amsterdam

Creaky wood floors, a wide-open layout, and clothing racks illuminated by hulking steel lamps give this secondhand store the charming atmosphere of a turn-of-the-century factory. In perfect contrast to the industrial space, the robust, well-organized pickings—silk Empire-waist dresses, popcorn-knit cardigans, slinky lace tunics—have a decidedly ladylike feel.

Every few months—and often without much advance notice—this boutique completely reinvents itself. One season it might stock only limited-edition T-shirts (and artfully frame them with masking tape on the walls); the next, it could be dedicated to accessories by small designers. This fall, look for Miauw to bring in an international lineup of labels including Karen Walker, Preen, and Gaspard Yurkievich.

If you're heavily into Belgian designers—or just want to educate yourself—stop by this sleek, surprisingly unpretentious temple to high design. It has more pickings from Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, and Ann Demeulemeester than we've ever seen in one place, plus a broad range of pieces from local heroes Viktor & Rolf.

Blanketed with tapestries and lined with cases displaying exquisite jewelry from Madagascar to Mumbai, Baobab goes beyond your run-of-the-mill importer. Everything has a detail that makes it extra special, whether it's a necklace fringed with bits of snake vertebrae or an ikat scarf dyed in an especially vibrant color combination.

A rack packed with the latest from Paul Smith Women, Cacharel, and other feminine, retro-influenced brands dominates the length of one side of this spare store, with the rest of the natural-light-flooded space left open and uncluttered. Representing the Netherlands are owner Margriet Nannings' own signature Liberty-print cotton blouses and sherbet-hued twinsets, along with necklaces made from assorted strung-together baubles from Gem Kingdom, a local jewelry line.