HK shopping. Bargains?
Feb 16th, 2010, 06:06 PM
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HK shopping. Bargains?
I was hoping that Cicerone had compiled a shopping thread, but failed to find one in a search here. (Please let me know if one exists!)
Just wondering if anyone has any tips to share about the current shopping scene in HK. I might look for freshwater pearls, good quality "ethnic" jewelry, "antiques," Asian-style clothing, accessories.
(I love Blanc de Chine and plan to visit the shop in Pedder Building...is there an outlet for this designer? Are there any other women's clothing outlets worth visiting--Shanghai Tang, for example?. (I suspect that the answer has changed much since my first visits when I remember finding shopping heaven in an industrial building in Mongkok.)
What about tailoring for casual womenswear? Worth the time/price? (Not interested in anything remotely approaching business attire)
Many many thanks and apologies for these repetitive posts.
Just wondering if anyone has any tips to share about the current shopping scene in HK. I might look for freshwater pearls, good quality "ethnic" jewelry, "antiques," Asian-style clothing, accessories.
(I love Blanc de Chine and plan to visit the shop in Pedder Building...is there an outlet for this designer? Are there any other women's clothing outlets worth visiting--Shanghai Tang, for example?. (I suspect that the answer has changed much since my first visits when I remember finding shopping heaven in an industrial building in Mongkok.)
What about tailoring for casual womenswear? Worth the time/price? (Not interested in anything remotely approaching business attire)
Many many thanks and apologies for these repetitive posts.
Feb 16th, 2010, 07:56 PM
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I do have a shopping list which I have put together over the years for friends and family. I would be happy to send it to you if you send me an e-mail. I have to say it is not overly heavy on clothes shopping, as I don’t do a lot here (that is what catalogs and the web are for). Unless it is pouring rain, on any given weekend or public holiday I am much more likely to be on a hiking trail than in a mall.
What I do find amazing about Hong Kong shopping is that you can find virtually any item made anywhere in the world. You may have to dig around a little bit, or you may see things right out there that will surprise you. There is a Hang Ten clothing shop in downtown Central. I have not seen that clothing line since like the early 1970's and did not think they were even in business anymore; and certainly Hong Kong is not a surfing culture. There is a Le Sport Sac shop here, again a brand I did not think existed anymore. One of my favorite cosmetic lines is Jurlique. They have 8 outlets here, and when I lived in Switzerland with almost the same size population, I had to go to Geneva to buy their products. So, if there is a favorite item you want to stock up on or have trouble finding at home, this is the place to look for it. It won’t necessarily be any cheaper, but at least you can find it.
The other thing I like about Hong Kong shopping are the unknown designers. The "Soho" area on Hong Kong Island is just a lot of fun to walk around in and poke into the small boutiques there to see what is new. There are all kinds of little shops there selling shoes, clothes, handbags, house wares, art (some very pricey, some not). To help the shopping experience along there are lots of great cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood as well. The main streets to browse are Staunton, Elgin, Peel, and Old Bailey; although Hollywood Road is excellent for antiques and expensive artwork, and then you can go along Hollywood Road to the Man Mo temple and the Cat Street area for cheaper antiques and kitsch stuff like little red books of Mao's sayings. You can take the escalator up from Central to this area and then just wander around. The Luxe Guide to Hong Kong gives some good tips to this area, IMO. (Much of the Hollywood Road antique shops are closed on Sundays, although Soho shops are open.) The Island Beverly shopping centre in Causeway Bay is also good for this, but IMO, the styles here are for a younger crowd.
