W O R D S A L E S S A N D R A B E R G A M I N

’TIL YOU DROPSHOP

THE BEST SPOTS FOR RETAIL

THERAPY

NOTHING SAYS HOLIDAY SEASON L IKE BOUTIQUES, BARGAINING AND ARMFULS OF BAGS! SEVEN INSIDERS FROM ACROSS ASIA SPILL THEIR SHOPPING SECRETS

P H O T O S C L A U D I O C U C C U , C H R I S T O P H E R W I S E , G E T T Y , P A V I L I O N M A L L , S H U T T E R S T O C K

Asia’s cities are a shopaholic’s dream, boasting a plethora of hotspots from Chatuchak Market

in Bangkok to luxe ION Orchard in Singapore. Everywhere you look, the old meets the new: local boutiques breathe fresh life into charming yet overlooked

neighbourhoods, pop-up markets offer the cute and the kitsch, and artisans champion ancestor-pioneered handicrafts. This gives you access to some of the world’s best products – and a top travel experience in itself. Here, seven experts share their tips and ideas for where to find the perfect gift, just in time for the festive season.

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Insight S H O P W I T H T H E E X P E R T S

TA I P E I

Kathy saysFOR THE TECH NERDHit the Syntrend Creative Park in Taipei’s technology hub. You can explore seven floors of high-end gadgets, lifestyle goods, tech accessories, camera gear, toys and collectables.

THAT LAST-MINUTE BUYIf I were short a gift or two, I’d pick up organic Taiwanese honey or rice wine from Green-in-Hand.

SOMETHING LOCALYu Chocolatier gives its premium French-style chocolates a Taiwanese twist by adding ingredients such as Kavalan whisky, longan fruit, honey and oolong tea.

MUST-VISIT MALLSThe Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store and the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park are the best places to find gifts. The second and third floors of Eslite Spectrum have a huge selection of Taiwan-made products, while the Songshan Cultural Park gift shop stocks products from emerging Taiwanese designers.

KU A L A LU M P U R

Grace saysFOR HERYou’ll find everything at Pavilion mall. Your best friend would love anything from jewellery stores Tiffany & Co., Mikimoto or Shinju Pearls, all of which offer simple and elegant pieces. And Jo Malone would have to be my favourite place for perfume.

MUST-VISIT MALLMetrojaya department store stocks international brands that are hard to find elsewhere in Malaysia.

FOR THE GREEN THUMBOrchid Culture, in Bangsar Shopping Centre, is a personal favourite; they sell a variety of beautiful orchids.

Ian saysQUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIPOne of my favourite local stores is Thirtyfour. At this leather accessories store, you can customise the products.

UNIQUE FINDSLooking for something different? Head to Publika mall. With stores such as Carousel (for great toys and sweets) and Arcadia (for furniture and knick-knacks), along with a handful of art galleries, it’s the perfect place to find unconventional gifts.

Syntrend Creative Park: Civic Boulevard, Zhongzheng DistrictGreen-in-Hand: 1F, No. 518, Sec. 4, Ren’ai Rd, Xinyi DistrictYu Chocolatier: No. 10, Alley 3, Ln 112, Sec. 4, Ren’ai Rd, Da’an DistrictEslite Spectrum Songyan Store: No. 88, Yanchang Rd, Xinyi DistrictSongshan Cultural and Creative Park: No. 133, Guangfu South Rd, Xinyi District

Claudio saysMUST-SEE MARKETSOld Man’s Market is a jumble of stalls where you’ll find everything from ‘Granny’s’ homemade Oreos to bric-a-brac. And twice a month, Seminyak’s most famous art space, Biasa+, becomes a market.

ARTISAN GOODSBali is the land of craftspeople. One of my favourite shops is Kevala Home, where local artisans make objects by hand. Many of the pieces feature contemporary designs.

FOR THE SURFERDrifter offers everything from fins and swimwear to ukuleles. When you need a break, enjoy a freshly ground espresso in its library.

