Nothing induces the urge to shop more than attending top-tier fashion shows in glamorous cities. No wonder high-end retailers often choose Fashion Week as the time to open their new boutiques. I managed to check out a few in between events.
SÃO PAULO
Rua Haddock Lobo, in the Jardins district, is one of the city's main shopping areas, already overflowing with fancy stores like Louis Vuitton, Armani and Dior. During São Paulo Fashion Week, it welcomed a new addition: the first Marc Jacobs store in Latin America. The shop stocks both the main line and Marc by Marc Jacobs; in a few months Jacobs himself will jet down to throw a big party for chic Paulistas (marcjacobs.com). Just around the corner sits the new Havaianas outpost, a flagship store for Brazil's most renowned brand. The shop stocks a full range of flip-flops—including glow-in-the-dark styles—and other beach accessories (Rua Oscar Freire; www.havaianas.com.br).
PARIS
The Palais Royal is probably the chicest shopping arcade in the world, oozing faded charm that complements the expensive boutiques within. During couture week, two new shops debuted: Stella McCartney's first Paris outpost and Corto Moltedo, a high-end handbag line from the 26-year-old son of the former owners of Bottega Veneta. The Stella McCartney shop is full of warm wood tones and gleaming brass fixtures, the perfect counterpoint to her airy, effortless designs (114-121 Galerie de Valois; stellamccartney.com). Corto Moltedo's tongue-in-cheek bags—including a metallic one embossed with the imprint of an old cassette tape—are displayed amid unfinished wood walls and inside custom-made flight cases lined with Moltedo's signature monogram. The ceiling features a shimmering school of fish by Colombian artist Federico Uribe (146-148 Galerie de Valois; corto.com).
BERLIN
The neighborhood of Mitte is Berlin's trendy center, so its shopping options tend toward fashion-forward streetwear. Neue Schönhauser Straße is home to Drykorn, one of Germany's most successful younger brands, best known for its well-cut trousers. This January a new extension, featuring the full men's collection, opened opposite the original flagship store (drykorn.com). A short taxi ride away, The Hunter— perhaps Berlin's coolest new multibrand store—stocks German favorites such as C. Neeon and Marcel Ostertag, as well as international attention-getters like Bernard Wilhelm, Gareth Pugh, and Raf by Raf Simons (Winsstraße 42; the hunterberlin.com). Because actually owning new clothes is even more fun than watching them modeled on a catwalk.
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