There are no discount outlets for Blanc de Chine or Shanghai Tang to the best of my knowledge. (I assume that is what you meant by “outlets”.) Note that most of the clothes for Blanc de Chine are now in their shop in the Landmark building, see http://www.blancdechine.com/blanc/en/ for their locations. The Pedder location is smaller and has more bedding. But it is worth going to both, and they are quite close to each other. The Pedder Building has a small and shrinking number of discount outlet shops, just do some poking around on all the floors, as new ones open and old ones close. These are not named by brand, just have generic store names, but often the names of labels they sell are listed on storefronts, Chanel bouclé suits are a favourite. The sizes tend to be US 2 and 4 for women from what I have seen, so I never have much luck there. There are various outlets in Hong Kong, two to try are below on Hong Kong Island near Aberdeen:
Lane Crawford Warehouse – 25th Floor
Max Mara - 27th Floor
Horizon Plaza
2 Li Wing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island
(near Aberdeen)
Space
Marina Square East
2nd Floor Commercial Block
South Horizons
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island
Lane Crawford is an upscale Hong Kong department store and has a good size discount outlet here. It can be very hit or miss, but bargains are there. Max Mara also has an outlet shop here and has a small but good selection, prices are quite good as well, about 1/3 of their retail store prices. You need to take a taxi, will take about 20 minutes from Central and cost about US$20. (A bus is possible, I think it would require some changes, although a direct bus to apartments near South Horizons is possible I believe.) You could combine this with a trip to Aberdeen as it is not too far, would be about 5 minutes by taxi and cost about US$3. The Max Mara outlet is closed on Mondays. Horizon Plaza tends to be very crowded on weekends, and elevators can be very slow and crowded.
There are other outlets around, like Kaiser Estate in the Hung Hom area of Kowloon, and I still think you will find the odd outlet in Mongkok and also places like Tsuen Wan. I spend very little time in any of these places, so can’t really recommend any in particular. I believe that the Hong Kong Tourist Association has a booklet on outlet shops, so either stop by the tourist office at the Star Ferry on the Kowloon side (or at the airport on the Peak) or check their website. The Kaiser estate outlets are usually closed on Sundays and some on Saturdays as far as I know. Also try the Suzy Gershman book as she has many reccos on discount outlets. She now has her own website in addition to her “Born to Shop” books. See http://www.suzygershman.com/ (She looks exactly as I expected her to look.)
There is the “outlet mall” at Tung Chung near the airport. See http://www.citygateoutlets.com.hk/index.html. I have to say that prices do not seem significantly cheaper than outlet malls in the US, and the selection from what I have seen is not that great. However, if you are going to the Big Buddha, it’s an easy place to stop on the way in or out, as it is right on the MTR and at the base of the cable car or bus to the Buddha. It’s packed to the rafters on weekends, esp Sundays, so I would go on a weekday if you can. They have a good and inexpensive food court.
If you have the time and patience, you can walk the streets on Hong Kong Island from Wan Chai to Causeway Bay along Hennessy Road and also Johnston Road from about Landale Street in Wan Chai to the Sogo Dept store in Causeway Bay (this is a several mile stretch) and you will see dozens of tiny storefront shops with racks and bins of "seconds" on sale. I have gone with veteran shoppers who have found DKNY stuff and other designer things in these shops for great prices. You really have to want to take the time to go through the shops and the bins, but you can find things if you have enormous staying power and patience. Which I don’t. The same would be true of the Ladies Market in Kowloon, or the Lanes in Central, although quality in the Lanes is somewhat questionable. But they have lots of costume jewelry for sale in the shops there.
Horizon Plaza Which I mentioned above is also a very good place to look for “antiques” some real, some fake and some reproductions. Mostly these are large pieces, but there are some pieces as well that you could perhaps bring back with you. (Once you add in shipping, I am not sure that the savings are worth it). Also there are some porcelain places in Horizon Plaza and also in Aberdeen which might interest you. There is a place where you can have china made to your own pattern.
I have to say I am not a huge person for tailoring, although I would certainly suggest you have shoes or handbags made if you have the time (it’s not cheap, however. Search previous posts or I can post info on this). I have just never been totally enthralled with any outfit I have had made. Also, for casual clothing, I think you would find this to be a rather expensive option. Having a cocktail dress made is fine, but I don’t see the point in having a pair of jeans made . What I do like is having ready-made clothes altered to fit me better. I have altered things like jackets to put in darts for a waistline, take cuffs off pants, shorten very long tops and things like that. It’s not expensive and the results are good. This can take some time, but if have some clothes you think could be made to look better on you, I would bring them along.