Single Fin: South Kuta, BadungHaze & Glory: Jl Batu Bolong 62, Canggu Equilibre Concept: Jl Laksmana Oberoi 117x, SeminyakTulola: Jl Petitenget, Gg Cendrawasih 2, Kerobokan, KutaUtama Spice: Ubud, GianyarEarth Cafe: Jl Lesmana/Oberoi No. 99, SeminyakOld Man’s Market: Batu Bolong, CangguBiasa+: Jl Raya Seminyak 34, KutaKevala Home: Jl Batubelig, Kerobokan, Kuta Utara, BadungDrifter Surf Shop & Cafe: Jl Oberoi 50, Seminyak

B A L I

Pris and Eve sayFOR HIMYou can pick up sarongs and batik or ikat scarves on Jalan Double Six – the famous Double Six Road. Go to Single Fin for surf gear, and visit Haze & Glory for fashion and jewellery.

FOR HER Head to Equilibre Concept (which sells our favourite lingerie), to Tulola for jewellery and to Utama Spice for that all-important skincare.

SOMETHING BALINESE You’ll discover traditional Balinese incense at Earth Cafe, and sarongs and jewellery on Double Six Road. You can buy wooden crafts in the small villages around Ubud, and handmade homewares along Tegallalang Road.

KEY BOUTIQUES The up-market neighbourhood Bangsar is a good place to browse boutiques and specialty stores.

Pavilion: 168 Jalan Bukit BintangMetrojaya: Mid Valley Megamall At2 Lingkaran Syed Putra Bangsar Shopping Centre: 285 Jalan Maarof, Bukit BandarayaThirtyfour: Lot 57, G2 Ground Floor, Publika Publika: 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas

GRACE CAOBeijing native Grace Cao moved to Kuala Lumpur two years ago. She works as a stylist and beauty consultant (gracecao.co)

IAN LOHJohor native Ian Loh is the associate fashion editor of Esquire Malaysia, which is based in Kuala Lumpur

KATHY CHENGTaipei-born, Sydney-raised blogger Kathy Cheng is behind design and lifestyle website Tricky Taipei (trickytaipei.com)

R E A D Y, S E T, S H O P !Clockwise from left to

right: Syntrend Creative Park; Yu Chocolatier; Pavilion mall; Drifter Surf Shop & Cafe;

Kevala Home

PRIS AND EVEPriscilla Rosmolen and Evelien Riupassa – who are of Indonesian heritage, but were born in the Netherlands – run WeLikeBali (we-like.org)

CLAUDIO CUCCUOriginally from Rome, Claudio Cuccu is the founder of inBali. (inBali.org), an online magazine devoted to this ‘Island of Gods’

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B A N G KO K

Yellow Fang sayMUST-SEE MARKETSHead to Chatuchak market, Bangkok’s most popular shopping destination. Today, pop-up markets are becoming popular, too; we always look forward to Made by Legacy.

MUST-VISIT MALLEight-storey Union Mall boasts more than 1,000 shops selling local and imported brands. There’s even an IT floor full of interesting gadgets and various phone accessories.

FOR THE MUSIC LOVER Khlong Thom Market has a small selection of vintage vinyl. We also follow stores such as 1979 Vinyl & Unknown Pleasures on Instagram (@1979vinyl) for stock updates.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Go to Phahurat Market for traditional Indian clothing, embroidered fabrics, incense and costume jewellery. We always find something interesting.

Chatuchak market: Kamphaeng Phet 2 Rd, ChatuchakMade by Legacy: madebylegacy.comUnion Mall: 54 Ladprao Soi 1, Ladprai Rd, Kwang Jompol, Khet ChatuchakKhlong Thom Market: Khlong Thom1979 Vinyl & Unknown Pleasures: 135 Sing Waet Lom Alley, Khlong Tan Nuea, WatthanaPhahurat Market: Phahurat Rd, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong

crowds is the quintessential Hong Kong shopping experience. Thanks to its frenetic energy and dizzying array of stores, there’s a lot to see.

FOR HIMVisit Select 18 for vintage frames and sunglasses, JUICE for a curated selection of urban menswear, and PYE (at Pacific Place) for its tailored shirts.

FOR HERExplore Loveramics for affordable ceramics, Basheer Design Books for coffee-table books, Woaw for knick-knacks, and Joyce Beauty for niche skincare brands.

Casa Capriz: 1st Floor, Kwai Bo Industrial Building, 40 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Wong Chuk Hang Flower Market: Flower Market Rd, Prince Edward, KowloonSelect 18: 18 Bridges St, Central JUICE: 9–11 Cleveland St, Fashion Walk, Causeway BayPYE: 1–3 Pedder St, CentralLoveramics: 97 Leighton Rd, Causeway BayBasheer Design Books: Flat A, Island Building, 439–441 Hennessy Rd, Causeway BayWoaw: 11 Gough St, CentralJoyce Beauty: New World Tower, 16–18 Queen’s Rd, Central

H O C H I M I N H C I T Y

Sophie saysFOR THE HISTORY BUFF At Dogma Gallery, you can buy prints of powerful posters from the largest private collection of original Vietnamese propaganda art.

