Deco-loving designer Marcelo Lucini began his career as a banker and now hires regional artisans to create his famous silver and carved-deer-bone trays, candelabras, photo frames, Champagne buckets, cutlery and more. He has also expanded his collection with new fashion accessories, including leather bags, metal and onyx clutches, gloves in leather with lizard and fur trim and silver and gold jewelry. When you shop for Airedelsur products in BA, you will find a larger range and will pay much less than you would back home at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus or Barneys New York, which also carry the line.

Arandu occupies a three-story townhouse in Recoleta and specializes in all things leather, from stylish and reasonably priced boots to bags, belts and even saddles.

For authentic gaucho bombachas, visit Aux Charpentiers, an old world tailoring shop that’s been around since 1888.

Located just off Calle Florida, Bettina Rizzi has been churning out leather clothing for two decades. Don’t be put off by the bland interior, fluorescent lighting and racks of uninspired ready-made furs, belts and leather goods; the shop’s skilled tailors can custom-make jackets, pants, skirts and blazers in just about any design and color you’d like.

Designer Gustavo Samuelian sells his hip and funky men’s designs at Bolivia. The boutique is a fun place for browsing; its walls are decorated with photographs from all over the world.

This famous custom boot shop has been in the Fagliano family since 1892 and clients include Prince Charles and King Juan Carlos of Spain. They’ll ship the final products anywhere. Advance appointments necessary.

If you can get past the funny insignia, and the store’s unimpressive country-western-looking design, you’ll find some serious-quality leather handbags, belts, luggage, gloves, shoes and wallets.

Argentine architect, artist, fragrance creator, decorator and accessories designer Celedonio Lohidoy sells necklaces, brooches and rings made of semiprecious stones, pearls and crystals. He’s gained a strong reputation worldwide, thanks in part to the fact that his pieces appeared in Sex and the City.

BA’s most elegant socialites flock here for luxurious lizard and crocodile handbags and sumptuous rabbit and mink coats.

When in BA, it’s hard not to buy a pair of these beautiful hand-made pumps and stilettos, considered the Manolo Blahniks of tango shoes. After all, if they’re flexible and supportive enough to survive on an Argentine dance floor, you know they’ll hold up pounding the pavement back home.

Some of the women’s shoes at De Maria resemble perfect little sculptures. The comfy, well-made footwear walks the line between preppy and whimsical.

BA's most elegant librería occupies a magnificent tango-era theater that once hosted legendary performers like Carlos Gardel. Browse the shelves under soaring frescoed ceilings or skim potential purchases in one of the balconied theater boxes overlooking the velvet-curtained stage, now home to the bookstore’s pleasant café.

Fernando Bach and Pablo Mendívil founded Elementos Argentinos to help economically isolated artisans find a more reliable market for their products. All of the handmade rugs and blankets at their cheerful Palermo shop are responsibly sourced in Argentina's remote northwest, where textiles have been spindle-spun and loom-woven for generations. The vibrant corals, golds and violets call to mind the desert landscapes of Salta and Jujuy, where Kolla families raise sheep, llamas and alpacas for their warmth-giving wool. Customers looking to fit an awkward space or match a particular palette should also plan to visit Bach and Mendívil's design studio in Recoleta (Arenales 1321), where specialists can help create a custom piece (there are over one hundred plant and mineral-based dyes from which to choose).

Widely recognized for its stylish men’s suits, casual wear and boots, this dark-wood-decorated fashion emporium now stocks a small selection of conservative staples—blouses, sweaters, jackets, shoes and accessories—for women.

Über designer Philippe Starck’s most striking creation in Hong Kong is still wowing people many years after it opened. Felix restaurant and bar, near the top of the Peninsula hotel, looks fresh and continues to be one of the best places for early-evening cocktails, or when the urge for a Pacific Rim–inspired meal strikes. Controversially, unthinkably even, Starck opted to draw blinds over windows that had an absolutely stunning harbor view; instead of a full-on vista, there was merely a hint of the ocean and neon beyond. It worked. Big time.

San Telmo and Recoleta have their gaucho fairs but the most authentic takes place in Mataderos, BA’s original meatpacking district—the word mataderos translates as slaughterhouses. There's dancing, crafts and lots of asado (grilled cuts of meat). The fair is held on Saturdays and Sundays, but check the schedule as occasionally there are seasonal alterations.

