Intersection of Alvear and Callao Avenues.Location of Avenida Alvear in Buenos Aires.
Avenida Alvear is an upscale thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the neighbourhood of Recoleta, it extends for seven blocks, from the Plazoleta Carlos Pellegrini to Alvear Plaza. The avenue is famous not only for the most exclusive representatives of haute couture, but also for its numerous demi-palaces and extensive presence of the French academy architecture that was so much in vogue in uptown Buenos Aires at the turn of the 20th century. The Buenos Aires Legislature approved the bill to declare it as a Historic Protection Area. A study by the U.S. television network NBC, placed it among the world's five most distinguished avenues.[1]
Many designer brands which used to be located throughout the avenue, specifically Emporio Armani, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, and Ermenegildo Zegna, have left the country due to government's import restrictions which severely hindered the import of foreign goods. Near the avenue stands Patio Bullrich, which also used to house numerous international high end shops such as Carolina Herrera, Kenzo, and Tiffany & Co. Under import restrictions, only a few international brands have chosen to stay such as Calvin Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo and Zara.
^www.diarioperfil.com.arArchived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Estudio de la NBC; La Avenida Alvear, considerada entre las cinco más distinguidas del mundo - (In Spanish) Accessed March 8, 2011