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As vacation season approaches, we'll be rolling out guides to the best shopping in ten Racked cities. On the docket for today: Racked Miami's can't-miss stores. American Two Shot. Photo by William Chan
There's more to Miami than South Beach, as any local will tell you. With over 20 neighborhoods to explore, each with its own distinctive vibe and personality, it can get a little bit overwhelming when you want to step out of the comfort zone of a touristy travel guide.
It helps if you have a concise, locally-driven shopping map though, especially if it focuses on the stores that sell more than "I'm in Miami Bitch" and "Spring Break 2014" tees. For that, fellow travelers, you'll have to venture between land and coast, and luckily, we're providing you a quick list of must-stop shops to make the transition easier. Leave some space in your luggage, folks, because you're going shopping, Miami style.
One of the largest Louis Vuitton stores in North America, six department stores including Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, 24 movie theater rooms, fine dining, an Equinox gym and international luxury stores sprinkled between shopping mall classics like Forever 21 and Banana Republic make Aventura the ultimate place to visit for a definitive shopping experience. There's a store for every age and price point, but beware if you're visiting during the holidays; parking is a nightmare!
All hail the Holy Grail of high-end consignment stores, C. Madeleine’s is truly in the international upper echelon of high-end vintage. The vast, warehouse-y feel of C. Madeleine's is broken down into decade and style (a section of the store is dedicated exclusively to Chanel) with the very highest couture dresses live by the dressing room and pockets of 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s goods throughout.
Maybe it's the stacks of old Vogue and Bazaar issues scattered around, maybe it's the packed racks of garments from years past; whatever it is, you'd never be able to tell Fly Boutique only settled into MiMo a few months ago, as a fire drove it out of its original Lincoln Road location. Inside this carefully curated and moderately priced vintage closet you'll find raggedy Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin concert tees, vintage air force bomber jackets, beaded clutches from the 30s and dresses to channel your inner Donna Summers.
DELPOZO opened up its first stateside store within the confines of The Design District, meaning it's the only place in the country where you can try on his feminine yet symmetrically sound garments first-hand, in a brick and mortar shop. Expect to find synchronized accents of glass, marble, brass and wood complementing pink walls which, we might add, are so Miami.
BASE is a menswear store, record station, magazine library, art gallery and juice bar, all arranged in a guerrilla-type setting. The store has hopped around Lincoln Road for 20 years, finally settling on a huge space behind the Books & Books courtyard. Come here if you want to find underground house records, popular menswear labels like Zanerobe and Comme des Garcons, hard-to-find labels like Knomadik and ghetto Virgin Mary statues.
If you're on the hunt for high-end pet supplies, Missoni towels, premium frescobol sets or about any other novelty item with a touch of luxe, then this neon-pink market in the center of Lincoln Road's 1111 building needs to be your first stop, if you haven't already popped by their shop at the Raleigh.
Only in Miami would you find a boutique, not below, but on the fifth floor of a parking garage, and only during Basel would that boutique become a 24/7 drive through of goods. Aside from being an oasis of fashion for brands like Celine, Givency, Alaia and Rick Owens for men and women, the Alchemist is a gem in the architecture world, having won awards from the American Institute of Architects for its glass box design.
Owner Laure Heriard Dubreil describes The Webster as her dream walk-in closet, and we couldn't agree more. From the moment you walk into this historic Art Deco building (it was once The Webster Hotel), you're greeted by two stories of shoes, clothing and accessories from established and up-and-coming luxury designers. You can spend the whole day playing "Spot the Collaboration," as Laure is the only store owner in the fashion industry that can score collaborations with the likes of Calvin Klein, Olympia Le-Tan and Pierre Hardy, but we're just scratching the surface here.
When an author comes into town for a book tour, you can bet she'll be signing pages at Books & Books, whether it's their Coral Gables, LIncoln Road or Bal Harbour locations. The store has shelves upon shelves of any book imaginable, but we believe their coffee table book collection is the best thing you could venture in here for. Well, besides the cappuccinos and sandwiches at the cafe. Couple that with a good book or magazine, and you'll never leave.