One place I would go for ethnic items is Mountain Folk Craft. This is Tibetan and other tribal craft, and not a lot from the PRC per se, but still quite pretty. They sometimes have jewelry. This is right in Lan Kwai Fong on a side street to the right as you are walking uphill on D'Aguilar from Queen’s Road East and have crossed Wellington Street.
Mountain Folk Craft
12 Wo On Lane
Central, Hong Kong
Another place to try for local handicrafts, (other than Chinese Arts and Crafts which is quite good and certainly very convenient) is <b>Crossroads International</b>. This is a large charity “supermarket” of various fair-trade handicraft vendors all under one rood, there is also a café. The drawback for the tourist is the location in Tuen Mun, you have to take a bus or a or taxi from the Tuen Muen MTR station, about 10 minutes. (Note that this stop is technically the West Rail Line so the tourist Octopus card will not allow you to take this line for free, although you can top up the card with cash and use the card on the line, or just buy separate tickets for the journey.) There are few tourist sights in Tuen Mun, although there are at least two temples, and there are several nice beaches. However, the selection of goods is quite good, including lacquer ware from SE Asia and textiles from Yunnan province, so the trek may be worth it. See http://www.globalhandicrafts.org/ for information and directions. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays, and unlike most Hong Kong shops, close around 5 pm most other days.
I would be very careful buying cashmere, as fakes abound. Same with jade; I just assume it is fake unless I am in a good jeweler (where it is expensive). Nothing wrong with buying fake jade in a street market, just don’t pay a lot for it. (It won’t give you the good luck properties of real jade, but perhaps this is not why you are buying it anyway.) Pearls as well in places like Stanley market and street markets. Antiques in some cases as well, but for furniture, many stores will tell you if it is a reproduction.
What I do find amazing about Hong Kong shopping is that you can find virtually any item made anywhere in the world. You may have to dig around a little bit, or you may see things right out there that will surprise you. There is a Hang Ten clothing shop in downtown Central. I have not seen that clothing line since like the early 1970's and did not think they were even in business anymore; and certainly Hong Kong is not a surfing culture. There is a Le Sport Sac shop here, again a brand I did not think existed anymore. One of my favorite cosmetic lines is Jurlique. They have 8 outlets here, and when I lived in Switzerland with almost the same size population, I had to go to Geneva to buy their products. So, if there is a favorite item you want to stock up on or have trouble finding at home, this is the place to look for it. It won’t necessarily be any cheaper, but at least you can find it.
The other thing I like about Hong Kong shopping are the unknown designers. The "Soho" area on Hong Kong Island is just a lot of fun to walk around in and poke into the small boutiques there to see what is new. There are all kinds of little shops there selling shoes, clothes, handbags, house wares, art (some very pricey, some not). To help the shopping experience along there are lots of great cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood as well. The main streets to browse are Staunton, Elgin, Peel, and Old Bailey; although Hollywood Road is excellent for antiques and expensive artwork, and then you can go along Hollywood Road to the Man Mo temple and the Cat Street area for cheaper antiques and kitsch stuff like little red books of Mao's sayings. You can take the escalator up from Central to this area and then just wander around. The Luxe Guide to Hong Kong gives some good tips to this area, IMO. (Much of the Hollywood Road antique shops are closed on Sundays, although Soho shops are open.) The Island Beverly shopping centre in Causeway Bay is also good for this, but IMO, the styles here are for a younger crowd.
