Hong Kong was your ‘A’ class drug for any shopping addict from high-end sparkly department stores to quirky boutiques. But before I hit the narrow streets of Hong Kong, it was off to the wide squeaky clean streets of Orchard Road in Singapore…
Ultimate Shopping Holiday
I was in need of some serious retail therapy; the only problem was, where to go? I wanted sun, good food and fantastic shopping. Wellington was too windy and Auckland was getting a bit of rain. Crossing the ditch to Australia would be good, but my male companion would need a bit more excitement to endure the lengthily hours of endless shopping.
I needed fantastic food, a ridiculous amount of heat, neon lights, lots of hustle and bustle and a little bit of culture. Decision was made. I was off to Singapore then Hong Kong!
Hong Kong was your ‘A’ class drug for any shopping addict. It had every thing you wanted from high-end and sparkly department stores to quirky boutiques and modern chic designs. But before I hit the narrow streets of Hong Kong, it was off to the wide squeaky clean streets of Orchard Road in Singapore.
Singapore was a fabulous mix of tourist markets and ridiculously expensive designer stores, not to mention mall after mall after mall. When the humidity got too much your favourite mall was just two steps away from some cool relief.
So which mall to go to? If you’ve got limited time, Vivo City is the perfect stop. To get to Singapore’s largest shopping mall, just jump on the MRT and in a few minutes it’s right there. Not only that, but it’s your first stop before you catch the link over to Singapore’s playground Sentosa Island, where you’ll find theme parks like Universal Studios, beaches and resorts. But let’s get back to Vivo. I’ve always said a mall’s not a mall unless you find yourself utterly lost at some point during your shopping trip. I got lost more than twice, so for me, that’s what I call a mall. You had all your usual international stores like Zara, Top Shop, Forever 21, Ben Sherman, Ted Baker and much more.
But I couldn’t get too carried away with Singapore’s vast array of delightfully bright and shiny malls. Money had to be saved for Hong Kong.
A quick three and half hour flight and I had landed in Hong Kong. The second I landed I made sure I kept my eyes peeled for any delectable stores hidden down narrow side streets, but there was just too much to see.
I decided a mall was my safest bet for day two in Hong Kong. Nestled at Kowloon harbour is one of Hong Kong’s largest malls, Harbour City.
It was time to get out the brown paper bag because I was sure I about to hyperventilate. Burberry after Burberry, including Burberry’s new range of cosmetics, something I knew the department stores of New Zealand hadn’t seen. A Burberry lip-gloss cost me around $48 NZ dollars, which I didn’t think was too bad. It’s luscious, smells like a cabbage patch and slides over my lips like silk. Well worth the price and the novelty that I can say I now own a Burberry lip-gloss.
But if you were having enough of being in malls, Hong Kong’s famous markets were just a stone’s throw away. I opted to visit the “Ladies Market” on Tung Choy Street in Mongkok. Unfortunately I wasn’t as impressed as I hoped. Repetitiveness was something I had expected but the quality of goods looked a little too cheap for my liking. I had hoped to claim some pretty impressive knock off designer handbags, but the ones I saw were obviously copies and looked relatively inferior.
There was a lot more to see and do in Singapore and Hong Kong, but one thing is for sure, if you want a shopping trip with lots of variety Asia is definitely the place to go.
Their fashion is a season ahead so despite the heat, you can still pick up a woolly jumper for next winter.
And what is in for this coming winter? I saw lots of 70’s inspired designs, vintage look paisley shirts, classic camel coloured coats, military jackets and fur galore. Fake or real, it’s all in, fur vests, jackets, hats and scarfs, there’s no excuse to go cold this coming winter!
By Sarah Hunter, 21 November 2010.
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