Personal Shoppers with International Style

London-born journalist Nicole Fall runs Bespoke Tokyo, a company that specializes in what it calls “urban safaris for savvy city trekkers.” In this very vertical and frustratingly complex concrete jungle, everyone needs a stellar guide to help track down little-known treasures. Nicole runs the company with Charlie Spreckley, a fellow fashionable Brit and journalist. They can arrange a customized day of exclusive store-hopping with a chauffeur and a bilingual guide. Their services extend beyond shopping to include procuring the best tables at hip restaurants and lounges, full trip planning, and excursions to the ancient capital of Kyoto—another shopping hot-spot with exquisite crafts and textiles.

From $94/hour

If anyone knows London shops inside-out, it's Camilla. In addition to having advance access to sample and seasonal preview sales, she stays on top of the hottest styles thanks to her regular attendance at London Fashion Week shows. Her eye for simple yet chic styles puts her in demand with a young, fashionable crowd. She'll travel to any city in the UK and help you build your confidence as she builds your wardrobe.

Half-day personal shopping including research £250

You could call Monica Vaziralli a personal shopper, but she's more like an encyclopedic personal guide to the city who specializes in shopping. She knows the best sources for precious gems, designer shoes, the highest quality textiles and specialty antique items. In addition to tipping you off to the best boutiques and introducing you to designers who'll offer private trunk shows in their homes or studios, she'll give you the inside scoop on where to eat and where to spend your evenings. She counts Bollywood stars among her regular clients. Contact her through Greaves Travel.

From $250 a day.

When Francine Martin, founder of East of the Sun, ushers you through the wending streets of Shanghai, it's like having one of the Metropolitan Museum's curators show you through the museum's hallowed halls. An avid shopper and collector who approaches the sport with Sherlock Holmes-esque thoroughness, she's lived in the city for more than three decades, observing it as it transformed from Old World Asian trading city into a glittery modern metropolis and carefully vetting new and noteworthy stores when they open their doors while continuing to keep tabs on the old stores crammed with collectible treasures. You know there are riches in this town, Francine knows where to find them. She'll lead you to the most reputable couture dealers, antique merchants and pearl purveyors. Interested in custom goods? She has a well-edited roster of artisans who'll create a tailored item specially suited for you. When you talk to her about a made-to-order tour, make sure you also tell her you're interested in checking out some of the city's galleries and studios and exploring the ancient landmarks of some of the off-the-beaten path neighborhoods.

Rates available upon request.

From the seminal department stores on High Street to the couture boutiques to the vintage racks in Camden, London is a shopper's paradise. Now, about that little matter of having enough time to sift through it all. Let Efy Dionisiou, the style maven who founded Eye for Image, sort it out for you. Whether you're looking for a knock-out outfit for an occasion or a thorough image analysis, her shrewd eye and blunt honesty will set you on a stylish path. Her makeovers border on scientific precision in approach. She'll assess what colors work for you, your build and body lines, what fabrics you fancy, and even your lifestyle. Sound like therapy? Rest assured, the end result is a cure for all your fashion shortfalls. In short, you could just call her London's Eye.

Half-day personal shopping from £200

Alice Miles and Maria Vasilevsky pull the rug out from under the traditional notion of stylists. Both longtime fashion industry insiders, they started their company in Boston and it's become so successful that they now have about 15 stylists on rotation at any given time. Whether you'd like to explore Boston's high-end retail scene or there's a fashion emergency that needs attention (the darned airline just found your suitcase in Charlotte), Alice, Maria or one of their many sharp-eyed stylists will have you red carpet-ready in a snap. All the major hotels know how to find them, and these women know where to find season previews and sneak peeks at designer collections. Among their specialties are themed shopping expeditions. Got a particular vintage piece in mind? They'll help you scour the city—or comb it on your behalf—to find it. Other packages include “Pregnant and Fabulous” for style-minded moms-to-be. And gentlemen, they've got the men's market covered, too. Once they have you understanding sizing, they'll have you looking primed for the pages of GQ in a few hours. Alice gave us the skinny on their latest offering, which is simply referred to as luxury shopping excursions. You gather friends, they arrange the limo and exclusive showings. Each person in the group can even have her own stylist. “Stores will have private showing of new collections exclusive for people,” she says of the shopping excursions she orchestrates. “We go mainly to smaller boutiques,” she explains. “Sometimes retailers will tell us, ‘If you have flexibility around this date, we have a big delivery coming in from this designer.”

Personal shopping from $100/hour

When in Paris, call on Heather Price, an American expat and former fashion model, to help you navigate the exquisite retail scene, and any language barriers. Stylish and multi-lingual, she not only has personal contacts with designers and showrooms, but she also knows off-the-beaten path boutiques inside and out as well as all the best beauty destinations. Don't expect to spend the afternoon wandering through just the standard marquee name shops; instead, work with her in advance to fill out your "style profile" online, noting any specific items you desire, and she'll customize a shopping excursion for you and even scout out potential purchases before you meet. Her clients range from local Parisians to first time visitors to France. From a half-day of shop visits to in-home wardrobe inventories to the all-out "Parisian Makeover" package, during which she'll take you to have your hair, nails and make-up done before a night on the town, Heather is your guide to looking fabulous in the City of Lights. Is there a particular fragrance or handbag you want but can't get back home? Ask her to ship it you. Fluent in Italian, Heather can also accompany clients on shopping trips to Milan.

Half-day shopping trip €500