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The areas with the highest concentrations of shops are Polanco, for upscale boutiques, luxury chains, modern furniture stores, and fine-art galleries; and the Zona Rosa, chock-full of clothing stores, adult shops, leather goods, and antiques.
La Condesa and La Roma, though better known for restaurants and cafés, are sprouting designer boutiques, primarily for a younger crowd and artsy types. Jewelers, shoe shops, vintage clothes, and hip housewares stores are squeezing in as well. Most cluster along avenidas Michoacán, Vicente Suárez, Amsterdam, and Tamaulipas, in Condesa, and Alvaro Obregón and thereabouts, in Roma.
Hundreds of shops with more modest trappings and better prices are spread along the length of Avenida Insurgentes and Avenida Juárez.
Peruvian designer Sandra Weil opened this shop, her first boutique in Mexico City, in 2012. Combining traditional craftsmanship with high-quality fabrics, including pima cotton, alpaca wool, and silk, her bold designs have become a go-to for the capital's trendsetters. Weil's dresses and separates can be found at stores throughout Mexico, as well as in Miami and Houston, but this one has the most extensive collection.
This playfully named shop opened by a Cuban-American stylist who relocated to CDMX has been a beacon in the city's fashion community since 2007. Look to the unabashedly over-the-top boutique for carefully curated men's, women's, and unisex threads from top international design houses as well as shoes, bags, and home accessories.
This boutique carries modish fashion for the city or the beach, much of it by young, Latinix talents. You can browse slick sunglasses by Mexican-born Miami designer Sunny Patoche, Mónica Márquez chunky women's boots, stylish Paruno men's shoes, and the store's own print tote bags and playful T-shirts. There's an interesting selection of skateboards, too, as well as books and other whimsical gifts.
Linen dresses by this Mexican designer are done in palettes and patterns that bring to mind (and sometimes incorporate) traditional Mexican textiles, embroidery, and lace. The draping and layering, however, are very contemporary. Skirts and wraps that flow elegantly—often in vertical lines—are juxtaposed with structured, sometimes architectural bodices and tops. Ties, fastenings, and jewelry are equally tantalizing, the latter often combining wood, silver, and seedpods. Rion has been recognized not only for her unique designs, but also for her ethical practices, which have included working with Mexican artisans to create her garments.
French designer Vanessa Guckel moved to Mexico City in 2008 as an architect and five years later, she started her label Cihuah ("woman" in Nahuatl) to explore the intersections of architecture and clothing, the built environments closest to our bodies. At her studio and showroom Guckel displays clothing that uses experimental materials and geometric forms ranging from the indigenous Mexican huipil to elongated rectangles of cloth that zip into skirts and capes.
You don't actually have to ride a Harley to appreciate shopping in this small, beautifully designed shop that specializes in bespoke motorcycle gear and apparel. The sturdy but stylish belts, denim jackets, canvas weekend bags, and offbeat gifts appeal to anyone seeking high-quality, rugged goods and clothing.
This buzzy boutique on a quiet side street carries a lot of interesting locally made clothing, shoes, and accessories as well as lotions, soaps, and whimsical household goods. The colorful ceramics and glassware make wonderful gifts or keepsakes.
This sophisticated Latin American design store offers a collection of pieces from Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Here you'll find leather goods, ceramics, clothing, and accessories from emerging and established brands. The two-story space itself is similarly impressive, with six huge windows facing out onto the street and creative product displays inside.
Known for her feminine color palette and extravagant silhouettes, Raquel Orozco is part of the new guard of Mexican fashion designers. This Polanco boutique is her flagship store, stocked with a full range of clothing and accessories. Pieces can also be found at the Palacio de Hierro department stores in Polanco and Santa Fe and at a second boutique in Antara Fashion Hall.