If you're coming to Miami, we're going to suggest you come with a suitcase void of bikinis. Why? It gives you an excuse to visit Nic del Mar and stock up on this season's hottest swimwear. Located in the gorgeous, Banyan tree-lined neighborhood of Coral Gables, this swimwear boutique carries brands like Mara Hoffman, Mikoh, Zimmermann and more tons more for women and kids.
One of the largest Louis Vuitton stores in North America, six department stores including Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, 24 movie theater rooms, fine dining, an Equinox gym and international luxury stores sprinkled between shopping mall classics like Forever 21 and Banana Republic make Aventura the ultimate place to visit for a definitive shopping experience. There's a store for every age and price point, but beware if you're visiting during the holidays; parking is a nightmare!
All hail the Holy Grail of high-end consignment stores, C. Madeleine’s is truly in the international upper echelon of high-end vintage. The vast, warehouse-y feel of C. Madeleine's is broken down into decade and style (a section of the store is dedicated exclusively to Chanel) with the very highest couture dresses live by the dressing room and pockets of 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s goods throughout.
Maybe it's the stacks of old Vogue and Bazaar issues scattered around, maybe it's the packed racks of garments from years past; whatever it is, you'd never be able to tell Fly Boutique only settled into MiMo a few months ago, as a fire drove it out of its original Lincoln Road location. Inside this carefully curated and moderately priced vintage closet you'll find raggedy Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin concert tees, vintage air force bomber jackets, beaded clutches from the 30s and dresses to channel your inner Donna Summers.
DELPOZO opened up its first stateside store within the confines of The Design District, meaning it's the only place in the country where you can try on his feminine yet symmetrically sound garments first-hand, in a brick and mortar shop. Expect to find synchronized accents of glass, marble, brass and wood complementing pink walls which, we might add, are so Miami.
BASE is a menswear store, record station, magazine library, art gallery and juice bar, all arranged in a guerrilla-type setting. The store has hopped around Lincoln Road for 20 years, finally settling on a huge space behind the Books & Books courtyard. Come here if you want to find underground house records, popular menswear labels like Zanerobe and Comme des Garcons, hard-to-find labels like Knomadik and ghetto Virgin Mary statues.
If you're on the hunt for high-end pet supplies, Missoni towels, premium frescobol sets or about any other novelty item with a touch of luxe, then this neon-pink market in the center of Lincoln Road's 1111 building needs to be your first stop, if you haven't already popped by their shop at the Raleigh.
Only in Miami would you find a boutique, not below, but on the fifth floor of a parking garage, and only during Basel would that boutique become a 24/7 drive through of goods. Aside from being an oasis of fashion for brands like Celine, Givency, Alaia and Rick Owens for men and women, the Alchemist is a gem in the architecture world, having won awards from the American Institute of Architects for its glass box design.
Owner Laure Heriard Dubreil describes The Webster as her dream walk-in closet, and we couldn't agree more. From the moment you walk into this historic Art Deco building (it was once The Webster Hotel), you're greeted by two stories of shoes, clothing and accessories from established and up-and-coming luxury designers. You can spend the whole day playing "Spot the Collaboration," as Laure is the only store owner in the fashion industry that can score collaborations with the likes of Calvin Klein, Olympia Le-Tan and Pierre Hardy, but we're just scratching the surface here.
When an author comes into town for a book tour, you can bet she'll be signing pages at Books & Books, whether it's their Coral Gables, LIncoln Road or Bal Harbour locations. The store has shelves upon shelves of any book imaginable, but we believe their coffee table book collection is the best thing you could venture in here for. Well, besides the cappuccinos and sandwiches at the cafe. Couple that with a good book or magazine, and you'll never leave.
If you're coming to Miami, we're going to suggest you come with a suitcase void of bikinis. Why? It gives you an excuse to visit Nic del Mar and stock up on this season's hottest swimwear. Located in the gorgeous, Banyan tree-lined neighborhood of Coral Gables, this swimwear boutique carries brands like Mara Hoffman, Mikoh, Zimmermann and more tons more for women and kids.
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