iCandy
Hong Kong is one of those places that you can roam around and unwittingly come across a hidden jewel of a store. The frilly and girly girl-type clothes prominently displayed in the windows of many small boutiques are often enough to dissuade me from venturing inside. However, often the clothing on display may not properly represent what is really available.
Along Yiu Wa Street in Causeway Bay (behind Times Square), I've been pleasantly surprised to discover a whole slew of stores with great finds at reasonable prices. While other local spots such as Granville Road and Mong Kok offer cheap finds for teeny-bopper clothing, the clothing along this street is trendy yet still elegantly sophisticated.
For ladies who like dresses that are pretty without being frilly, check out Solid Red (G/F, Tak Cheong Building, 44 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2834 8280). Importing a good portion of their inventory from Italy, the pieces are good buys as they don't necessarily follow seasonal trends and can be worn over and over.
Just down the street, nab a custom-made pair of shoes to match your new purchases at Shoe Girl (Shop 6, 21 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2834 1023). Although the boutique provides the designs, you can add your own touch by choosing what colour and material you would like the shoes made in.
If knowing how to stylishly mix and match is your thing, then you're in luck. I happened upon two stores that literally made my day.
Both stores carry a small yet well-edited selection of Topshop pieces that were purchased directly in London and carried back to Hong Kong. Voulez Vous (Shop 4, G/F, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Bartlock Centre, Causeway Bay, tel: 2833 0938) also has a small Topshop catalogue where customers can order items from. Aside from Topshop, Voulez Vous also carries a small selection from Miss Selfridge as well as pieces from a few Japanese designers like the ones worn by shop girl Meego (right).
Right next door, Marshmallow (Shop G05, G/F, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Bartlock Centre, Causeway Bay, tel: 2836 6367) also carries a mixed inventory of pieces from Topshop (they have some pieces from Kate Moss' collection, as well as others), a small selection of Japanese brands and a couple of cute vintage pieces.
Lisa (far left), for one, is wearing a cute vintage tee from the shop under a striped cropped shirt. Both her and Jocelyn are also super friendly and helpful and won't give you that typical Hong Kong evil-eye if you try on everything.
