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Got some euros burning a hole in your pocket? Or perhaps it's good ol' American dollars? Whatever the case, there's no shortage of chic shopping destinations offering the perfect opportunity to unload your cash or work out your credit cards. Even if you don't know the difference between pret-a-porter and haute couture, or if you don't have the spending power of the rich and famous, you'll find that the streets and districts listed below offer some of the best people- and fashion-watching in the world. Take a stroll or pull up a chair at an outdoor café and drink in the scene as the world's fashionable splash their cash on the latest creations.
1. Avenue Montaigne and Champs Elysèes
Location: Paris, France
What's Cool: Pay a small fee and endure a few more foot-aching steps for a bird's-eye view of the city from atop Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, at the end of the Champs Elysèes
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If Paris is synonymous with fashion, then Avenue Montaigne and its surrounds should be directly translated to "extremely expensive fashion." Home to the top couture houses and the most chi-chi shopping in the city (and perhaps the world) the Avenue Montaigne area is replete with top-notch designers such as Calvin Klein, Celine, Chanel, Christian Dior, Prada and more. Although the largest concentration of upper-crust establishments is found on Avenue Montaigne, most people know the area for the world-famous Champs Elysèes, the self-proclaimed most beautiful avenue in the world. And while Champs Elysèes has in recent years attracted decidedly lower-rent tenants like the Gap and the Disney Store, it still provides a wonderful mile-long stretch for strolling, window-shopping and people-watching.
2. Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
Location: Milan, Italy
What's Cool: Funky mix of romantic Victorian architecture on the outside, ultra-modern fashion on the inside
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Milan is increasingly giving Paris a run for its money as the nerve center of chic — with sky-high prices to match its exclusive retail offerings. In the city's Duomo area, on the Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga and in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, you'll find elegant boutiques and posh cafés housed in romantic Victorian-era buildings. Elaborate displays make window shopping here an event in itself, especially during major fashion shows. In addition to the usual names in fine fashion, the area also is home to La Rinascente, Milan's most popular department store; 9 Peck, a renowned gourmet food store; and Provera, a favorite for its vintage wine selection. If you're not inclined to spend, you can get an eyeful of well-heeled Italians casually modeling the latest fashions.
3. Bahnhofstrasse
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
What's Cool: The more than 20,000 electric bulbs that illuminate the boulevard during the holidays
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If you're looking for good, clean fun and shopping, Zurich has it. Literally. The exclusive shopping avenue Bahnhofstrasse not only offers some of the finest shopping in Switzerland, but provides 1.4 kilometers of squeaky-clean tree-lined street to stroll. Shopping here is a pedestrian's dream as the street is blocked off to all but foot traffic and trams. You won't miss the cars as you tour the street's 120 shops, representing top clothing designers, plus high-end options for shoes, furs, accessories, china, jewelry and, of course, Swiss watches. If you've got kids in tow, be sure to stop by Franz Carl Weber, known for its incredible toy displays.
4. Bond Street
Location: London, England
What's Cool: Phillips and Sotheby's auction houses for a fun (free) diversion
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Located in the well-to-do Mayfair District, Bond Street has been frequented by the elite since the 1850s. New and Old Bond Streets run between Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street and make up what is easily the most exclusive shopping area in Britain. World-renowned designer labels mix neatly with art dealers and jewelry shops. Here you'll find the likes of Armani, Hermes, Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Asprey, Cartier and famous auction houses Sotheby's and Phillips. As an added bonus, all of it is set against the backdrop of elegant houses-turned-shops that once were home to a host of distinguished politicians, artists and writers.
5. Rodeo Drive
Location: Beverly Hills, California
What's Cool: Making that once-in-a-lifetime Hollywood star sighting
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Although only three blocks long, Rodeo Drive manages to pack in enough audacious glitz to qualify it as one of the most glamorous and expensive shopping stretches in the world. The luminaries of style — Bottega Veneta, Armani, Bally, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Gucci — are all represented here. The area's newest — and most pretentious — addition is Two Rodeo, a strip of boutiques modeled after Beverly Hills' European peers, complete with bubbling fountains and an Italian piazza. Perhaps Two Rodeo's best (and least-known) trait is the free two-hour valet parking offered while you shop. Still, while Two Rodeo attempts to recreate the feel of a European avenue, it never quite shakes the Disneyesque feel that is uniquely American.
