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In a city where closet space is hard to come by, the well-dressed New York City girl needs to make some careful edits as to what goes in there, and especially when it comes to bulky footwear. The easiest way to do that? Make your shoe purchases meaningful by only buying from the most worthy places. We've narrowed down your shopping options to 20 of the city's best stores—bypassing department stores, because you already know what to expect from Bergdorf's and Saks—that'll supply everything from slim sandals to heavy-duty boots (and fit a range of budgets, too).

With research assistance from Elena Adams and Daise Bedolla