Some people bring home refrigerator magnets.
We bring home shoes.
Or the scarf discovered in a tiny shop in Paris. The earrings from Mexico City. The beautifully made leather bag from Florence. The vintage jacket found during an afternoon in London when we were technically supposed to be sightseeing.
These are souvenirs of a different kind.
You don’t simply remember where you bought them.
You remember who you were when you did.
Travel and fashion have always had a wonderful relationship. A new city gives us permission to wander, discover and sometimes dress a little differently than we do at home.
But the best shopping trips aren’t necessarily about finding the biggest luxury brands.
You can buy those almost anywhere.
The real fun is finding something you couldn’t have planned to buy before you arrived.
Here’s how to shop a city like a fashion-loving traveler rather than a tourist with a credit card.
1. Don’t Shop for What You Can Buy at Home
You have limited time.
Use it well.
If the same shoe, bag or sweater is readily available online from your couch at home, do you really want to spend two hours of your afternoon abroad hunting it down?
Maybe.
A flagship store can be an experience in itself, and sometimes pricing or selection makes the visit worthwhile.
But before defaulting to familiar labels, look for what makes the destination distinctive. Seek out independent designers, local artisans, vintage shops, markets, regional craftsmanship, small boutiques and department stores you can’t visit at home.
Ask yourself: What can I find here that I’ll still associate with this place five years from now?
That’s a much more interesting shopping assignment.
2. Ask a Stylish Local
This may be the best travel-shopping strategy of all.
See a woman wearing fabulous shoes? Ask her where she got them.
Love the hotel concierge’s earrings? Ask.
Your client has the perfect jacket? Ask.
The woman sitting beside you at lunch has a bag you’ve never seen?
You know what to do.
Most people enjoy being told they have great taste, and personal recommendations can lead you somewhere considerably more interesting than typing “best shopping near me” into your phone.
Also ask: “Where do you shop?”
Not: “Where do tourists shop?”
Very different question.
Potentially very different afternoon.
3. Give Yourself One Wandering Afternoon
Business travel is usually scheduled within an inch of its life.
Breakfast. Meeting. Meeting. Lunch. Meeting. Dinner. Emails from the hotel room.
Repeat.
If your schedule allows, protect a little unscheduled time.
Walk. Turn down a street because it looks interesting. Go into the shop with the beautiful window. Visit a neighborhood known for independent stores rather than spending the entire afternoon inside a mall.
Some of the best travel finds aren’t researched.
They’re stumbled upon.
And even if you buy absolutely nothing, you may see more of the city in those two hours than you did through the conference room window all week.
4. Look for Craftsmanship
A travel purchase becomes particularly special when it reflects something the destination does beautifully.
Maybe that’s leather goods, textiles, jewelry, shoes, knitwear, ceramics, hand embroidery or traditional techniques interpreted in modern ways.
Ask where something was made. Ask about the designer. Ask about the material. Ask whether the store carries local brands.
Suddenly, you’re not simply buying another handbag.
You’re learning something about the place you’re visiting.
That’s the difference between shopping and discovering.
5. Vintage May Be the Best Store in Town
One of the joys of shopping while traveling is finding something nobody at home is likely to have.
Vintage and consignment stores are excellent territory for a beautifully cut blazer, silk scarf, designer bag, piece of costume jewelry, leather jacket or evening clutch.
Great vintage doesn’t scream:
I went on vacation!
It simply makes someone say:
“Where did you find that?”
And then you get to answer:
“London.”
Which is considerably more satisfying than:
“Free two-day shipping.”
6. Shoes Require a Little More Discipline
We know.
They were sitting there.
Beautiful. Unusual. Perhaps deeply impractical.
And suddenly you’re explaining to yourself why metallic green platform sandals are actually a wardrobe basic.
Proceed.
But before you buy shoes abroad, walk around the store in them.
Really walk.
Feet can swell during travel and after long days of sightseeing, and sizing varies between brands and countries. Don’t assume your usual size will translate perfectly.
And remember that you eventually have to get them home.
Which leads us to…
7. Leave Room in the Suitcase
This is amateur-hour stuff.
Do not pack a suitcase to absolute capacity and then spend your trip falling in love with a pair of boots.
Leave space.
Or pack a lightweight foldable tote or duffel that can become your return-trip bag if needed.
Also consider weight.
That gorgeous leather bag may not seem particularly heavy in the boutique.
Your airline may have another opinion.
Experienced shoppers plan for acquisition.
We admire this.
8. Don’t Let “Vacation Brain” Make the Decision
Vacation Brain is an extremely persuasive shopper.
Vacation Brain says: I’ll wear this constantly at home.
Will you?
Really?
Because the flowing caftan looked spectacular beside the Mediterranean.
It may have fewer natural habitats in your Monday morning life.
Before buying, ask whether you can wear it with things you already own. Would you buy it if you found it at home? Does it fit your actual life? Is the quality worth the price?
And perhaps most importantly: Am I buying the object or the feeling I’m having in this city?
Sometimes the answer is:
I am absolutely buying the feeling.
Fine.
Just know that’s what you’re doing.
9. Let Yourself Buy the Ridiculous Thing Occasionally
Having said all of that…
Not every purchase needs to pass a cost-per-wear analysis.
Sometimes you buy the earrings. The enormous sunglasses. The absurdly beautiful evening bag.
The shoes you absolutely do not need.
Because travel is also about stepping outside your normal routines.
A wardrobe filled exclusively with sensible decisions would be terribly efficient.
It might also be a little boring.
If you can afford it, genuinely love it and know the purchase won’t create financial stress later, buy something that makes absolutely no practical sense once in a while.
Fashion is allowed to be fun.
10. Know When to Walk Away
Travel can create a false sense of urgency.
I’ll never be here again! This is my only chance!
Maybe.
But “rare” and “right for me” are not the same thing.
Don’t let a charming salesperson, unfamiliar currency or romantic vacation mood talk you into something you don’t truly want.
Walk around. Have lunch. Think about it.
If you’re still thinking about the piece two hours later, go back.
If you’ve forgotten it?
You have your answer.
The Best Fashion Cities Aren’t Just About Fashion
The original version of this story sent Pink readers shoe shopping in New York, Dallas, London and Aspen.
We’d still happily shop in all four.
But we’d add another rule:
Don’t spend the whole trip inside stores.
Fashion is part of a city’s culture.
Look at what women are wearing on the street. Notice the architecture. Visit the museum. Sit in the café. Go to the market. Eat something wonderful. Walk through a neighborhood you’ve never seen.
And people-watch shamelessly.
The most interesting style inspiration may not be for sale.
You may come home wanting to wear your trousers differently, combine colors you never considered or pull something out of your own closet that suddenly feels new.
That takes up no suitcase space at all.
Buy the Story
Years from now, you probably won’t remember every item you bought online this year.
But you may remember the boots.
The little store. The rainy afternoon. The salesperson who spoke almost no English and somehow understood exactly what you wanted. The friend who was with you. The lunch afterward.
That’s why some objects become more valuable to us than their price tags suggest.
They carry a story.
And perhaps that’s the best test for a travel purchase:
Will I remember buying this?
If the answer is yes, you may have found something worth taking home.
Pink POV
We believe in traveling light.
We also believe in leaving a little room in the suitcase.
Skip the airport souvenir.
Find the neighborhood. Ask the stylish woman where she shops. Buy something from the designer you’ve never heard of. Try the vintage store. Touch the beautiful leather.
And occasionally buy the ridiculous shoes.
Because years from now, when someone inevitably asks:
“Where did you get those?”
“On this incredible little street in London…”
is a much better story than:
“I added them to my cart.”
