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Photograph: Courtesy Nordstrom

The best NYC department stores

The best NYC department stores offer everything from high-end fashion to housewares, and fine dining too

Written by
Alison Kotch
&
Danielle Brady
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NYC department stores are wonderlands of shopping, where you can find everything from designer fashions to cosmetics to housewares. The thing about this city’s department stores is that they carry a certain mystique, as they’ve been made famous by numerous movies and TV shows. While locals may head here to purchase something they actually need, visitors have them on their list of the best things to do in NYC. The best NYC department stores offer shopping, dining, a little bit of history and a lot of glamor.

From the setting of Miracle on 34th Street to iconic brown shopping bags, NYC department stores are about more than just shopping. You can make a whole day of it, taking in the atmosphere. There are stores for all budgets and styles, and after you’ve worked up an appetite you can even dine in style. So whether you’re in the market for a particular item or you just want to feel fabulous while browsing the offerings, head to these department stores. And after all that shopping, be sure to check out the best spas in NYC for a relaxing bit of pampering.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to shopping in NYC

Best department stores in NYC

  • Shopping
  • Department stores
  • Midtown East
  • price 4 of 4

This high-end department store literally has everything—a brow bar, a nail art bar and even some snazzy holiday windows. Stomach the crowds for the sporadic sales. Its big designer names such as AG, Badgley Mischka, Balmain, Cynthia Rowley, Eberjay, Fendi and more that keep shoppers strolling in. Bonus: don't miss Barney's at Saks, a retail collab that brings back the other beloved department store.

  • Shopping
  • Department stores
  • Upper East Side
  • price 3 of 4

Bloomies is packed with enough designer duds, accessories and beauty products to ensure you’ll leave holding many of the store’s iconic big brown bags. Make your first stop the cosmetics counter for hair and skin care products, fragrances, makeup tools and men’s toiletries. Gents will love the grooming goods from the Art of Shaving, while ladies’ options include Nars makeup, Yves Saint Laurent fragrances and Bumble and Bumble hair products. Find clothing from top designers and big-name gender-neutral jewelry and accessories, such as watches and sunglasses from Burberry and Gucci.

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  • Shopping
  • Department stores
  • Midtown West
  • price 4 of 4

Every visitor to NYC comes to the Herald Square flagship to see where Santa was born. Shop popular brands mixed with in-house lines and exclusive designer diffusion collections. Stop by the beauty counter for skin care products, grooming supplies and scents for both sexes, such as Chanel perfume, Dior cosmetics and Jean Paul Gaultier cologne. 

  • Shopping
  • Department stores
  • Midtown West
  • price 4 of 4

This eight-floor temple of sophistication is the place to go if you want to make a day out of designer shopping: It has in-store boutiques from the likes of Narciso Rodriguez and Jean Paul Gaultier as well as mid-priced fashions from Theory, AG Adriano Goldschmied and more. Once you’re done picking up some new threads, browse housewares or visit the beauty and fragrance department, then dine with amazing views of Central Park at BG Restaurant.

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  • Shopping
  • Midtown West

Grab your plastic and run—don’t walk—to the Nordstrom Rack near Herald Square. The 47,000-square-foot store spans three levels and is fully stocked with super-discounted designer duds from big names. You’ll also find a hefty shoe department and accessories for men and women, plus lifestyle and home goods. 

  • Shopping
  • Midtown West

New York’s first-ever Nordstrom store (catered for men) offers a wide range of perks meant to combine a brick-and-mortar experience with the convenience of online shopping. Customers have the option to make purchases online to be picked up in the store. Digital reservations for in-store try-ons are available. And, perhaps the most important element of online shopping: You can order booze. Yes, a clubhouse bar serves cocktails at the sleek three-story outpost.

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  • Shopping
  • Design and interiors
  • Flatiron
  • price 3 of 4

This super-upscale home furnishing store believes that your home is a sacred space and that you should decorate it accordingly: You can buy anything from kitchen and outdoor furniture to smaller accent items like vases, throws and candles. Even though most price tags make a true shopping trip here something to save up for, don’t let that stop you from heading there to get some Pinterest-worthy ideas for your next decorating project.

  • Shopping
  • Womenswear
  • Soho
  • price 1 of 4

The reigning leader of cheap and chic megastores, H&Ms abound in New York, unloading on-trend goods at a frenetic pace. If you see it on the runways, you'll find it here just weeks later—and in-turn, you'll find affordable capsule collections from the runways' biggest stars.

Looking for more designer threads?

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