Neiman Marcus (which my father-in-law loves to call "Needless Mark-ups"), established in 1907, is a local institution; its annual holiday catalog has become part of pop culture (a once-a-year opportunity to order "His & Her Mummies" or perhaps your own personal $20 million submarine). Beyond those attention-grabbing stunts, Neiman Marcus remains one of the classiest high-end retail stores around, and its downtown flagship store has a chic retro look that is suddenly very hip today. It's not to be missed, even if you can't fritter away your rent money on a pair of Manolo Blahniks. The downtown store at 1618 Main at Ervay Street (tel. 214/741-6911; www.neimanmarcus.com) is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5:30pm; stores in the NorthPark and Prestonwood malls are open on Sunday.

Dallas is an especially good place to pick up Western wear -- boots, hats, shirts, and belts -- whether you want to look the part of a real cowboy or prefer the more adorned "drugstore cowboy" look. Boots of all leathers and exotic skins, both machine- and handmade, from Texas boot companies (Justin, Tony Lama, Nokona) are good deals in Dallas. You can even order custom-made boots if you've got a grand or so to burn. Compare pricing at any of the following, all of which have excellent selections, and be sure to ask about proper boot fit: Boot Town, 5909 Belt Line Rd. at Preston (tel. 972/385-3052; www.boottown.com) or 2821 LBJ Fwy. at Josey Lane (tel. 972/243-1151); Wild Bill's, West End MarketPlace, 3rd floor (tel. 214/954-1050); Cavender's Boot City, 2833 LBJ Fwy. (tel. 972/239-1375); and Western Warehouse, 2475 Stemmons Fwy. (tel. 214/634-2668) or 10838 N. Central Expressway at Meadows (tel. 214/891-0888). Vintage Western clothing can be a bit hard to come by. Check out Ragwear, 200 Greenville (tel. 214/827-4163), a vintage store that stocks collectible Western shirts at $100 and up, as well as more pedestrian models. Ahab Bowen, 2614 Boll St. (tel. 214/720-1874), occasionally stocks vintage Western shirts, along with a nice selection of other carefully chosen items. If you're headed to Fort Worth, there are several good Western wear stores clustered around the Stockyards. Fancy gift items for the upscale cowboy -- sterling silver money clips, Michel Jordi wrist watches and belt buckles with longhorns and state-of-Texas and cowboy insignias and the like -- can be had for a price at Bohlin, 5440 Harvest Hill, Suite 172 (tel. 972/960-0335; www.bohlinmade.com).

Dallas Farmers Market, 1010 S. Pearl Expressway (tel. 214/939-2808), spread over 12 acres just south of downtown Dallas, is one of the nation's largest open-air produce markets. First opened in 1941, it looks across at the glittering Dallas skyline. Farmers from around the area sell directly to the consumer. The market is open daily from 7am to 6pm.