Shopping near the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Ranking among the city’s top tourist attractions, Bloomie’s is stocked with everything from bags to beauty products, homewares to designer duds. The cosmetics hall, complete with an outpost of globe-spanning apothecary Space NK and a Bumble and bumble dry-styling bar, recently got a glam makeover. The compact Soho outpost concentrates on young fashion and cosmetics.  

Founded by British trichologist Mark Constantine in 1995, this cruelty-free beauty brand opens its fifth NYC store (the others are in Union Square, Soho, Midtown West, and on the Upper West Side). Chalkboard walls and blond-wood cabinets filled with natural bath and body products—many of them vegan—make the small space feel like a modern kitchen. In an effort to avoid using preservatives, nearly half of the offerings are sold in solid form, including fizzing bath bombs ($4–$7), fragrant soap slabs ($6–$9) and deodorant bars ($7–$9). Liquid items, such as Fair Trade honey shampoos ($10–$30) and Dream Cream olive-oil-and-cocoa-butter body creams ($27), are packaged in 100-percent-recycled pots and bottles. Sampling is encouraged, most noticeably at the Fresh skin-care bar, where staffers provide complimentary facials using the handmade face masks ($7) that are displayed on ice. Don’t leave without testing the small assortment of cosmetics, including liquid lipsticks, cream eye shadows and translucent powder ($19 each).

This UES family-owned shop has been in the haute couture–recycling business since 1954 and is the place to go if you want to score Dior, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana dresses for 70 to 90 percent off retail price. While you shouldn’t schlep your bags of less-than-luxe stuff here expecting a trade (they only buy first-tier designer labels that are less than two years old and in great condition), come here if you want to treat yourself to something luxurious without breaking the bank.

Classical music greets visitors at this whimsical boutique, where co-owner Michael Walter peddles dazzling dried-flower arrangements, including decorative spheres ($24–$45) made from berries and heather in short green vases ($210), alongside antiques for both the home and garden. Etched hurricane vases ($36) and rustic tole lanterns ($50) will lend a hint of the outdoors to any abode, while antique garden tools ($30) double as creative decor. If your small apartment calls for equally diminutive home accents, opt for miniature ceramic vases (five for $36) in assorted shapes.

If you struggle with the art of mixing trendy duds with basics, consider the contemporary styles found at this Upper East Side boutique, the key to unleashing your inner mixologist. This is the first Manhattan outpost, which opened last week, for the Long Island retailer, and you have every reason to be excited. While the brand is considered a fast-fashion chain due to its affordable pricing, the shop carries bohemian designer labels, including BB Dakota, Unif and For Love & Lemons, giving the store a leg up on its competitors H&M and Forever 21. Shop for Free Spirit layered necklaces ($35), Whitney Eve Windsor crop tops ($52) and Free People Lennon heels ($178)—you’ll want to add these to your wardrobe, stat.

This charming boutique is filled with preppy accessories, nearly all of which can be personalized. There are more than 50 monogram styles—from single letters to full names—and the work is complimentary with any purchase. Make your mark on seersucker duffles ($38), dopp kits ($58) and portable bar buckets ($45), or bring in your own towels, totes or apparel (the shop can embroider any item within a week, starting at $10 per piece).

This Paris-based gourmet chocolate shop has multiple locations in New York.

An initiative of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Albertine is devoted to works—both in its original version and in translation—and offers the largest selection of French literature in the United States, with more than 14,000 titles from 30 French-speaking countries. The two-floor space is truly an escapist's dream, with a designated reading room with lush sofas and armchairs, all housed in the French embassy.

Credit cards feel right at home at this luxury Upper East Side boutique catering to avid shoppers. Gowns seen on runways worldwide are for sale along with more casual daytime dresses for the ladies-who-lunch crowd.

This French brand, whose name translates to "by the lake," brings its rustic-meets-feminine styles to the Upper East Side. Unlike the Soho flagship that carries duds for both sexes, this spot will focus on women’s ready-to-wear ($215–$715) and accessories ($90–$795), plus pieces from Cotélac’s lower-priced sister line, Acote ($135–$475). Discover designer Raphaelle Cavalli’s bohemian-influenced designs, such as map-print dresses ($275), cropped trousers ($315) and polka-dot silk skirts ($235). Accessories include over-the-knee socks ($90), double-strap leather belts ($105) and two-tone oxford heels ($445).