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Almeta
If the verdant colours of Thai silk evoke frumpy society matrons, then you're a candidate for Almeta's toned-down earth-tones similar in hue to raw sugar or lotus blossoms.
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Ámantee
Although well outside of the city centre, this 'repository of Oriental and Tibetan art and antiques' is well worth the trip. Consisting of several interconnecting wooden Thai houses holding a variety of classy items, the peaceful compound also boasts a café, accommodation and occasional cultural events.
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Amulet Market
Thais wear phrá khrêuang (amulets) for protection, usually from evil spirits or bad fortune. The amulet market across from Wat Mahathat is one of the most famous places in Bangkok to buy amulets, which are usually of Buddha images but can be of Hindu deities, Thai monks and even phalluses. The latter is said to protect the wearer from infertility.
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Angela Beauty Care
The super nanny of facials, Angela's will restore order to clogged pores. There's no luxury or pampering here just straight, unadulterated zit popping, exfoliating and masking to erase signs of puberty.
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Asia Books
One of the first English-language bookstores in Thailand, Asia Books continues to dominate the market with a wide selection of books and magazines. Also at Siam Discovery Center and the Emporium.
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Baan Silom
This open-air colonial-style shopping centre is the art-school kid brother of Bangkok malls. Changing exhibitions of contemporary art can be taken in at La Lanta Fine Art, and ultra-funky Thai-designed necklaces, rings and bracelets are available at Kit-Ti's Jewellery. Art and design books are available at a branch.
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Central Chitlom
In this internationally informed department store, shoppers with executive-strength credit cards cruise the escalators thumbing homewares, faràng -sized (Westerner-sized) clothes and cosmetics.
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Central World Plaza
Once one of the city's dying shopping centres, this is now the latest in a line of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy-type makeovers, boasting seven floors of unadulterated commercial bliss. We fancy the concrete-floored F section that features cool domestic brands with barely pronounceable names such as Playground! Manga, Qconceptstore and Flynow III.
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Chatuchak Weekend Market
This is the behemoth of Thai markets where everything imaginable is for sale - from live chickens and snakes, to vintage fans and mǎw lam CDs. Although in years past Chatuchak was more of a working-class market, now there are lots of design-wise products, vintage gear, Eames inspired furniture and atomic-age colours. Don't forget your bargaining skills
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Chiang Heng
In need of a handmade stainless-steel wok, old-school enamel-coated crockery, or a manually-operated coconut milk strainer? Then we suggest you stop by this third-generation family-run kitchen supply store. Even if your cabinets are already stocked, a visit here is a glance into the type of specialised, cramped but atmospheric shops that have all but disappeared from Bangkok.
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Chitlada Shop
This is probably as close as you'll get to the royal family, so remember to dress respectfully (women must wear long skirts and closed shoes to gain entrance). Located at the palace, this is an outlet of the nonprofit SUPPORT organisation which promotes traditional craft-making skills.
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Emporium
This top-flight mall cleverly woos young urban princesses and matronly aristocrats by stocking the hippest of fashion designers (Miu Miu, Prada), hardcore luxury brands (Chanel, Rolex) and classy eateries (Greyhound Café, Salon de l'Oriental). Despite the catwalk sauntering of these high-society bag girls, it all comes together without a stitch of intimidation.
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Emporium Shopping Centre
Once Bangkok's most chi-chi shopping centre, Emporium is finally starting to show its age in comparison to its hipper and younger siblings, Siam Paragon and the recently remodelled Central World.
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Fly Now
This Bangkok-born label has jetted its flowing, feminine designs all the way to London and back (having opened at London Fashion Week twice) and still lands effortlessly on the daily runways of Bangkok's fashion elite. Also in Siam Paragon.
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Gallery F-Stop
Many Bangkok restaurants added art work to the dinner menu in an effort to rescue art from the 'dead zones' (traditional museums). Gallery F-Stop (hosted by Tamarind Café) stands apart as the city's only restaurant-gallery for photography.
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Gaysorn Plaza
A haute couture catwalk, Gaysorn has spiralling staircases, all-white halls and mouthfuls of top-name designers. The 2nd floor 'Urban Street Chic' zone is a crash course in the local fashion industry. Start chronologically with Fly Now and Senada Theory, and then visit the young fabric wizards, like the boudoir-inspired flounces of Stretis and a little bit of everything at Fashion Society, an umbrella store for smaller domestic labels.
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Greyhound
Greyhound makes sleek streetwear - basics with an edge - for urbanites. Like many fashion houses, it has expanded to become a lifestyle brand that includes minimalist cafés and spin-off brands (Playhound and Grey). Also in Siam Center and Siam Paragon.
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H Gallery
Housed in a refurbished colonial-era wooden building, H is generally considered among the city's leading private galleries. It is regarded as a jumping-off point for Thai artists with international ambitions, such as Jakkai Siributr and Somboon Hormthienthong.
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House Of Chao
Dusty old antique shops littered with precious and not-so-precious junk are rare in Bangkok, but this subdued spot is haphazardly filled with teak treasures from Thailand and Burma.
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House Of Gems
The name 'House of Gems' is an interesting sales pitch for a shop claiming to sell dinosaur droppings. If you look in the window, dry cross-sections will teach you the subtle difference between the 'gems' of a carnivorous dinosaur, compared to its herbivorous friends. Don't say we didn't tell you that there's nothing you can't buy in Bangkok.
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Jim Thompson
The surviving business of the international promoter of Thai silk, the largest Jim Thompson shop sells colourful silk handkerchiefs, placemats, wraps and cushions. The styles and motifs appeal to older, somewhat more conservative tastes. There are also branches at Jim Thompson's House museum, the Emporium, and at a Factory Outlet (149/4-6 Th Surawong), just up the road, which sells discontinued patterns at a significant discount.
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Johnny's Gems
Johnny's is consistently recommended by expats, who return again and again for the reliable set jewellery and attentive service. They'll honestly point out the difference between costume and heirloom.
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King Power
Towering over leafy Soi Rang Nam, this 'sensory extravaganza' has taken duty free shopping from the airport to the streets of suburban Bangkok. The selection and prices are the same as that of the airport, but occasional discounts and promotions can make it worth the trek. Featuring the largest watch centre in Southeast Asia, the ultramodern complex also includes a hotel, buffet restaurant and, at the King Power Theater, a branch of the Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre.
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Kinokuniya Books
Bangkok will have to adopt some diligent reading habits to support this huge new bookstore in Siam Paragon. The English-language options are endless and so are the magazines. The Emporium branch has a sizable collection of children's books.
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l'Arcadia
The buyer at l'Arcadia has a sharp eye for collectibles from Burma, Cambodia and Thailand, including Sukhothai cabinets, cute red-lacquer containers, Khmer-style sandstone figures and carved wooden temple decorations. If you simply can't resist that Burmese lounge chair, the shop can arrange to have it shipped home.
