JCR List: Top Five Stores

We continue our countdown of top favorites from '08 with the picks for five best stores of the year.

Atelier New York

Every specialty boutique boasts a distinct aesthetic to court a specific niche. But few can claim a tribal following like Atelier New York, which carries conceptual wares from hard to find Christian Carol Poell to Damir Doma and Ann Demeulemeester, and has been drawing fans from New York's creative millieu to bonafide stars such as Jude Law.

Assin

Assin's entry into the Paddington scene instantly catapulted it to the top of Sydney's retail heap. The basement store has a gleaming white interior and stocks Rick Owens, Undercover, Ann Demeulmeester along with a slew of other moody international designers.

Cara & Co

Cara & Co is one of the most thoughtful boutiques in the world. Conceived by the larger-than-life Rozalia Kamenev, the Moscow-based unisex store features tightly edited racks of leading Aussie and New Zealand talents such as Akira and Zambesi as well as luxe Euro nicknacks from Tim Van Steenbergen to Casey Vidalenc, Delvaux and Assouline. The store also boasts impeccable vintage Chanel and Hermès treasures as well as an upstairs café with a gallery vista.

Mameg

Mameg has been quietly doing business in Brentwood for nearly a decade, but a year ago the cult shop moved its address to share space with Martin Margiela on Little Santa Monica in Beverly Hills. Owners Ari Bashoki and Sonia Eram's keen eye for forward yet commercial designs by Jil Sander, Minä Perhonen and Viktor and Rolf yielded some of most fruitful shopping on our Los Angeles excursions this year.

Boutique One

Dubai's Boutique One stands out by stocking more than 200 high wattage designers (most of which are exclusive to the store) and for offering incredibly personal service. To accommodate the city's wealthy elite, Boutique One's stylists even bring high end goodies from the store to private homes. Now that's what we call customer service.