6. Fifth Avenue
Location: New York City
What's Cool: St. Patrick's Cathedral — for a respite from the buzz of the city that never sleeps
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Smack in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, Fifth Avenue is without a doubt the city's most glamorous thoroughfare, chock full of chic stores and galleries. Landmark department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Macy's provide all of the usual upscale department stores. In addition you'll find the usual assortment of designer shops such as Gucci, Henri Bendel, Tiffany, Bergdorf Goodman, Steuben, Christian Dior and Versace. During the holiday season, elaborate displays — doormen dressed as toy soldiers at FAO Schwarz, a 27-foot sparkling snowflake floating over the street outside Tiffany, the famous department store window dressings — make strolling Fifth Avenue a special treat. Whatever time of year you go, try to avoid the urge to look up, up, up as it not only marks you as a tourist, but also makes it hard to avoid crashing into rushing Manhattanites.
7. The Ginza District
Location: Tokyo, Japan
What's Cool: Displays in the Sony building showcase the company's latest technology offerings
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The Ginza — comprising eight Tokyo blocks — is the city's most exclusive shopping area and boasts some of the most expensive real estate on earth. You'll find the usual swank retailers as well as Tokyo's landmark department stores, Mitsukoshi, Wako (whose clock is a landmark unto itself), and the 14-story Marion, which houses seven movie theaters and two department stores. If you're looking for tradition, keep an eye out for the elaborate displays of many stores that showcase typical Japanese culture. Like most of the city, the Ginza is most stunning at night when neon and fluorescent lights bring the otherwise gray city to life.
8. Avinguda Diagonal
Location: Barcelona, Spain
What's Cool: Soaking up the architectural wonders while browsing the shops
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Where else but Barcelona, Spain's most cosmopolitan, dynamic and international city, would you find the hippest place to shop? World-famous fashion houses, jewelers and art galleries line the sweeping Avinguda Diagonal, which in part makes up Barcelona's five-kilometer Shopping Line. Surrounding streets, including Passeig de Gràcia, Via Augusta, Carrer de Tuset and the exclusive Av. Pau Casals, in particular, are home to some of the finer shops, guaranteed to do damage to your wallet. Shopping in Barcelona also provides an excellent opportunity to explore the mix of Gothic and modern architecture that plays host to the city's retailers. And as in the rest of BCN — as the city is known — you'll have your pick of fun and fine cafés to stop for tapas and, of course, people-watching.
9. The Magnificent Mile
Location: N. Michigan Ave, Chicago
What's Cool: Water Tower mall, the only remaining building left standing from the great fire
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Just a few blocks off Lake Michigan, North Michigan Avenue is home to froufrou greats Brooks Brothers, Cartier, FAO Schwarz, Gucci, Lord & Taylor, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Hermes and Versace. Amid these distinguished names, you'll find plenty of other famous, but not-so-pricey establishments, plus local kids-made-good like Bigsby and Kruthers and Crate & Barrel. But be warned that you won't be alone here, especially on weekends, when the crowds can be overwhelming.
10. Laugavegur
Location: Reykjavík, Iceland
What's Cool: Nearby Hallgrímskirkja, a church designed to resemble a mountain of lava
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Yes, we know it's a long way from its peers in the fashion world, but Europe's northernmost city is a funky, lively destination and its fashion offerings are no exception. On Laugavegur, the city's main shopping street, you'll find a host of clothing boutiques, plus an assortment of shops offering accessories, leather goods, cosmetics, lingerie, books and music. Skólavörôustígur is the city's most chic shopping street, with more exclusive boutiques, gourmet stores, fur shops, jewelry shops and art galleries. You'll find some expected fashion names here but most notable are the local designers, who offer Iceland's own unique brand of style. Be warned: Iceland is one of Europe's most expensive countries, and while a tax refund for tourists and a relatively low overhead offset some of the markups for retailers, you'll probably have to pony up quite a bit for fine fashion. Still, if you buy an outfit from one of Reykjavík's local fashion houses you can rest assured that no one at your next party will show up sporting the same look.
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