WANDER LUST

Not all avenues are created equal, writes LEE TULLOCH. Here, she shares her favourite boulevards and avenues across the globe, made for strolling, roaming and window shopping.

-  LEE TULLOCH.

've been a flâneuse all my life. That's the female equivalent of flâneur - a stroller, a saunterer, one who "wanders with no purpose," according to the word's origins.

The flâneuse loves nothing more than a boulevard where she can roam and observe the passing crowd, where she can peer into shop windows, unhurried, resting occasionally at a well-placed café to continue the observation with a coffee or an aperitif.

Window shopping is a pastime loved by the flâneuse, because it's something that can be done on a whim, according to mood, and even when shops are closed. It involves no commitment. As an inveterate stroller, I'm an expert window shopper.

I've often wandered the world's best avenues and shopping streets without buying anything, except perhaps the odd accessory or two at Ginza's famed Mitsukoshi department store or an irresistible shoe from Bergdorf Goodman's iconic Fifth Avenue store.

The joy of looking is not disturbed by anything as boring as standing around at counters and exchanging money. Actual shopping betrays a purpose of intent that destroys the art of flâneuring.

But for many, the point of Singapore's Orchard Road or Los Angeles' Rodeo Drive is the shopping, and no excursion is complete without finishing with an armful of glossy designer bags, worn like trophies. Even in economically tougher times, it's difficult to flâneur down popular streets such as London's Bond Street or Fifth Avenue without being jostled by people shopping till they drop.

Not all streets are equal. Bond Street boasts the world's densest concentration of luxury brands, while Fifth Avenue is the world's most expensive street for renting a retail outlet. Sydney's ugly Pitt Street Mal is the eighth most expensive in the world, proving that good shopping and attractive streets do not go hand in hand.