The chicest shoes

Wearing stilettos in cobbled Lisbon can be particularly tricky. In 2018, spotting a need for elegant flats, entrepreneur Fátima Carvalho founded Lachoix around the idea of smart, practical loafers. Just three years later, she opened a stand-alone shop on Pátio do Tijolo, with lines of flat sandals, Mary Janes, ballerinas, and myriad loafer styles. Made in Portugal using Italian leather, and with a specially designed sole that doesn’t slip on Portuguese pavements (even in the rain), Lachoix shoes are sleek, stylish, and extremely comfortable. Look out for understated slip-ons in dusty neutrals.

Claus Porto, founded in 1887, is just as known for its bright art nouveau facade and packaging as it is for its color-pop oval soaps.

Nuno Nascimento

The best fragrances

Although Portugal has lacked a tradition in perfume making, it has been producing quality soaps and colognes since the 19th century. Claus Porto, founded in 1887 and known for its bright art nouveau packaging and color-pop oval soaps, is one of the nation’s most beloved beauty brands. Its Lisbon shop—which sells gift sets of soap bars and tricky-to-find diffusers, candles and hand creams—occupies an old pharmacy that has been beautifully renovated by local design star Joana Astolfi, who paired the original wood-and-glass cabinets with minimalist polished gold tables. Downstairs is a barbershop, which uses Claus Porto’s Musgo Real line (a scent synonymous with Portugal’s stylish folk). Nearby, fellow heritage beauty brand Benamôr has been making creams and fragrances since 1925 from natural ingredients grown under the Portuguese sun: lemon, rose, aloe vera, and almond oils. On an unassuming road behind Avenida da Liberdade, hidden inside a former pharmacy is Next Memory Atelier. I’m always surprised that more people don’t rave about this stunning store, where walls are lined with perfumes, reed diffusers, and candles, but I’m only too happy to share the love. The solid perfumes make a great gift or travel buy, and you can personalize the leather with your initials.

With its mishmash of architectural influences, bohemian attitudes, and deep roots in the textile industry, Melbourne has long been defined by its sense of style. Visitors can tap into the city’s aesthetic sensibilities at shops packed with homegrown talent, which include everything from First Nations Australian streetwear labels to eclectic boutiques crafting bespoke jewelry. Consider beginning your explorations at The StandardX, Melbourne, a hotel located in culturally rich Fitzroy: Its retro terrazzo-floored lobby and lipstick red walls are a good match for the vintage-clothing stands that pop up on the sidewalks outside the store on weekends.

Eye-catching Glassware

In Fitzroy, the first brick-and-mortar store from housewares brand Fazeek sells playful scalloped-edge dinner plates and drinking glasses that will bring pizzazz to your table back home. Founded in 2017 by the multidisciplinary designer Jackie Fazekas, Fazeek swiftly earned a cult following for colorful handblown vases and martini glasses with striped stems. The light-flooded space also stocks less fragile souvenirs, like two-tone linen napkins and wavy candles scented with saffron, plum, or neroli.

Trend Temples

Along Flinders Lane, fashion hot spot Alpha60 occupies a secret showroom within the century-old St. Paul’s Chapter House, carrying a signature collection of monochrome basics and sharp-cut tailoring. (The shop’s name is an ode to Jean-Luc Godard’s film Alphaville, hence the massive portrait of the filmmaker that greets shoppers.) For more laid-back vibes, local designer Lucy Folk‘s showroom in nearby Windsor sells terry-cloth beachwear, chunky gold jewelry, and fringed miniskirts inspired by the coastlines of Morocco and the Balearics.

A view of the city from atop the hotel The StandardX, Melbourne

Chris Schalkx

Hidden Gems

Tucked under the Gaunt’s Clock at the far end of the checkerboard-floored Royal Arcade, stamp-size Pieces of Eight shows off the work of Melbourne-based jewelery designer Melanie Katsalidis. Half of the shop’s cabinets display her bold necklaces, rings, and hoop earrings set with freshwater pearls and shimmery gemstones. The rest are reserved for a revolving lineup of contemporary local goldsmiths. For those with time and money to spare, Katsalidis also offers fully bespoke designs, and Flâner Fragrances has gender-neutral scents with global influences.

