No visit to Lincoln Road would be complete without a peek in Base, a longtime lifestyle store forever being compared to Paris’s Colette. Far more low-key than the latter regarding men’s and women’s fashions, racks display the likes of Helmut Lang, Opening Ceremony, Rogan and Kristensen du Nord.

It’s easy to get lost sampling music at the CD bar, flipping through stacks of coffee table books, and trying on cool kicks, ballet flats and dress shoes. Cases always hold the latest must-have sunglasses, colorful toys and Luis Morais’s minimal, spiritual jewelry. Rare is the store that offers as playful and aromatic a shopping experience.