On a recent shopping trip to Naples I met up with some other style mavens in town for their own retail therapy. They called themselves the "Four Desperate Housewives from New York," but they weren't searching for pool boys and illicit afternoons on what could only be described as a picture-postcard, Chamber of Commerce Saturday afternoon in Naples.

They came on a girls' long weekend to find shopping nirvana. And they did, what with a Vera Wang trunk sale, Oprah-endorsed Cambio jeans and unique gifts galore for the folks back home.

One of the forty-something housewives called Naples "Shopping Heaven," adding "Don't use our names… we're really not desperate housewives!" as they left the Arabesque stationary and gift store on palm tree-lined Fifth Avenue South.

Their shopping bags fluttered in the gentle afternoon breeze as the "desperate housewives" strolled among other shoppers in the charming "olde" downtown area. Gushing about their first time visit, they vowed "We'll be baaack,'' as one housewife adjusted her jaunty navy-trimmed straw hat.

It was at Clothes by Consignment when I – not a desperate housewife! – had my "Holy Grail" moment of shopping when I spotted a cream-colored Chanel boucle jacket.

Naples does have gorgeous beaches, excellent restaurants and superlative golf courses, but equal lures are its upscale shops, shopping and outlet malls and consignment stores.

It was at Clothes by Consignment when I – not a desperate housewife! – had my "Holy Grail" moment of shopping when I spotted a cream-colored Chanel boucle jacket. The $300 price tag made my heart flutter: Retail would push it to several thousand. St. John, Escada, Jil Sander, even a few Valentinos – castoffs that qualify as full-blown treasures – filled the shop.

Wearing comfy shoes is a must, because you'll want to spend hours scouring the shops for unique treasures. "Unique" certainly described the toddler-sized pink chiffon swimsuit with matching hat that Kathy LaBlue bought for her granddaughter at Cottontails. Later, as she took a final sip of coffee at McCabe's Irish Pub & Grill, she smiled impishly and whispered the $142 price tag so hubby couldn't hear.

Larisa Hodginson (another New Yorker) came prepared in low-heeled sandals as she dashed into the Quiet Storm shop to try on a mint-hued hip-hugging skirt she had admired in the window. Husband John waited patiently outside, watching the Fifth Avenue crowds as they admired artwork in the galleries, sipped martinis at outdoor bistros and took in the genteel ambience on a heavenly spring evening.

At Marissa Collections on Third Street South (also part of the historic downtown district), Dolce & Galbanna, Prada, Versace and Valentino enticed, as did the Vera Wang trunk show. I was tempted to slip on a pair of Manolo Blahniks and strut in my best imitation of Sarah Jessica Parker.

Racks of Cambio jeans beckoned across the street at Zazou's. One only needs to slip on a pair of the low-rise jeans to see why Oprah adores them.

Adoration was easy at the Village on Venetian Bay (60 waterfront shops, galleries and restaurants with brick paths and courtyards) and at the Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay. Here there are almost 60 high-end stores that include Tiffany's, Saks, Talbots, Papyrus, Sharper Image and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Shopping can be tiring, and you need your strength, so a light lunch of iced tea and a mixed-green salad topped with sugared-pecans and bleu cheese at Silver Spoon is a necessity. Or so I told myself.

Thus fortified, dare I now mention the Coastland Center, with 150 stores such as Dillards, Macy's and Victoria's Secret? Or the many bargains to be found at the Prime Outlets mall (located between Naples and Marco Island)? Sounds as if those desperate housewives might have a stop or two more before heading home!