Curtin Call

In an Art Deco space that was once the Communist Party’s Victoria headquarters and a Catholic clubhouse, Curtin House is one of the city’s coolest shopping destinations: Dot Comme offers archival Comme des Garçons; Reina stocks Y2K-era Miu Miu and Gaultier; and the flagship outpost of Australian streetwear collective Pam Store sells grungy tees and distressed denim. Saloon houses a collection of indie designer pieces like printed stockings by Lei Lei Kung, winsome home goods (including 3D-printed vases from Copenhagen), and rotating art exhibitions.

Global Goods

Discreetly signposted Pan After in Collingwood is the brainchild of the mother-daughter duo Mandy and Phoebe Munro, who offer a collection of crafts and artworks sourced from their travels all over the world. Highlights include antique wedding blankets produced by the Fulani people of Mali and candy-striped shoulder bags made from recycled nylon in India. For those in the market for locally made kitchen knives and stylish French flyswatters, the Hub General Store next door stocks a bevy of chic housewares.

Once a quiet fishing village, Yokohama has evolved into one of Japan’s most cosmopolitan cities since opening its ports to international trade in 1859. It was the first city in the country to establish a railway connection to Tokyo—now just a 30-minute ride away, it revolutionized access to the capital—and is home to Japan’s oldest and largest Chinatown. More recently, though, Yokohama has gained a reputation as a hidden gem for vintage shopping—particularly for secondhand designer bags.

“The resurgence of 1970s and 80s fashion, fueled by a retro boom, is driving the demand for vintage designer bags,” says Tokyo-based fashion stylist Hanae Uwajima. “Japan’s strict authentication standards and cultural emphasis on preserving personal belongings mean you’re likely to discover pieces that are both authentic and impeccably cared for.” The weak yen has only heightened global interest, making Japan’s secondhand luxury market even more appealing to international buyers, adds Uwajima. Plus, Yokohama is home to far less eye-watering prices than Tokyo’s premier shopping hub, Ginza—both renowned and infamous for its packed, high-end department stores—meaning savvy shoppers flock here on weekends to score rare luxury finds. Below, your guide to where treasure hunt, from sleek showroom-style spaces to boutiques packed with near impossible-to-find vintage Chanels.

How to Get There

From Tokyo, take the JR Tokaido or Yokosuka Line from Tokyo Station (30 minutes, $3.30). The Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya also offers a direct route to Minatomirai. Just a short 10-minute ride from there brings you to Motomachi Shopping Street—a charming stretch lined with cobblestone walkways and a mix of long-standing local outfitters and curated secondhand designer bag shops.

Where to Shop

Yokohama’s Motomachi district is best known for choc-a-block shopping, where you can find everything from kimono fabrics to Hawaiian jewelry to vintage Hermès being sold on the same block.

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Brand Bay

Tucked away in Motomachi—an eclectic shopping area packed with boutiques selling everything from handmade Hawaiian jewelry to kimono fabrics—Brand Bay feels more like a luxury showroom than a secondhand store. A laminated white marble storefront leads into an equally sleek and minimalist interior populated with chic velvet mannequins and glass cases filled with pristine Celine, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton bags. Needle-in-the-haystack items like an electric-blue Chanel piece live on the shelves, barely worn, with the leather in pristine condition, silver hardware gleaming like new and without a scuff in sight.

One thing to notice while shopping in Yokohama—and especially at Brand Bay—is just how patient and attentive the sales staff are. They are genuinely invested in helping shoppers find their dream bag—an embodiment of the Japanese concept of “omotenashi,” a sincere, above and beyond commitment to customer service and hospitality.

Okura

In a fashion landscape increasingly crowded with specious dupes, it can be tricky for even the most discerning eye to tell which garments and accessories are authentic. At Okura, it’s possible to sit in on an insider’s crash course on luxury authentication. The encyclopedically knowledgeable staff is eager to share their expertise—from exactly how to decode the serial codes on a Louis Vuitton bag to checking the seal of authentication on a vintage Chanel.

