But there are lots of other options if you're a dedicated follower of fashion. Here are three of the best.

Madrid Best areas: Along Calle Serrano, northwest of Retiro Park, for international designer names like Tommy Hilfiger and Armani, although you'll also find the Spanish fashion mainstays here too . . . Caramelo, for example, and, of course, Zara. Camper, for shoes, is also here as are Loewe and Farrutx. Hoss Homeless is worth a browse . . . a contemporary label with a great range of smart, casual women's clothes.

For a range of stylish boutiques try the nearby, upmarket Salamanca district. Here there are Spanish designers with their own small outlets plus places like Ekseption (you walk into the store along a catwalk! ) and sister store EKS which specialise in labels like Chloe and Miu Miu.

Department stores: Best of all is the Spanish chain El Corte Ingles with branches all over the city. Quality is good and prices reasonable. The largest outlet is beside the Nuevos Ministerios metro station.

Coffee break: Stop off at Cafe el Espejo, complete with glass pavilion, gilt mirrors and an outdoor terraza. It's at 31 Paseo de Recoletos.

Chicago Best areas: North Michigan Avenue's 'Magnificent Mile' is the city's shopping magnet, and all the big names are there. Gucci, Armani, Burberry and Polo/Ralph Lauren stand cheek by jowl with the likes of H&M, Banana Republic and Filene's Basement . . . a slightly more upmarket TK Maxx. Water Tower Place is a lovely shopping mall with a number of individualist shops and is also home to teenage shopping heaven . . . a low-lit, funky branch of the uber-trendy, and very unPC, Abercrombie & Fitch. Oak Street lies just off the northern-most end of Michigan Avenue and, although it doesn't look it at first glance, this is Chicago's Rodeo Drive with names like Prada, Hermes, Chasalla, Ultimo and Jil Sander all housed here.

Department stores: There are loads, from the pricey Nieman Marcus at 737 North Michigan Avenue and a watered-down version of Barneys New York on East Oak Street to Nordstrom (55 East Grand Avenue), Saks Fifth Avenue (700 & 717 North Michigan Avenue) and Bloomingdale's, anchor outlet in the '900' shopping mall on North Michigan Avenue.

Coffee break: L'Appetito, on the ground floor of the John Hancock Centre, has great coffee and is right on the 'Magnificent Mile'.

Rome Best areas: Along Via del Corso you'll find the run-of-the-mill boutiques and a few decent shoe shops. Prepare to elbow your way through the crowds here on a Saturday afternoon.

For more upmarket fashion it has to be the Via Condotti where all the big names in Italian and international fashion have laid out their wares. If it's Gucci, Bulgari, Valentino or Hermes you're after, this is the place for you. Prada also has a superb store here, with its second-floor windows offering lovely views of the Spanish Steps. Via Condotti's rival street, Via Borgognona, is close by and is home to Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy and Versace.

Department stores: Degli Effetti on Piazza Capranica (near the Pantheon) is in the top-end of the department-store market.

It's actually three stores . . . womenswear (including reworked designer pieces), menswear and the Millennium store, for men and women but aimed at a younger clientele.

Coffee break: Try Antico Caffe Greco, a gem of a place with literary associations that dates from 1760. It's perfectly located at 86 Via Condotti.