MUST-SEE MARKETIf you head to Cholon, the city’s Chinatown, visit the busy Binh Tay Market and its surrounding shops. You’ll find Chinese lanterns, incense and dragon costumes.

UNUSUAL FINDSLe Cong Kieu or ‘Antiques Street’ is a medley of fakes, replicas and gems from all eras. Dig deep enough and you’ll score ’60s song sheets and vinyl.

Phoebe saysA CLASSIC SOUVENIRBen Thanh Market specialises in mementos. Be sure to bargain – you might be able to halve the price!

SOMETHING LUXURIOUSFor well-known brands, head to the Rex Hotel, which houses Chanel, Bulgari and Burberry, among other luxury international labels. Union Square is another good place to buy the finer things in life.

FOR THE HIPSTERYoung people flock to Nhà ga 3A - Station 3A, a cool shop and art gallery that’s covered in colourful graffiti. You can choose something to dress up your walls and yourself!

Dogma Gallery in the War Remnants Museum: 28 Vo Van Tan St, District 3Binh Tay Market: Thap Muoi, District 6Antiques Street: Le Cong Kieu StBen Thanh Market: Intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Tran Hung Dao Avenues and Le Lai StRex Hotel: 141 Nguyen Hue Blvd, District 1Union Square: 171 Dong Khoi, Ben NgheNha Ga 3A: 3A Ton Duc Thang, Ben Nghe, 1

H O N G KO N G

Gemma saysFOR LOCAL DESIGNSOne of my favourite stores is Casa Capriz, which is in the warehouse area of Wong Chuk Hang. Here, the one-off design pieces are hand picked.

FOR THE ROMANTIC My friends love receiving jasmine and rose tea, scented candles, silk fabric and handpainted porcelain. You can pick up these kinds of items on Cat Street, off Hollywood Road.

A GENUINE MARKET EXPERIENCE The Hong Kong Flower Market is a beautiful place to visit. Pick up a coffee and take some time out.

Charlotte saysA TRUE HONG KONG EXPERIENCEWading through the Causeway Bay

S I N GA P O R E

William saysFOR HIMThe new orchardgateway mall has a level dedicated to men’s fashion. Look for cool local brands there.

FOR HERI’d go to TANGS because its beauty bar stocks the best products. Over at ION Orchard, a huge selection of designer boutiques makes it easy to pick up something special.

LOCAL DESIGNERSCheck out pop-up store Workshop Element (which moves around) as well as Keepers, a concept store that stocks local designer labels.

UNIQUE FINDSTo find some quirky gifts, take a leisurely stroll along Haji Lane on a Saturday afternoon. Afterwards, you can grab a coffee or a beer and just chill out among the restored old shophouses.

orchardgateway: 277 and 218 Orchard RdTANGS: 310 Orchard RdION Orchard: 2 Orchard TurnKeepers: Singapore Designers Collective: Cnr of Cairnhill Rd and Orchard Rd

SOPHIE HUGHESSophie Hughes moved to Vietnam in 2009 and founded Sophie’s Art Tour (sophiesarttour.com) in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi

PHOEBE TRUONGPhoebe Truong lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City as an assistant brand manager for cosmetics distributor Phuong Phat

YELLOW FANGPimporn Metchanun, Praewa Chirapravati Na Ayudhya and Piyamas Muenprasertdee form the band Yellow Fang (facebook.com/yellowfangloveyou)

WILLIAM TANSingapore native William Tan is the founder and managing editor of digital men’s lifestyle magazine His Style Diary (hisstylediary.com)

GEMMA HAYDEN BLESTBritish floral designer Gemma Hayden Blest (haydenblest.com) divides her time between Hong Kong and Los Angeles

CHARLOTTE CHENHong Kong born and raised, Charlotte Chen (wunderlotte.com) is a co-founder of Spottly, a social travel app.

R E TA I L H E A V E NFrom left to right:

Binh Tay Market, Ho Chi Minh City; Hermès store

in the Union Square shopping mall; JUICE;

Keepers Orchard

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