Okura’s inventory is impressive. The collection spans from near-pristine contemporary pieces to ultra-rare vintage gems. Showstopping items include a 1996 Chanel Ivory Quilted Caviar Matelassé Turnlock Flap Bag—a seasonal color that’s nearly impossible to find today, especially in such remarkable condition. Chanel bags from this era are celebrated for their craftsmanship—often considered more durable and meticulously made than some modern iterations, making them especially prized among collectors.

2nd Street

In 1996, 2nd Street opened their first store in beachy Kagawa on the northeast end of Shikoku Island. Nearly three decades later, their name has become something of a secondhand empire with over 700 stores, including in the US. When shopping secondhand in Yokohama, be sure to make a stop at 2nd Street’s location in the city’s Kohoku neighborhood. The area is a real mix between its Ramen Museum, the scenic ruins of Korozue Castle, and Yokohama Arena—fitting surroundings for a shop that is just as wonderfully sundry.

With more and more travelers growing savvy to the charms of Portugal over the last decade—not to mention the many expats chasing the dream of a “golden visa”—Lisbon has never been more popular. And yet the capital remains steadfastly itself, convivial, and easygoing but also unabashedly stylish. This is thanks to artistic vanguards both old and new. Long-standing national shops and markets have endured for centuries without losing their creative shine; in turn, they’re inspiring a new generation of forward-thinking artisans and designers who are fusing modern aesthetic principles with Portuguese heritage and reinvigorating historic spaces in the city while they’re at it. It’s never been easier to bring a piece of Lisbon home.

Heritage at home

The lifestyle brand A Vida Portuguesa and the cultural association Portugal Manual opened Depozito in an old foundry on Rua Nova do Desterro to spotlight pottery, carpentry, basketry, and other local crafts. At the workshop and store Oficina Marques, in a former printing house in Bairro Alto, José Aparício Gonçalves and Gezo Marques create wares like upcycled wood sculptures, hand-painted plates, and Iberian water vases.

Local style

Inside the 19th-century Ribeiro da Cunha Palace in the charming Príncipe Real neighborhood, the shopping gallery EmbaiXada celebrates Portuguese-made fashion, including swimwear by Latitid, cotton shirts by Isto, and clothing by Benedita Formosinho, whose garments emphasize locally sourced materials. In a converted warehouse on the formerly industrial east side of Lisbon, the multipurpose space 8 Marvila features vintage shops including Black Mamba and Anomaly.

Made for walking

Wearing stilettos on the cobblestone streets of Lisbon can be tricky. In 2018, spotting a need for elegant flats, entrepreneur Fátima Carvalho founded Lachoix to provide smart practical shoes. Just three years later she opened a brick-and-mortar shop on Pátio do Tijolo, showcasing fashionable lines of sandals, Mary Janes, ballerina flats, and loafers. Made in Portugal with Italian leather, they have specially designed soles that prevent you from slipping even in the rain.

Soap opera

Portugal has produced quality soaps and colognes since the 19th century, and the iconic Claus Porto, founded in 1887, is renowned for its colorful oval soaps and Art Nouveau–inspired packaging. Get souvenir sets and hand creams, candles, and diffusers at the Lisbon outpost, installed in an old pharmacy and renovated by local design star Joana Astolfi. Freshen up at the barbershop downstairs, which uses the brand’s Musgo Real line, a scent synonymous with Lisbon’s most stylish folks.

Colorful tins of fish at Conserveira de Lisboa in the Baixa neighborhood

Joana Viana

Antique finds

The merchants along Rua de São Bento have furnished the homes of discerning Lisbon locals for generations. Standouts include Galeria Bessa Pereira (at number 426), with its splendid selection of art and vintage furniture; São Roque Antiguidades e Galeria de Arte (at number 199), which also organizes exhibitions; and Depósito da Marinha Grande (at numbers 234 and 418), a haven for fans of colorful Portuguese glassware.

What it says on the tin

In this capital city by the sea, people take their fish seriously. Faithful crowds have flocked to Conserveira de Lisboa in the historic Baixa district since its opening in 1930. Here, all manner of seafood comes in tins, old-fashioned and quite pretty, wrapped in paper. Classic buys include canned sardines, tuna, and mackerel from heritage labels Tricana, Prata do Mar, and Minor. Stuff them in your suitcase—after wrapping them in plastic bags!

This article appeared in the April 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.