Shopping guide in Central Hong Kong

Shopping guide in Central district , Hong Kong

The upwardly mobile will rush to Central where, along with tossing their husbands’ lifetime pensions into a shopping black hole, they can see and be seen. The mother lode of top-drawer brands in Hong kong is the trio of Landmark, neighbouring Prince’s Building and the stylish Chater House where you can have your unhurried fill of Armani, Prada, Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Max & Co, Polo Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Celine, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Gucci, Versace and so on. Several of these outlets have been dramatically reinvented, the latest being the newly opened Gucci flagship store next to the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Chater House includes several Armani options including flower arrangements and some fabulously expensive home furnishings.

Apart from the shopping, the Landmark is a popular meeting point. Tech-buffs should breeze through Oregon Scientific in Prince’s Building where all manner of drool-worthy items are on offer including weather clocks that also plot the phases of the moon. A Philippe Starck designer clock will set you back just around HK$730 and a finger-pulse checker and calorie counter around HK$210. Hungry or thirsty? Visit ThreeSixty ( 3rd and 4th floors, Landmark) for organic foods and wines, “earth-friendly” household products and other healthy and environmentally friendly options. ThreeSixty also offers an extensive range of take-home and ready-to-eat food meals.

Around the corner at 10 Queen's Road Central is the giddy Bape Store complete with the big gorilla logo at the entrance. Walk in to a minimalist white store with a glass floor and conveyor belt underfoot carting bright walking and sports shoes priced at upwards of HK$1,000. Go ape here with jeans at HK$2,000 and up, and t-shirts at upwards of HK$400. That's a lot of cash for a splash of style jet-fresh from Japan.

Across Pedder Street, facing Landmark, is the graciously ageing Pedder Building which stocks an array of clothing outlets and niche boutiques. Occupying the ground floor and basement, Shanghai Tangoffers brilliantly hued silks for all occasions, from gowns and figure-hugging cheongsams to jackets and pajamas. Launched in 1994, Shanghai Tang is a Hong Kong landmark and it’s hard to walk in without picking something up. Never mind the wallet. Housed in the historic Pedder Building, this flagship store occupies 12,000sq ft on two floors. Take your time, rummage about, grab an eye-catching gift. Check out the new Shanghai Tang store at Pacific Place Mall in Admiralty, or shop on the fly at its airport outlet.

One floor up in the Pedder Building, Blanc de Chine offers a more refined, tempered translation of Chinese high fashions. Fronting the chic, new Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Queen's Road Central, a breezy Central addition is the 60,000sq ft Harvey Nichols, spread over five floors. It offers a huge range of luxury brands, competing with the famous Joyce Boutique across the road.

Nearby, the newly opened H&M store at 68 Queen's Road Central created a stir when it opened in early 2007, with patrons camping out overnight to be the first to get in and grab the freebies on offer.

Walk down Stanley Street, and you’ll come across Aberdeen Street and a few others like it that climb up in steps from Central to the fashionable Mid-Levels residential area. Party costumes and wigs abound. Check out the old lady selling famous “century-old” eggs at HK$10 for four. It must be pointed out this is an acquired taste. On Hollywood Road you’ll find antiques and art galleries galore. G.O.D (Goods of Desire) is the spot for original Hong Kong themed fashion and interior products, a heady blend of the trendy, the retro and the kitsch. Other outlets in Causeway Bay and TST's ferry-side Harbour City.

If you’re ploughing through a full-blown mid-life crisis or just need respite from the relentless wallet bashing in Central, wander up Old Bailey Street to The New Age Shop above Hollywood Road. It houses an interesting assortment of books (nirvana, auras, philosophy, anything really…), CDs, crystals and visiting psychics. For second-hand English language books and music try Flow Organic Bookshop along Shelley St and the Mid-levels escalator.

In Sheung Wan, the Protrek shop at 156-157 Connaught Road Centralhas a range of outdoor equipment, including hiking poles. The store is one of a number of outlets around the city – others include the one at 46 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai and another in Kowloon at 466-472 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei.

Apart from their fine restaurants and bars, nearby Elgin, Staunton and Gough Streets in the SoHo (South of Hollywood Road) area offer a variety of shopping options ranging from designer clothing to household products. Check out Meraviglioso (25 Staunton Street) for upmarket women’s fashion items imported from Europe. Prices here are 20 to 30 percent lower than for exactly the same thing in Harvey Nichols. For local designer fashions, check out Ranee K (47 Staunton Street) or SPY Henry Lau (21 Staunton Street). Lianca Central does designer-style leather handbags at affordable prices. Tree at 22 Elgin Street offers nice and simple home furnishings and accessories.

Also in Central, for avid golfers, there’s Central Golf on the ground floor of the Bank of America Tower on Harcourt Road, Central, which offers a wide range of apparel and clubs and even has three practise bays. The Golf Link Supplies store at 128 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, has anything from golfing accessories to golf carts. Or head to Pure Golf, in the Sincere Insurance Building, 4-6 Hennessy Road, Wanchai for more equipment. At Unit 2001 United Centre in Admiralty you'll find Golf Town with a good range of golf equipment, clubs, balls and accessories. Golf Town also has outlets in Causeway Bay on the ground floor of Leighton Centre and in Hankow Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.