You don't pay any duty on St. Barts, so it's a good place to buy liquor and French perfumes, at some of the lowest prices in the Caribbean -- often cheaper than in France itself. You'll find good buys in sportswear, crystal, porcelain, watches, and other luxuries. The only trouble is that selections are limited. If you're in the market for island crafts, try to find the fine straw hats St. Bartians like to wear. You may also see some interesting block-printed resort clothing in cotton.
Diamond Genesis/Kornerupine, 12 rue du General-de-Gaulle/Les Suites du Roi-Oskar-II (tel. 590/27-66-94), a well-respected gold, gemstone, and diamond shop, maintains an inventory of designs strongly influenced by European tastes. Although the prices can go as high as $60,000, a particularly appealing bestseller is an 18-karat-gold depiction of St. Barts, which sells for around $20. It's one of the few shops on the island where jewelry is handcrafted on the premises. You can also peruse the selection of watches by Corum and Jaeger Lecoultre (both of which are available only through this store), as well as Breitling, Chanel, and Tag Heuer.
For handcrafts, Made in St-Barth, Villa Creole (tel. 590/27-56-57), is the best place to shop. The women of the hamlet of Corossol sell their intricate straw work, including those ever-so-fashionable wide-brim beach hats at this outlet. Other crafts include local paintings and decorative ornaments.
Gold Fingers, rue de la France (tel. 590/27-64-66), is the largest purveyor of luxury goods on St. Barts. The entire second floor is devoted to perfumes and crystal, the street level to jewelry and watches. Prices are usually 15% to 20% less than equivalent retail goods sold stateside. Ask about sales when you visit.
The elegant, upscale Le Comptoir du Cigare, 6 rue du Général-de-Gaulle (tel. 590/27-50-62), caters to the December-to-April crowd of villa and yacht owners. It's sheathed in exotic hardwood, and enhanced with a glass-sided, walk-in humidor for the storage of thousands of cigars from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Smoke the Cubans on the island -- it's illegal to bring them back to the United States. There's also a worthy collection of silver ornaments suitable for adorning the desk of a CEO, artisan-quality Panama hats from Ecuador, and the most beautiful collection of cigar boxes and humidors in the Caribbean.
La Boutique Couleur des Iles, 8 rue du Général-de-Gaulle (tel. 590/27-51-66), tucked off a courtyard adjacent to one of the main streets of Gustavia, sells shirts and blouses with hand-embroidered references to the flora and fauna of St. Barts. Suitable for both men and women to wear to a "casually elegant" onboard cocktail party, they sell for between $42 and $58. Also available are what might be the most elegant beach towels in the world, each a thirsty mass of terry cloth embroidered in gold letters.
Laurent Eiffel, rue du Général-de-Gaulle (tel. 590/27-54-02), is faux fashion. Despite the elegance of this store and the tact of its employees, nothing sold here is original -- everything is either "inspired by" or crafted "in imitation of" designer models that usually cost 10 times as much. Look for belts, bags, and accessories that are copies of Versace, Prada, Hermès, Gucci, and Chanel, sold at prices much lower than what you'd pay in Paris.
St. Barts Style, rue Lafayette, near rue du Port (tel. 590/27-76-17), offers racks of beachwear by such makers as Jams World and Vicidomine in citrus colors of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange, and psychedelic-looking T-shirts from about a dozen different manufacturers.
Sud, Etc., Galerie du Commerce (adjacent to the airport), St-Jean (tel. 590/27-98-75), is known for its stylish clothing, both day and evening wear. Most of the inventory is for women, although a selection of swim trunks and Bermuda shorts are stocked for men. If you're a high-fashion model, or an heiress who's trying to look like one, chances are this boutique will have something that might appeal.
