Argentina (Buenos Aires, specifically)!

Dear Folks: After Easter, I go to Buenos Aires for two weeks. First time. Forumites may recall I announced this last year, but that trip got cancelled. So this is the first time for real. Seeking all tips re clothing leather goods, etc. Over on LL, RWS described getting some suits made there. I don't think I have the time (sure don't have the need), but I may try a shirtmaker he mentioned. I know we have Argentines and folks with Argentine experience, so any must looks, must do's and must-buy rec's will be noted.

Thanks, Jon.

I recall you had a beautiful BA photo post a while back; hope it survived the crash and/or you have it on your own HD.

The link does not work but the site's search function reveals your picture post, perfectly preserved.

Interesting article on a BA haberdashery, from February in the NYT. Buenos Aires: Men's Wear By MATT GROSS Published: February 19, 2006 Buenos Aires is a city where, to the delight of Argentines and the chagrin of their neighbors, everybody always looks really, really good. The women are tall and longhaired, and so are the men, and the outfits they wear — a sexy South American riff on British polo garb — seem to fit just right. If there's any drawback at all to the look favored by Porteños (as residents of Buenos Aires are called), it's that it can be a little, well, monotonous. Another luxurious sweater-tweed combo? More butter-soft leather? Yes, you're hot, but so is everyone else, and in exactly the same way. Which is why a shop called Bolivia, in the chic Palermo Viejo shopping district, is so refreshing. Here, in a clubby, wood-floored space, with framed Sgt. Pepper and Bruce Lee posters on the wall and a model Citroën sitting on a shelf, you find men's wear for the punk prepster, the freethinking fop, the fashionable gentleman who isn't quite ready to leave his boyhood behind. The clothes, mostly designed by Bolivia's owner, Gustavo Samuelian, are studies in playful contrast: A green corduroy blazer has a sky blue lining with white polka dots, and the English-style dress shirts look great paired with distressed-leather bomber jackets in green or maroon. A Mr. T T-shirt is, as it surely should be, pink. Virtually every piece is embroidered, stickered, screen-printed or otherwise customized by hand. My favorites are the fuzzy V-neck sweaters, appliquéd with big, floral-patterned kangaroos, elephants and other animals. (Wear one to a party, and everyone will comment on it. Everyone.) Military fashion also figures heavily into Mr. Samuelian's Andes-dandy aesthetic — vintage camouflage shorts and tote bags and so on, from the Argentine, American, British and German armed forces. But even an olive-drab jacket has not only insignia patches but also a shiny purple horse — or could that be a pony? — on the pocket. Perfect for the straight guy who's not afraid to have people think he's a little bit gay (and vice-versa). None of this really has anything to do with Bolivia qua Bolivia, except that Mr. Samuelian's mother-in-law hails from there, but national origins are beside the point here. What matters is a mixing — of eras, styles and genders — that upends traditional notions of masculine dress. And with a kitty-cat on your chest and bulldogs on your bright-blue socks, you needn't be tall or longhaired to be hot. (Though it still helps.) Bolivia, Gurruchaga 1581, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, Argentina; (54-11) 4832-6284 www.boliviaonline.com.ar