10 Corso Como, Milan
The chicest street in the chicest city in the world is Corso Como, and the sprawling shop and art gallery at number 10 is the chicest shop therein. Owned by Carla Sozzani, the super-thin blonde sister of Franca Sozzani who edits Vogue (yep, you guessed it: the chicest publication in the world), this huge space is home to a superbly curated selection of product design, art and, of course, cutting-edge men’s and women’s fashion and accessories. Think Paris’s Colette with added dolce-vita class. For extra glam-value, you can try and book a room in the three-bedroom boutique hotel, the imaginatively named Three Rooms, that Sozzani also owns. Just pick your visiting time carefully – during Milan Fashion Week you won’t be able to squeeze into the shop, let alone book into the B&B. 10corsocomo.com
Opening Ceremony, New York
The Big Apple’s coolest area, SoHo, has no shortage of weird and wonderful boutiques, and a devoted clientele of cropped-trouser-wearing, giant-specs-gazing hipsters to frequent them. The hottest of the hot, though, is Opening Ceremony, which has been drawing the trendsetters for its unique collection of international fashion. In fact, its buying policy is to choose one country each year from which to buy, stocking the products of both big-reputation designers and up-and-coming youngsters. It also has a great selection of insider American brands, and it was the first shop to sell Topshop in New York. In keeping with its uber-trendy status, the staff have a reputation for being sulky and skinny, but that just adds to the point-and-stare charm of it all. openingceremony.us
Priceless, Dubai
The city of superlatives may be all about gold, diamonds and seven-star hotels, but that doesn’t mean the people who live there have more money than sense - not all of them, anyway. Those who are in the know shop at the Dubai Outlet Mall, a 20-minute drive out of town. And while the high-street likes of Massimo Dutti and Mango have their spots there (hardly worth the taxi fare), the very best place to go is Priceless, which sells Harvey Nichols’ old stock at massively reduced prices. As with all discount stores, it is a lottery, but recent finds have included an Alberta Ferretti dress down from Dh3,500 (£636) to Dh610 (£110), an Alice + Olivia mini dress for Dh100 £100) and similarly discounted menswear. priceless.com
Dover Street Market, London
Ever contrary, Rei Kawakubo, the enigmatic Japanese designer behind Comme des Garçons, chose one of the least hip locations in London for her concept store Dover Street Market. Mayfair may be rich and elegant, but it entirely lacks the edginess of the East End. Nevertheless, this rambling store is hugely popular among the avant-garde hipsters of the city for its quirky selection of brands, from Comme des Garçons itself to the likes of Hussein Chalayan, Lanvin and A Bathing Ape. The interior is set out like a series of contemporary art installations, with each brand having its own quirky concept, and the insiders keep their ears to the ground for news on the latest limited-edition DST collaborations with artists and designers. doverstreetmarket.com
El Camarin, Buenos Aires
Latin America has been moving beyond bikinis and super-tans for some time, with ever more interesting underground music and vintage youth scenes. The latest, most beautiful shop to cater to this is El Camarín, a delicately pretty boutique in the fashionable Avenue Alvear, selling antique and vintage pieces imported from Paris, London and New York. And it’s not the musty old coats and dresses you might expect in a secondhand shop: the carefully chosen stock is a treasure trove of dresses and accessories in rich velvet, fragile silk and intricate lace, often restored by seamstresses with couture-level skill. The new products are lovely too, from belts to books to objets decoratif, but it’s the turn-of-the-last-century womenswear that is truly sensational. elcamarin.com
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