There are no discount outlets for Blanc de Chine or Shanghai Tang to the best of my knowledge. (I assume that is what you meant by “outlets”.) Note that most of the clothes for Blanc de Chine are now in their shop in the Landmark building, see http://www.blancdechine.com/blanc/en/ for their locations. The Pedder location is smaller and has more bedding. But it is worth going to both, and they are quite close to each other. The Pedder Building has a small and shrinking number of discount outlet shops, just do some poking around on all the floors, as new ones open and old ones close. These are not named by brand, just have generic store names, but often the names of labels they sell are listed on storefronts, Chanel bouclé suits are a favourite. The sizes tend to be US 2 and 4 for women from what I have seen, so I never have much luck there. There are various outlets in Hong Kong, two to try are below on Hong Kong Island near Aberdeen:
Lane Crawford Warehouse – 25th Floor
Max Mara - 27th Floor
Horizon Plaza
2 Li Wing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island
(near Aberdeen)
Space
Marina Square East
2nd Floor Commercial Block
South Horizons
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island
Lane Crawford is an upscale Hong Kong department store and has a good size discount outlet here. It can be very hit or miss, but bargains are there. Max Mara also has an outlet shop here and has a small but good selection, prices are quite good as well, about 1/3 of their retail store prices. You need to take a taxi, will take about 20 minutes from Central and cost about US$20. (A bus is possible, I think it would require some changes, although a direct bus to apartments near South Horizons is possible I believe.) You could combine this with a trip to Aberdeen as it is not too far, would be about 5 minutes by taxi and cost about US$3. The Max Mara outlet is closed on Mondays. Horizon Plaza tends to be very crowded on weekends, and elevators can be very slow and crowded.
There are other outlets around, like Kaiser Estate in the Hung Hom area of Kowloon, and I still think you will find the odd outlet in Mongkok and also places like Tsuen Wan. I spend very little time in any of these places, so can’t really recommend any in particular. I believe that the Hong Kong Tourist Association has a booklet on outlet shops, so either stop by the tourist office at the Star Ferry on the Kowloon side (or at the airport on the Peak) or check their website. The Kaiser estate outlets are usually closed on Sundays and some on Saturdays as far as I know. Also try the Suzy Gershman book as she has many reccos on discount outlets. She now has her own website in addition to her “Born to Shop” books. See http://www.suzygershman.com/ (She looks exactly as I expected her to look.)
There is the “outlet mall” at Tung Chung near the airport. See http://www.citygateoutlets.com.hk/index.html. I have to say that prices do not seem significantly cheaper than outlet malls in the US, and the selection from what I have seen is not that great. However, if you are going to the Big Buddha, it’s an easy place to stop on the way in or out, as it is right on the MTR and at the base of the cable car or bus to the Buddha. It’s packed to the rafters on weekends, esp Sundays, so I would go on a weekday if you can. They have a good and inexpensive food court.
If you have the time and patience, you can walk the streets on Hong Kong Island from Wan Chai to Causeway Bay along Hennessy Road and also Johnston Road from about Landale Street in Wan Chai to the Sogo Dept store in Causeway Bay (this is a several mile stretch) and you will see dozens of tiny storefront shops with racks and bins of "seconds" on sale. I have gone with veteran shoppers who have found DKNY stuff and other designer things in these shops for great prices. You really have to want to take the time to go through the shops and the bins, but you can find things if you have enormous staying power and patience. Which I don’t. The same would be true of the Ladies Market in Kowloon, or the Lanes in Central, although quality in the Lanes is somewhat questionable. But they have lots of costume jewelry for sale in the shops there.
Horizon Plaza Which I mentioned above is also a very good place to look for “antiques” some real, some fake and some reproductions. Mostly these are large pieces, but there are some pieces as well that you could perhaps bring back with you. (Once you add in shipping, I am not sure that the savings are worth it). Also there are some porcelain places in Horizon Plaza and also in Aberdeen which might interest you. There is a place where you can have china made to your own pattern.
I have to say I am not a huge person for tailoring, although I would certainly suggest you have shoes or handbags made if you have the time (it’s not cheap, however. Search previous posts or I can post info on this). I have just never been totally enthralled with any outfit I have had made. Also, for casual clothing, I think you would find this to be a rather expensive option. Having a cocktail dress made is fine, but I don’t see the point in having a pair of jeans made . What I do like is having ready-made clothes altered to fit me better. I have altered things like jackets to put in darts for a waistline, take cuffs off pants, shorten very long tops and things like that. It’s not expensive and the results are good. This can take some time, but if have some clothes you think could be made to look better on you, I would bring them along.
