in a Bag”–the ideal souvenir for a gal-about-the-globe who finds it hard to tear herself away from the Big Apple.
Photo of the West Village courtesy of one2c900d on Flickr