Shopping in the Palermo District of Buenos Aires

Hats, Hats, Hats

Compañia de Sombreros, the “Hats Company” of Buenos Aires, is a hidden boutique on the second floor of a building in Palermo. You’ll need to ring in and walk up one flight of stairs. We left with one Panama Hat, adorned with feathers we hand-picked ourselves and subsequently applied by the kind sales person, a large sun hat for the lady, and a Los Angeles flat-billed cap. The latter being something we probably could’ve purchased in the states but at a much steeper price. These hats are top notch quality, akin to ones we’ve purchased from Nordstrom’s in the past, but at a really reasonable price.

Soft just got softer.

Casa AYMA is a fantastic spot to purchase your hand-loomed wool shawls, capes, ponchos, and the like. On the clothing tag AYMA notes what kind of Andean or Patagonian natural fibre the piece is loomed of – llama, alpaca, or vicuña. There are also some pieces made of pure cotton, silk, and Palo Borracho (the South American silk floss tree).

Also, you’ll find this is more than a shopping experience. The shop is home to two grandiose looms that the shopkeepers are happy to educate you on their ancient history.

Sid you know that jacquard looms were basically the start of computer technology? I had already learned this fun fact from the 99% Invisible Series Articles of Interest , so it was exciting to see a jacquard loom in real-life. Basically, the Jacquard looms used replaceable punched cards to control a sequence of operations – making it easy for designers to change out patterns of the loom’s weave. Later in the 19th century, they took the idea of using punched cards to store information one step further by creating a tabulating machine that eventually led to the more advanced computer technology.

A room full of top Argentine jewelry and accessory designers.

Everything in Patron, an accessories boutique located in the heart of Palermo Viejo, hails from a local Argentine designer.  The contemporary designers coexist in the store as jewelry, ceramics, textiles, books, leather products, and other works of art.

The curator Laura Patrón Costas oversees the collection with an exclusive eye, maintaining that the designs are good quality and authentic.

You’ll find a short rack of clothing, I tried on a soft beige linen kaftan with pockets, and would’ve checked out if it wasn’t a little large for my petit frame.

Anthropologie in Argentina.

Wanama from the outside looks a bit like a more wordly (Cost-Plus like) Pottery Barn because of the high-quality of the the products. Self-described as “urban folk” style – you’ll find here shelves and shelves of linens, pillow covers, rugs, and other home décor pieces. Across the wall from the interior collection, you’ll be please to find an awesome collection of women’s clothing from local Argentine brands.

Super slick men’s dress shoes.

We bough three pairs of dress shoes, nice dress shoes, for under $300 at Colantuono. Considering the fine leather quality and Italian craftmanship of these shoes, we considered this quiet the luxury steal.

There’s also a resident bulldog named Sean, there to play with if you’re not the one trying shoes on.