Top ChoiceShopping in Kowloon
Ladies' MarketThe Tung Choi Street Market is a cheek-by-jowl affair offering cheap clothes and trinkets. Vendors start setting up their stalls as early as noon, but it's best to get here between 1pm and 6pm when there's much more on offer. Beware, the sizes stocked here tend to suit the lissom Asian frame. A terrific place to soak up local atmosphere.
Top ChoiceShopping in Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
Horizon PlazaTucked away on the southern coast of Ap Lei Chau, this enormous outlet housed in a converted factory building contains 100 shops over 25 storeys. Most locals come here to buy furniture, but you’ll also find Alexander McQueen on offer and Jimmy Choos at knock-down prices. Heaps of kiddies' stuff as well, from books and toys to clothing and furniture.
Top ChoiceShopping in Central District
Wattis Fine ArtThis upstairs gallery has an outstanding collection of antique maps, lithographs, photos and posters for sale. Rarely will you find such an extensive homage to Asian history, covering not just Hong Kong and Macau but also Chinese cities like Shanghai and Southeast Asian destinations such as Borneo, Myanmar (Burma), Malaka and Mumbai. Enter from Old Bailey St.
Top ChoiceShopping in Central District
G.O.D.Goods of Desire – or G.O.D. – is a cheeky local lifestyle brand, selling homewares, clothes, books and gifts with retro Hong Kong themes. Fun buys include aprons printed with images of Hong Kong's famous neon signs, bed linen with themes like koi fish, and reasonably priced cheongsam tops in modern fabrics and colours; great for souvenirs. There's several other branches, including in PMQ.
Top ChoiceShopping in Kowloon
Yue Hwa Chinese Products EmporiumThis five-storey behemoth is one of only a few old-school Chinese department stores left in the city. Products include silk scarves, traditional Chinese baby clothes and embroidered slippers, cheap and expensive jewellery, pretty patterned chopsticks and ceramics, plastic acupuncture models and calligraphy equipment. The top floor is all about tea, with vendors offering free sips. Food is in the basement.
Top ChoiceShopping in Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
G.O.D.One of the coolest born in Hong Kong shops around, G.O.D. does irreverent takes on classic Hong Kong iconography. Think mobile-phone covers printed with pictures of Hong Kong housing blocks, light fixtures resembling the ones in old-fashioned wet markets, and pillows covered in lucky koi print. There are a handful of G.O.D. shops in town, but this is one of the biggest.
Top ChoiceShopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
KapokIn the hip Star St area, this Hong Kong–born boutique has combined two old shops to create a new 1500-sq-ft flagship. It stocks a fastidiously curated selection of luxe-cool mens- and womenswear labels (plus its own brand, a Paris design collaboration), along with bags and quirky design gifts. A cafe counter means you can sip single-origin espresso as you browse.
Top ChoiceShopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Fashion WalkA mostly street-level fashion-shopping mecca spanning four streets in Causeway Bay – Paterson, Cleveland, Great George and Kingston. It's where you'll find big names such as Comme des Garçons, Sandro and Kiehl's, but also high-street favourites, up-and-coming local brands and shops with off-the-rack high-street labels.
Shopping in Kowloon
Rise Shopping ArcadeBursting the seams of this minimall is cheap streetwear from Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, with a few knock-offs chucked in for good measure. Patience and a good eye could land you purchases fit for a Vogue photo shoot. It’s best visited between 4pm and 8.30pm when most of the shops are open.
Top ChoiceShopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Pacific PlaceA polished marble sea of high-end couture and accessories, posh Pacific Place manages to avoid the malady of mall fatigue via its expansive design, relatively light footfall and skylights which let the natural light pour in.
Shopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
SogoThe range is mind-boggling at this Japanese-owned department store, with 17 floors of high-end fashion and accessories, cosmetics, homewares and much more. Prices drop dramatically during the sales (check the website) and the store becomes a madhouse.
Top ChoiceShopping in Central District
Shanghai TangThis elegant four-level shop is a local institution, and one of the few places in Central that specialises in luxury Chinese style. It's the place to go if you fancy a body-hugging qípáo (cheongsam) with a modern twist, a Chinese-style clutch or a lime-green mandarin jacket. Shanghai Tang also stocks beautiful chinoiserie-style homewares; don't expect to find much below HK$1000.
Shopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Island Beverly MallCrammed into cubicles, up escalators and in the back lanes of this unassuming mall next to Sogo are microshops selling local designer threads, garments, toys, and cosmetics from Japan and Korea, not to mention a kaleidoscope of kooky accessories. Great place to get those Jimmy Choo lookalikes to go with your jeans. Shops are open from afternoon till late.
Shopping in Central District
Arch Angel AntiquesThough the specialities are ancient porcelain and tombware, Arch Angel packs a lot more into its two floors: it has everything from old ink drawings and terracotta horses to palatial furniture, with friendly staff to help you navigate the well-displayed stock. Prices range from about HK$3000 to HK$1 million.
Top ChoiceShopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Times SquareThe hyperkinetic buzz at the heart of Causeway Bay, Times Square is retail nirvana for Hong Kong's shoppers, with mainstream brands over 13 floors (it was the first 'vertical mall' in the city), restaurants, cafes, a cinema and the famous clock on the forecourt outside – like with its namesake in NYC, revellers congregate here on 31 December for the countdown.
Shopping in Kowloon
Chan Wah Kee Cutlery StoreAt this humble shop, octogenarian Mr Chan, one of Asia's few remaining master knife-sharpeners, uses nine different stones to grind each blade, and alternates between water and oil. If you buy from him (he has a great selection), he’ll sharpen it there and then. Prices range from HK$200 for a small paring knife to around HK$2000 for a Shun knife.
Shopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Wah Fung Chinese Goods CentreThis very local Chinese department store has everything from ginseng to silk baby slippers and acupuncture models to calligraphy brushes. Crowded, dusty and entirely non-English – in fact many of its staff speak Fujianese – it's a fun place to poke around for gifts without the hassle of bargaining.
Top ChoiceShopping in Central District
Kowloon Soy CompanyThe shop (c 1917) for artisanal, naturally fermented soy sauce, premier cru yellow-bean sauce (Chinese miso) and other high-quality condiments; it also sells preserved eggs (皮蛋, pei darn) and pickled ginger ( 酸姜, suen geung), which are often served together at restaurants. Did you know that preserved eggs, being alkaline, can make young red wines taste fuller-bodied? Just try it.
Shopping in Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Kevin CheungProduct designer Kevin Cheung's workshop is also his home, occupying a lovely heritage unit in Wan Chai's Blue House cluster. Cheung collects Hong Kong waste (old carpets, bicycles etc) and upcycles it into useful and beautiful products. Curios such as bicycle bells made from old rice cookers and his 'wallpaper wallets' make uniquely local gifts.
Top ChoiceShopping in Peng Chau
Chiu Kee Porcelain StudioChiu Kee (c 1970s) is one of the precious few places around that still makes hand-painted pottery. You'll see the works of its founders, the late Mr Lam and his wife Mrs Lam, who now runs the shop. The tableware and crockery in traditional and contemporary styles make wonderful gifts and home accessories. Mrs Lam hosts two-hour ceramic painting workshops (HK$180 per person) at weekends. They're popular, so booking (by calling) is advised.