Take a taxi to Defensa Street at Plaza Dorrego for the weekly street fair, dense with merchants selling tango memorabilia and collectibles. Browse the area’s antiques shops (for a less chaotic scene conducive to more serious shopping, return to these shops during the week, when it’s less crowded) and wander between street performers—from clowns to tango dancers—and artisans displaying their inexpensive jewelry and crafts on blankets set up on the cobblestoned streets and sidewalks. Open Sundays.

Just outside Buenos Aires Design Center, and across the street from Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, craftsmen set up booth after booth offering sterling-silver and beaded jewelry, belts, gourd-like cups and silver straws used to drink mate (a caffeinated tea popular in South America) and children’s sweaters and ponchos made of alpaca wool. Open weekends and holidays.

Julián Bedel's wonderfully poetic perfumería is dedicated to the memory of his ancestors – wayfaring writers and naturalists who left their mark on the world. His collections, which feature wild-crafted Patagonian botanicals, speak to his country's history and its legends, with blends named for 19th-century explorers, endangered species and literary heroes. Each fragrance has its own transportive alchemy and its own unique narrative, and – for the benefit of customers who may not be familiar with the importance of el azar (chance) in Borges' work or the Jesuit ruins swallowed by rainforests in Misiones – comes with the story of its inspiration enclosed. Perfumes and candles are wrapped in antique maps and packaged in boxes hewn from salvaged wood by carpentry students in Patagonia.

Don’t let the fantastic range of stores at BA’s top large mall distract you from one of its most lovely attributes: well-preserved frescoes painted by Argentine artists on the large dome overhead. There’s a bit of everything you’d expect at a large mall (food court, electronics, cosmetics), plus some independent and chain leather stores stocking handbags, jackets, pants and skirts in every color and style, as well as more outposts of the Argentine clothing and accessories shops for women, men and children that are found at Patio Bullrich and in Palermo.

Another great Argentine leather store, Guido carries men’s and women’s shoes and accessories, including great cowhide weekend bags and suede moccasins (in children’s sizes as well). The main branch is in the Recoleta, but there are now outposts all over South America.

After a day or two in BA, you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with Argentina’s second most popular food (after beef)— dulce de leche. Havanna sells some of the city’s best caramel-like spread by the jar as well as boxes of alfajores, small wafer sandwiches filled with dulce de leche and dipped in chocolate. Although the brand can be found in the U.S., boxes of Havanna’s famous alfajores and jars of dulce de leche are the perfect BA-themed gifts for family and friends back home.

Designed by an architect, this line of reversible tote bags and butterfly-chair-inspired backpacks made of indigenous materials and metals is unmistakably Argentine.

The panties at Juana de Arco are not only sexy and comfortable but creative. Skimpy bras, lacy thongs and adorable pajamas come in bright colors with whimsical touches and combinations that make them more cheerful than sexy. It will be hard to tear yourself away from the bins of rainbow-hued underpants and bras at this women’s and kids’ shop, but don’t miss the chunky knit sweaters and pretty sundresses before you leave.

For a true made-in-Argentina accessory, shop for leather riding boots at La Casa de las Botas. The best polo players and royalty have long purchased these exquisitely made boots, but they are so stylish that they can be worn with skinny jeans or leggings.

The ultimate temple to Argentina’s love of polo, La Martina glorifies the game of polo and its accompanying lifestyle; the store is also the official supplier to Argentine polo teams and to the Federation of International Polo. In the flagship store and the various branches around the city, you will find rooms that are styled with the same flair for which Ralph Lauren is known in his shops. Silver trophies and bowls filled with player-signed polo balls sit atop antique wooden tables. Worn boot bags are propped next to huge leather club chairs, so you might mistake the scene for a gentleman’s club if it weren’t for all of the stacks of jeans, polo shirts and sweaters piled so seductively for sale. In addition to the official team jerseys and polo equipment on display, you can create your own gear; it’s possible to design everything from personal team shirts to a custom crocodile saddle or polo boots if you like. There are also locations throughout the city, including in the Patio Bullrich shopping complex in Recoleta.