It is no secret, but it is worth repeating nonetheless: New York has more numerous and more varied fashion stores than any other city. Just as it may be considered as the capital of the world in general, it is also the capital in terms of shopping for clothes. Throughout Manhattan from the upper district to the financial district there are so many stores that New York can be seen as paradise for lovers of fashio

n shopping.

It is impossible to define the style of fashion-loving New Yorkers

in overall terms, but they undoubtedly have the ability to exude a mixture of freedom, practicality and style in dressing

that it is hard to find in so widespread a way anywhere else in the world. Like their city, the people of New York are unique in many things, among them the way that they dress and the fashion image that they transmit.

UPPER EAST SIDE. From 59th St. north, Madison Avenue is a practically interminable gold mine for fashion lovers. At least as far as 86th St., both sides of Madison Avenue features bl

ock after block of stores by the finest designers, as part of the elegant, distinguished atmosphere that prevails in the area. Between 60th and 61st is what many consider to be the world’s finest multi-brand store: Barneys, with floor after floor of clothes by the best designers, characterized by an exquisite selection of models. Its trademark black carrier bag it is a sure sign of great purchases in the city.

From that point on there is an endless succession of stor

es offering all the major brands, including Bally, Roberto Cavalli, Luca Luca, Carolina Herrera, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, BCBG Max Azria, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors and just about any other luxury brand that you can imagine. The refinement of Emanuel Ungaro with the colour of Etro and Missoni and the modern, discreet elegance of Chloé

Architecturally, the 19th century building occupied by Polo Ralph Lauren on the corner of 72nd St. stands out.
Parallel to it on Third Avenue stands the unmissable Bloomingdale’s department store, along with Scoop, another of the city’s major multi-brands.

UPPER WEST SIDE. Although not as chic as its neighbour to the west, the Upper West Side also features fashion stores along Broadway and Columbus Avenue. Broadway can boast Barneys co-op, one of the stores established by Barneys to sell a more urban style of fashion, though always within the bounds of the brand’s careful selection. Nearby there is also a store belonging to multi-brand Intermix, which has other stores elsewhere in the city. Other benchmark U.S. designers such as Steven Alan and Betsey Johnson can also be found.

MIDTOWN AND FLATIRON DISTRICT. Madison Avenue has a great many stores but Fifth Avenue, true to its reputation as perhaps the most famous street in the world, certainly does not lag behind. Starting from Central Park and heading south to 58th St., on both sides it features another shrine to fashion and distinction: Bergdorf Goodman. Before walking on down the street, it is hard to avoid turning east on to 57th St. The spectacular Louis Vuitton building on the corner of these two streets marks the route towards other major brands, including Yves St Laurent, Burberry, Chanel and Dior.

Back on Fifth Avenue, at the foot of the famous Trump Tower, you can stop off again at Prada (which has four stores in the city) and then go on to visit Escada and Bottega Veneta, among others, the flamboyant store owned by Fendi, Ermenegildo Zegna, Versace, Gucci, Celine, Emilio Pucci and Façonnable next to the Rockefeller Center, Armani Exchange and Saks, another leading department store for fashions.

CHELSEA, GREENWICH AND WEST VILLAGE. For the most ultramodern fashions, the Meatpacking district is the place be. Formerly a port loading area, this district is now home to galleries and stores involved in many different trends, including fashion. On 22nd St. are two fashion stores whose discreet exteriors are backed by surprising interiors: Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons. Further down, on 14th St., Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen have their stores, and the area is also home to one of the hardest-hitting multi-brand fashion stores of recent years, Jeffrey’s, owned by Jeffrey Kalinsky. On Hudson St., designer Catherine Malandrino French in origin but American by adoption, has one of her two stores in the city. The other is in Soho.

The West Village and Greenwich Village, although true to their traditional style, also have their share of fashion stores, halfway between Soho and the Meatpacking district. As a result, designers such as Cynthia Rowley, Lulu Guinness and Ralph Lauren have opened stores there, alongside small but interesting multi-brand stores. The benchmark street for the area is Bleecker St., where you should not miss the chance to visit the stores of Marc Jacobs.

SOHO AND TRIBECA. Few areas in the world can have changed as much as Soho in the last 15 years, especially as regards fashion stores. Spring St., Mercer St., Broome St., Greene St. and Wooster St., among others, have earned themselves a reputation as a focal point for modernity, turning the whole district into what many people consider the most desirable part of the city.

The presence of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti and Chanel leaves no doubt as to the consolidation of the area as a centre for luxury shopping. Other brands such as Custo Barcelona, Anne Fontaine, the lingerie of Agent Provocateur, Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, Italian firms Diesel and Marni and French firms A.P.C. and Agnès B. exist side by side with multi-brands such as If and Bloomingdale’s.

And of course, we cannot mention this district without naming Prada’s Epicenter, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas on the corner of Prince St. and Broadway, which marked a turning point in the relationship between fashion and architecture.