After financial woes that forced the closure of the original Chelsea store a few years back, New York's self-made temple of chic is back on top. The Madison Avenue store exudes impeccable high style -- and a frostiness that's hard to overcome, but designer-fashion fans probably won't mind. While the store focuses on hot-off-the-runway women's wear, its menswear runs the gamut from classic to cutting edge. The fragrance department works hard to offer offbeat and unusual scents as well as the classics. Chelsea Passage is one of the world's best gift and tabletop departments. Bring your platinum card, because nothing comes cheap here.

Downtown, Barneys Co-Op has blossomed into a real fashion hotspot with its own strong identity, sisterly but separate from the chic Barneys New York Madison Avenue headquarters. At Barneys Co-Op, edgier, artsier, more downtown-casual fashions for men and women -- from such vanguard designer names as Daryl K., Comme des Garcons, Herve Chapelier, and Urchin -- set the tone. Prices are more reasonable than at the uptown flagship, but you should still be prepared to pay designer prices.