lonelyplanet.com<strong>SHOPPING</strong> HONG KONG ISLANDfashion trends closely, partly with thehelp of fashion collaborations with thelikes of Madonna, Stella McCartney andKylie Minogue.JOYCE Map p67Clothing & Accessories%2810 1120; Ground fl, New World Tower, 16Queen’s Rd Central; MTR Central (exit D1)This multidesigner store is a good choiceif you’re short of time rather than money:Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen, MarcJacobs, Comme des Garçons, Chloé, Pucci,Yohji Yamamoto and several Hong Kongfashion names are just some of the designerswhose wearable wares are on display.There’s another branch of Joyce in Admiralty(Map p72 ; %2523 5944; Shop 334, 3rd fl, Pacific Place,88 Queensway). For the same duds at half theprice, visit Joyce Warehouse (%2814 8313; 21stfl, Horizon Plaza Arcade, 2 Lee Wing St, Ap Lei Chau;hclosed Mon), opposite the Aberdeenwaterfront.JILIAN, LINGERIE ON WYNDHAMMap p78Clothing & Accessories%2826 9295; Ground fl, 31 Wyndham St; MTRCentral ( exit D2)Swimwear and a vast range of French andItalian lingerie, from gossamer delicatessmall enough to swallow with a glass ofwater to rather outré corsetry with stringsand stays and such. There’s even a smallrange of men’s designer smalls if you justcan’t put up with your man’s industrialsizedunderpants any longer. Labels stockedinclude Eres, Argentovivo, ID Sarrieri,Cadolle, Aubade, Bacirubati, Pin-up Stars,Jonquil, Revanche de la Femme, Rosa Chaand Grigioperla.LINVA TAILOR Map p78 Clothing & Accessories%2544 2456; Ground fl, 38 Cochrane St; g26This is the place to come to have yourvery own cheongsam (tight-fitting Chinesedress) tailored. Bring your own silk orchoose from Miss Tong’s selection. The proprietorsare also happy to mail completeditems, if you’re pushed for time.LULU CHEUNG Map p67 Clothing & Accessories%2537 7515; Shop B63, Basement, LandmarkBldg, 1 Pedder St; MTR Central (exit G)Local designer Lulu makes sophisticated, understatedwomen’s casual wear and elegantevening gowns using natural fabrics – suchas wool, cotton, silk and linen – in mutedtones. Cheung often works with layers andtextures using mesh or floral embroidery.MIU MIU Map p67Clothing & Accessories%2523 7833; Shop B24, Basement, LandmarkBldg, 1 Pedder St; MTR CentralClean lines, the best fabrics and a lushcolour palette define the high-end fashionfrom this Prada spin-off. Great (and pricey)shoes and handbags, too. A range ofsmaller accessories makes it a good placeto hunt for presents.THE WARDROBE OF SUZIE WONGThere’s nothing quite like a cheongsam, the close-fitting sheath that is as Chinese as a bowl of won ton noodle soup. Itlifts where it should and never pulls where it shouldn’t. And those thigh-high side slits – well, they’re enough to giveany man apoplexy. It’s sensuous but never lewd; it reveals without showing too much.Reach into any Hong Kong Chinese woman’s closet and you’re bound to find at least one cheongsam (qípáo inMandarin), the closest thing Hong Kong has to national dress. It’s there for formal occasions like Chinese New Yeargatherings, work (restaurant receptionists and nightclub hostesses wear them), school (cotton cheongsams are still theuniform at several colleges and secondary schools) or for the ‘big day’. Modern Hong Kong brides may take their vowsin white, but when they’re slipping off for the honeymoon, they put on a red cheongsam.It’s difficult to imagine that this bedazzling dress started life as a man’s garment. During the Qing dynasty, theManchus ordered Han Chinese to emulate their way of dress – elite men wore a loose ‘long robe’ (chèung-pò) with a‘riding jacket’ (máa-kwáa) while women wore trousers under a long garment. By the 1920s, modern women in Shanghaihad taken to wearing the androgynous changpao, which released them from layers of confining clothing. From thisoutfit evolved the cheongsam.The ‘bourgeois’ cheongsam dropped out of favour in China when the Communists came to power in 1949 and wasbanned outright during the Cultural Revolution, but the 1950s and ‘60s were the outfit’s heyday. This was the era ofSuzie Wong (the cheongsam is sometimes called a ‘Suzie Wong dress’) and, although hemlines rose and dropped,collars stiffened and more darts were added to give it a tighter fit, the cheongsam has remained essentially the same:elegant, sexy and very Chinese.160