One place I would go for ethnic items is Mountain Folk Craft. This is Tibetan and other tribal craft, and not a lot from the PRC per se, but still quite pretty. They sometimes have jewelry. This is right in Lan Kwai Fong on a side street to the right as you are walking uphill on D'Aguilar from Queen’s Road East and have crossed Wellington Street.
Mountain Folk Craft
12 Wo On Lane
Central, Hong Kong
Another place to try for local handicrafts, (other than Chinese Arts and Crafts which is quite good and certainly very convenient) is <b>Crossroads International</b>. This is a large charity “supermarket” of various fair-trade handicraft vendors all under one rood, there is also a café. The drawback for the tourist is the location in Tuen Mun, you have to take a bus or a or taxi from the Tuen Muen MTR station, about 10 minutes. (Note that this stop is technically the West Rail Line so the tourist Octopus card will not allow you to take this line for free, although you can top up the card with cash and use the card on the line, or just buy separate tickets for the journey.) There are few tourist sights in Tuen Mun, although there are at least two temples, and there are several nice beaches. However, the selection of goods is quite good, including lacquer ware from SE Asia and textiles from Yunnan province, so the trek may be worth it. See http://www.globalhandicrafts.org/ for information and directions. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays, and unlike most Hong Kong shops, close around 5 pm most other days.
I would be very careful buying cashmere, as fakes abound. Same with jade; I just assume it is fake unless I am in a good jeweler (where it is expensive). Nothing wrong with buying fake jade in a street market, just don’t pay a lot for it. (It won’t give you the good luck properties of real jade, but perhaps this is not why you are buying it anyway.) Pearls as well in places like Stanley market and street markets. Antiques in some cases as well, but for furniture, many stores will tell you if it is a reproduction.
Feb 16th, 2010, 08:03 PM
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Cicerone,
There are Shanghai Tang Outlets(up to 70% off regular prices) at the airport in Terminal 2. One shop for men and one shop for women.
FYI - http://www.shanghaitang.com/storelocations.jsp
*look under "Lantau"
There are Shanghai Tang Outlets(up to 70% off regular prices) at the airport in Terminal 2. One shop for men and one shop for women.
FYI - http://www.shanghaitang.com/storelocations.jsp
*look under "Lantau"
Feb 16th, 2010, 09:58 PM
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> There are Shanghai Tang Outlets(up to 70% off regular prices) at the airport in Terminal 2. One shop for men and one shop for women.
On the contrary, the assertion that there are no discount outlets for Shanghai Tang is correct. I recently did far too much shopping at Shanghai Tang in the sales (and 'sale' prices at Shanghai Tang are still outrageous), and checked at the airport before flying out. The prices were no different, which is hardly unexpected since the whole of Hong Kong has freeport status and thus there are for most items no taxes to exempt at the airport. Indeed, some things there are more expensive than they are down town.
Peter N-H
On the contrary, the assertion that there are no discount outlets for Shanghai Tang is correct. I recently did far too much shopping at Shanghai Tang in the sales (and 'sale' prices at Shanghai Tang are still outrageous), and checked at the airport before flying out. The prices were no different, which is hardly unexpected since the whole of Hong Kong has freeport status and thus there are for most items no taxes to exempt at the airport. Indeed, some things there are more expensive than they are down town.
Peter N-H
Feb 16th, 2010, 10:44 PM
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These are "Outlet" shops at terminal 2 with only discounted items and they don't carry current season item there as well. Perhaps you're confusing the other Shanghai Tang shops but these outlets are on the landside(pre passport control) of the airport. Only two outlet shops in Hong Kong, I ask last week when I was there, and they are both at terminal 2.
In their normal retail shops, during the non sales period, you can always find a small section with sales items.
In their normal retail shops, during the non sales period, you can always find a small section with sales items.
Feb 17th, 2010, 02:46 AM
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Incredibly fabulous information here! I happen to love Max Mara so that is a useful tidbit about their outlet.
I will print out and take this thread along..a huge thanks to Cicerone and to you two guys as well.
I will print out and take this thread along..a huge thanks to Cicerone and to you two guys as well.
