BUY FOR ME, ARGENTINA
Hit the best secret shops and art haunts in Buenos Aires
B USTLING Buenos Aires, Argentina, may be best known for steakhouses and tango halls. But it also boasts unbeatable shops, many tucked inside Parisian-style buildings.
Standouts include the tony Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore, housed in a gorgeously preserved theater (Av. Santa Fe 1860; no Web site), and the popular Sunday San Telmo flea market for vintage items ( FeriaDeSanTelmo.com).
Like in New York, the rent in Buenos Aires is sky-high. And the city’s emerging designers have a tough time opening their own stores. So they’ve turned to selling their wares by appointment out of their apartments or workshops, creating a trendy scene of what could be called secret shops.
“It offers a more personal shopping experience,” says Sophie Lloyd, who runs Shop Hop BA ( Shop-BuenosAires.
com), a service that points visitors to these locations.
One worth browsing is Animaná, located in the Palermo Botánico apartment of founder Adriana Marina ( AnimanaOnline.com). There, shoppers can browse shawls and scarves made from merino wool and alpaca fibers sourced from Patagonia.
For jewelry, head to Tamara Lisenberg’s workshop in Palermo Soho ( TamaraLisenberg.com.ar). The space displays her eclectic necklaces and bracelets made of rope and silver.
For leather goods — including purses and backpacks — head to Nimes’ workshop in Palermo ( NimesBA.com). Just off the workshop’s entry is a showcase of the brand’s latest styles.
In Buenos Aires, it’s also important to carve e out time for art. In November, Art Basel launched its cities initiative in the Argentine capital, featuring coaching sessions for local artists. Next September, the program includes exhibitions.
Buenos Aires is already replete with art. Its go-to institutions include MACBA ( MACBA.com.
ar) for contemporary art and Malba ( Malba.org.ar) for LatinAmerican works.
It’s also worth exploring city art galleries. Spend an afternoon with Florencia Tagino, cultural director at the Palermo Soho clubhouse of vacation home rental service Oasis, who books appointments to see the city’s best. Highlights this fall
included a tour through Ruth Benzacar ( RuthBenzacar. com), where artists Leo Chiachio and Daniel Giannone filled the space with tapestries. It’s stuff you can only find deep in the art of Buenos Aires. WHERE TO STAY
The Faena Buenos Aires (from $529; Faena.com/Buenos-Aires) features a nightly tango show, considered one of the city’s best.
Meanwhile, the Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt Buenos Aires is a swanky stay, thanks to its neoclassical main building, which dates to the ’30s (from $433; BuenosAires.Park.Hyatt. com).
For the flexibility of an apartment — but with hotel conveniences, including a concierge — try Oasis. The company maintains a massive unit in posh Recoleta (from $415; OasisCollections.com).
Theauthorwasaguestof Oasis.ChristinaAmoroso,a guestofFaena,contributed reporting.