There are 5 major shopping malls in Buenos Aires, concentrated in the Recoleta/Palermo area (see map below). You will see recognizable stores and brands (Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Nike, The Gap) but most of the stores feature Argentinean brands and designs. There is much overlap in stores from one mall to another, so it’s not likely that you’ll get value from visiting all of them. If there’s a particular store you are looking for, visit the websites I’ve included. They have complete listings of stores, along with links to their sites.
This modern, luxurious mall features international brands – Armani, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior and Ferragamo – as well as top Argentinean designers. Prune is a good choice for high end leather jackets. Trosman offers unique design in women’s clothing. Stop at the Havanna store to stock up on some sweet treats – alfajores and Havannets are our favorites.
This mall, located on one corner of the pedestrian shopping area in Calle Florida, features high end Argentinean stores within its majestic architecture. The fabulous murals give it a classic European feel reason alone to visit this mall For women’s fashion, Paula Cahen D’Anvers store has contemporary, very wearable designs. Rapsodia’s designs are more trendy and boho, for the younger set. Legacy is a very popular men’s brand for casual wear. Try Lopez Taibo for well-crafted, classically designed men’s dress shoes. The popular Blaque store features women’s shoes, leather jackets and handbags. Casa Lopez is another good choice for handbags.
This modern mall had a major renovation last year. Head over to Mimo & Company for clothes for the cool kid in your life. Kill has contemporary designs for the modern woman. Cardon Cosas Nuestras features traditional Argentinean wear with a modern twist – jackets, boots, sweaters and even gaucho pants.
Most of the stores in Paseo Alcorta feature Argentinean labels. Cheeky has cute kid’s clothes. Clara Ibarguren’s designs are fun for every day wear. Etiqueta Negra has high end menswear.
If you’re traveling with kids, head over to Abasto. Between visits to the stores, you can spend some time in the amusement park and the children’s museum. Daniel Hechter offers men’s clothing, described as urban, modern and sophisticated. La Martina has clothing and accessories based on their polo heritage.
Outside the ci
ty center: Unicenter
Another notable mall is Unicenter, located in Martinez. This enormous mall, located in Martinez, encompasses trendy and affordable brands such as Zara and C&A, with some higher end stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Unicenter also houses a 14 screen movie theater, a major department store – Falabella – and a hypermarket –Jumbo.
Born in Argentina, Paula Crerar moved to the United States as a child. She continued to visit Argentinean relatives every year in Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Córdoba and Salta. With the seasons reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, most of her stints in Argentina were spent in Patagonia skiing, and soon her shelf space was filled with ski racing trophies.
She has also lived and traveled extensively in the Caribbean and Latin American countries. Paula is currently a marketing executive in the technology industry and lives in Boston.
