Drawing by Ioana Friedman
Do you ever wonder who writes those “Best Boutiques to Shop in New York” or “100 Great Shops in DC” lists?
Did they actually visit the stores?
Did they try anything on? Talk to anyone? Touch the fabrics? Get the vibe? Or did they write the whole thing from their kitchen table, assisted by Google Maps and enthusiastic "influencers"?
Speaking of influencers... once upon a time, a recommendation meant: I found something great and you should know about it. Today, unless there's a fee, a freebie, or a "gift" involved, an authentic recommendation can be surprisingly hard to find.
So, naturally, we are here to save the day.
We are creating our own list of the best boutiques in the world.
No algorithms. No paid placements. No one asked to be included or even knows that we wrote about them. Just great shops, discovered by people who still believe that walking into a fantastic boutique is one of the pleasures of traveling.
Every boutique on this list has been personally visited by someone on the LiLi The First team. We're keeping this list "alive," so as we travel, shop, discover, and occasionally spend far too much money in places we love, we'll keep adding to it.
And we welcome YOU to send us an honest recommendation too. Here's your big chance to be an "influencer" ;) We obviously need some help with the U.S. list...
But there are rules.
The Rules
1. You have actually been there.
In person. Walking through the door counts. Browsing their Instagram does not.
2. You have something genuinely positive to say.
This isn't Yelp. We're not creating a list of stores to avoid. If it's here, there should be a reason we think someone should go.
3. It has a point of view.
Beautiful clothes are not enough. We love stores that feel like someone made choices: the design of the space, the energy, the selection of pieces and designers, the service, or simply something you don't see everywhere else. And it better be good. Our reputation is on the line.
That's it.
No ranking. No Top 10. No trophies.
Welcome to our very subjective, completely unscientific and proudly human guide to the best boutiques in the world.
UNITED STATES
New York, NY
LiLi The First
Daaa! Yes, we put ourselves on the list. We said the list was subjective :)
We opened LiLi because these are the kinds of stores we love to find when we travel: independent designers, limited collections, pieces with personality, and things you’re unlikely to see everywhere else. Come in and decide for yourself.
Address: 825 Washington St, New York, NY 10014.
Website: Visit website →
Patron of the New
I am letting you in on one of NYC’s best-kept secrets and one of my (LiLi) personal favorite shops. Street fashion at its best: a multi-brand boutique mixing famous high-end designers like Marni and Loewe with names you know only if you are in the know, like Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO and Ann Demeulemeester.
It's mostly a men's boutique, with a small women's section, and many pieces are outrageously oversized, so maybe not for the teeny-tiny people. Strong rap/rock 'n' roll vibe, including men's jewelry and sunglasses.
Address: 151 Franklin St, New York, NY 10013.
Website: Visit website →
Washington, DC
LiLi The First
Yes, twice. We have two stores.
Our Washington boutique is where LiLi started. The same obsession with finding independent designers and unusual pieces, in a different space and a different city. We’ll stop talking about ourselves now.
Address: 1419 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007.
Website: Visit website →
FRANCE
Paris
AESAVANT
We found this very cool store in a beautiful area of Paris’s 1st arrondissement. Two rooms filled with jewelry, shoes, and clothes from independent and emerging designers, many from Asia. The kind of place where you want to take your time and look at everything.
Address: 1 Rue Thérèse, 75001 Paris, France.
Website: Visit website →
Sandrine Philippe
Yes, Sandrine Philippe is one of the designers we carry at LiLi The First, but it all started with me (LiLi) walking in to shop.
No mannequin in the window, just a view inside, where black clothing hangs from the ceiling in no particular order. It's a tiny space, and each piece is handmade with superior attention to detail and an obsession with fabric manipulation. The atelier is located right under the boutique. It feels like contemporary fashion history happening in real time.
Address: 6 Rue Hérold, 75001 Paris, France.
Website: Visit website →
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Bazz and Lutra
Located in Old Jaffa, in a historic space that feels more like a gallery than a boutique. The boutique dedicates plenty of space to art.
A duo in life and work: Liora designs the clothing collection and Boaz is the artist and jeweler. Everything is at the highest level of coolness and quality. I would define most of the clothing as couture and the jewelry as fine. I don't think I have ever skipped a visit when traveling to Israel.
Address: Hatzorfim 1, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel.
Website: Visit website →
ITALY
Bologna
Otto b - Made in Italy
First of all, the smell. It's an artisanal leather shop, owned and run by a couple who design and make the pieces. Everything is handmade and personal.
The design is very unique but not crazy. They have a wide range of items, but not many of each: blazers, bags, wallets, shoes, bracelets, belts, all very special. English wasn’t really an option when we visited, but pointing worked perfectly!
Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan 8, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
Instagram: Visit Instagram →
Florence
Retrouver
The space looks small from the outside, but it keeps going. Betti’s sunshine personality and energy make you feel at home immediately, and if you’re really nice, you may even get to sit in her garden out back.
A great selection of small Italian designers and pieces that feel different. And lift your head. There are always cool handbags hiding on the shelves.
Address: Via delle Belle Donne 16R, 50123 Firenze, Italy.
Website: No official website I could verify.
Flow Run
Sneaker heaven! If you’re a sneakerhead like me, and I’m not talking about another pair of Nike or Adidas, although they have those too, you have to go. Even if you’re not a sneaker person but you love design, go.
They work with many designers and less-obvious footwear brands that care equally about design and comfort. I can’t walk ten minutes in some of the shoes I bought there without someone commenting on them. Not because they’re weird. Because they’re special.
Address: Piazza degli Strozzi 16R, 50123 Firenze, Italy.
Website: Visit website →
Société Anonyme
A little outside the obvious Florence shopping streets, but SO worth the walk. Take it slowly and make two rounds, because you will for sure see something you missed.
It's a huge one-floor space divided into smaller areas, with product displays and art all around.
Alongside strong, distinctive brands, they also have their own line, Société Anonyme Créations, which is very interesting and less expensive too.
Address: Via Giovan Battista Niccolini 3/F, 50126 Firenze, Italy.
Website: Visit website →
Milan
10 Corso Como
Tucked behind the street in a courtyard on Corso Como (da!), the store sits next to a café-restaurant and a beautiful garden, with art and rotating exhibitions woven into the experience.
It's a mix of famous designers like Comme des Garçons, Simone Rocha and Rick Owens, and smaller Italian designers. They even carried Maria Calderara, one of our own designers!
What I really like there is the selection of the pieces. Last year I bought zippered, avant-garde high-top Salomon sneakers, perfect for walking the city but so cool.
The space is large and comfortable to wander through. Don't skip the art upstairs!
Address: Corso Como 10, 20154 Milan, Italy.
Website: Visit website →
Modena
Boutique Volpimodena
It’s a men’s shop. Not that I care, but FYI.
Italian artisanal suits, T-shirts, shoes, bags, all with that edgy, raw feel. The staff is extremely professional and, importantly, trustworthy. They even altered something for us within an hour. In Italy. While shopping. That is service.
Address: Corso Canalgrande 61, 41121 Modena, Italy.
Website: Visit website →
JAPAN
Sapporo
UNION SAPPORO
A literally underground shop. The space is divided into small rooms, each filled with collections from different Japanese and international designers.
And everything is black.
The range is magnificent: bizarre clothing and shoes, beautifully cut pieces, suits, sweatpants, sweatshirts. Somehow they have a little of everything.
In black.
Address: Nakaya Building B1F, 4-2 Minami 3-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0063, Japan.
Website: Visit website →
Tokyo
Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO JINGUMAE BUILDING
It’s a one-man show, but what a show.
The boutique has the feeling of a museum. The first floor is dominated by one super-long stone counter lined with sneakers, the second floor is menswear, and the third is womenswear, although much of it feels completely unisex.
It’s an entire building, but it isn’t crowded with clothes. This is not a half-day shopping expedition. Give it half an hour and prepare to want something.
Address: Jingumae Building, 2-17-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan.
Website: Visit website →
MEXICO
Mexico City
IKAL Store
Not just for the fashion. They also have a great selection of handmade ceramics, textiles, and home pieces.
The fashion mixes Mexican and Latin American designers with modern clothing created using traditional techniques. It’s one of those stores where you go in looking for clothes and suddenly start wondering how you’re getting a ceramic object home in your suitcase.
Address: Av. Presidente Masaryk 340, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550 Mexico City, Mexico.
Website: Visit website →
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul
ATiiSSU DOSAN FLAGSHIP STORE
Bottom line: it's a hat shop.
Top line: it's a HUGE, two-story museum/gallery with plenty of space to look around, be inspired, and be amazed by some of the most bizarre artwork.
And yes, in between there are some hats. On the casual side, nothing fancy, from basic caps in unique fabrics to beanies with some sparkle.
If you are familiar with Gentle Monster, ATiiSSU comes from the same parent company, IICOMBINED. Same art-first retail DNA.
Address: 44 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea.
Website: Visit website →
Sharing is caring. Tell us what you think.
It’s the personal experience that makes this list invaluable. Thank you, Ifat & Co. when on red travels, one never knows where to shop for the kind of individual, personalized look of Lili’s, so this list is the beginning of dream trips.
I read the NYT list and was surprised Lili the First wasn’t there. Your clothes are unique. Every time I wear a piece of clothing and/or jewelry, I always get complimented. Whatever you carry, will always get noticed.
This is a fun and must read keep it coming
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