Fashionistas Find Paradise in Argentina

Lucire Cardon

BA-based Cardon is one of Argentina's fashion retailers recommended by Lucire for their quality.

Buenos Aires has long been synonymous with fashion, so it seems only natural that Lucire, the global fashion magazine, would pay a visit to Argentina. With Town & Country, editor Elyse Glickman gives Lucire readers a sweeping travelogue of two of the country’s most fashionable destinations: Buenos Aires (Town) and Mendoza (Country). From Recoleta’s boutiques to Palermo Soho to high-end malls like Patio Bullrich and Gallerías Pacífico, Glickman is impressed by the low cost/high quality of the clothes and shoes she encounters. She describes Cardon garments as possessing “workmanship that would make Ralph Lauren green with envy,” and declares the local shoe stores “particularly fabulous, not only for the quality-to-price ratio but also the shopping environments, which are part-tea salon, part-walk-in closet and part-couture boutique.” When it comes to fashion, Mendoza doesn’t play second bandoleón to Buenos Aires, although Glickman confesses to being taken by surprise. “What makes Mendoza—state and city—so memorable is that its charm and sophistication sneak up on you.”  She comes away impressed with the “seemingly endless offering of (more) leather goods, sweet shops doling out divine ice cream and sorbet, unprepossessing clothing stores and craft boutiques that are refreshingly un-kitschy.” Mendoza, she later discovers, also offers professional shoppers a picturesque place to unwind and raise a malbec toast after a stressful day of credit card swiping. In the post-shop analysis, she says, Argentina leaves you “with a sense of pride and the memory of sensory pleasure.” At least until the AMEX statement arrives. (Full Story)

"Just livin' the dream": When the economy has everyone down, sometimes living abroad makes sense.

"Just livin' the dream": When the economy has everyone around you down, BA might make sense.

While some of our home countries are drowning in debt, others lack optimism regarding job prospects and the economic outlook. It’s times like this when many begin to re-prioritize and ponder quality of life, a common narrative thread here on InvestBA. Whether it’s the annual International Living ranking or a wine expert lauding the “wonderfulness” of BA, or a foreign investor branding Argentina “the best place in the world,” these sources bring added credibility considering they have all scoured the planet looking for the best of whatever it is they are searching for: places to retire, food & wine, or prime real estate. For the uninitiated, these articles fuel the imagination but don’t necessarily show you how to connect the dots and make the leap. Shelter Offshore to the rescue. The expat resource which touts Wealthier Living Abroad, fills in the dream-to-reality canvas for readers with some back-of-the-envelope calculations and a carpe pasaporte-inducing headline, “Live Your Dream Life Abroad for Less than £1,000 a Month.” ($1,300 USD). Argentina is one of four Latin American countries mentioned in the article and Buenos Aires neighborhoods like Palermo SoHo are singled out for their abundance of dining, educational and cultural offerings. Once you’ve made the leap, Shelter Offshore recommends a minimum six-month commitment at whatever “wealthier” destination readers may choose. (Full article)

Wine critic Matt Kramer writes of the "wonderfulness" of BA. (Pictured: Soberbia 22 in Palermo)

Wine critic Matt Kramer writes of the "wonderfulness" of Buenos Aires. (Pictured: Soberbia 22 in Palermo)

American wine critic and Wine Spectator contributing editor Matt Kramer arrives in Buenos Aires for a three-month stay and wastes little time getting to know the food & wine delights of his newly adopted barrio of Palermo Soho. Kramer authored several Making Sense of Wine books and coined a term “somewhereness” in describing a wine’s character.  Prior to his departure, Kramer—a seasoned globetrotter—says none of his friends or family members ever asked him,Why Argentina? “Apparently, the word is out on the wonderfulness of Argentina as a place and the Argentines as a people,” Kramer surmises, “And, let’s be honest, the word is also out about how wonderfully inexpensive Argentina is for those of us trading woebegone American bucks for even more economically bedraggled Argentine pesos.” In describing what makes BA unique, Kramer points to the “intactness” of the city and a true feeling of identity in the city’s many diverse neighborhoods. In his own neighborhood of Palermo Soho, Kramer praises the diversity of culinary offerings: “Around the corner from us is a Moroccan restaurant. Italian restaurants abound. And, surprisingly, there are a fair number of sushi places.” So for at least one veteran critic in Buenos Aires, it seems “somewhereness” has truly given way to “wonderfulness.” ¡Buen provecho! (Full Wine Spectator article)

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