SHANGHAI TANGMap p67Clothing & Accessories%2525 7333; Basement & Ground fl, Pedder Bldg,12 Pedder St; MTR Central (exit D1)Updated versions of traditional Chinesegarments including cheongsams and collarlessjackets with a modern cut and edgefeaturing lots of lime and orange. It alsostocks accessories and Chinese-styled giftitems with a modern twist. Custom tailoringis available.VINTAGE HK Map p67 Clothing & Accessories%2545 9932; 57-59 Hollywood Rd, Central;h10am-6pm; MTR Central (exit D2)Definitely worth a look for its small, wellselectedrange of vintage wear, for whichyou need not do much rummaging.HARVEY NICHOLSMap p67Department Store%3695 3389; www.harveynichols.com; LandmarkBldg, 1 Pedder St; MTR Central (exit G)Britain’s Harvey Nichols has brought itsdiverse, profuse and on-the-pulse rangeof couture and smart street fashions toHong Kong, occupying four floors at theLandmark.LANE CRAWFORD Map p67 Department Store%2118 3388; Level 3, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St;MTR Central (exit A)This branch of Hong Kong’s original Westernstyledepartment store, the territory’sanswer to Harrods in London, is the flagshipnow that the store located on Queen’sRd Central has closed. There are alsobranches in Admiralty (Map p72 ; %2118 3668; 1st& 2nd fls, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway), Causeway Bay(Map p85 ; %2118 3638; Ground & 1st fls, Times Sq, 1Matheson St) and Tsim Sha Tsui (Map p104 ; %21183428; Ground & 1st fls, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City,Salisbury Rd).SWANK Map p67Department Store%2868 3804 (ladies), 2810 0769; Shop 202, 2ndfl, Alexandra House, 16-20 Chater Rd; MTR Central(exit H)A long-standing fashion powerhouse, theSwank stocks a good range of established,mainly European labels, including Kenzo,Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy,plus a smattering of up-and-coming talentfrom Hong Kong and the world’s fashioncentres.OCEAN OPTICAL Map p67Eyewear%2868 5670; Shop 5, Ground fl, Cascade, StandardChartered Bank Bldg, 4-4A Des Voeux Rd Central;MTR Central (exit G)Both frames and lenses can be cheaper(in some case, much cheaper) in HongKong than what you would pay at home,and we do not know of a better opticianin Hong Kong than Ocean Optical. There’sa branch in Tsim Sha Tsui (Map p104 ; %27350611; Shop 326, 3rd fl, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, 3-9Canton Rd).FOOK MING TONG TEA SHOPMap p67Food & Drink% 2295 0368; Shop 3006, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St;MTR Central (exit A)Tea-making accoutrements and carefullychosen teas of various ages and grades,from gunpowder to Nanyan Ti Guan YinCrown Grade – costing anything from $10to $9000 per 100g.OLYMPIA GRAECO-EGYPTIANCOFFEE Map p78Food & Drink%2522 4653; Ground fl, 24 Old Bailey St;hclosed Sun; g26This place has been around since, well,anyone can remember, and it still grindsthe best beans in town.THREE SIXTY Map p67Food & Drink%2111 4480; 3rd & 4th fls, Landmark Bldg,1 Pedder St; MTR Central (exit G)A fabulous addition to Hong Kong’s foodscene, Three Sixty sells a great range oforganic and natural foods, as well as topnotchimports of hard-to-find ingredientsfrom all over the world. The prices, ofcourse, are high. There’s also a terrific foodcourt with cuisine from all over the worldon the upper floor.LIULIGONGFANG Map p67 Gifts & Souvenirs%2973 0820; Shop 20-22, Ground fl, Central Bldg,1-3 Pedder St; MTR CentralExquisite coloured-glass objects, bothpractical (vases, candle holders, jewellery)and ornamental (figurines, crystal Buddhas,breathtaking sculptures) from renownedTaiwanese glass sculptor Loretta YangHui-Shan are on display and for sale here.There’s another branch in Admiralty (Mapp72 ; %2918 9001; Shop 320, 3rd fl, Pacific Place, 88Queensway).lonelyplanet.com<strong>SHOPPING</strong> HONG KONG ISLAND161
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