Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
171
China. Some have smaller collectible items, like carved scale weights from the old opium
trade or collections of Buddha images. Oriental carpet shops are also mixed in. The stores
on Dempsey Road are all open daily fr om around 11am to 6:30pm, though they close
for a short lunch break at midday. As with all of the antiques shops in S ingapore, they'll
help you locate a reliable shipper to send your purchases home.
ASIAN FASHION
You can find
cheongsam,
those cute little sleev eless shifts with the
Mandarin collars and fr og closures, in r eady-made polyester styles at souv enir shops all
over Chinatown. When you're ready to get serious, go to
Yue Hwa,
70 Eu Tong Sen St.
(
&
65/6538-4222
), where they hire expert
cheongsam
tailors from Hong Kong who fit
the dress perfectly to y our body, help y ou select y our fabric fr om a wide range of pur e
Chinese silks, and choose y our o wn pr eferred style. E xpect to dr op about S$450
(US$302/£203) for a full-length
cheongsam,
a small price to pay for a dr op-dead sexy,
one-of-a-kind formal dress.
If Bollywood blockbusters make you drool, you'll die for
Stylemart,
149-151 Selegie
Rd. (
&
65/6338-2073
). Specializing in tailor ed Indian formalwear, they hav e rows of
Indian-style brocade silks that are simply edible and an enormous collection of beathtak-
ingly ex otic beaded silks to make y our ey es twinkle. They will fashion anything y ou
want—traditional or modern dresses, gowns, and pantsuits. A simple formal go wn with
shawl in silk brocade will start at S$500 (US$335/£225). Pay more for beaded styles. It's
worth it.
A couple of boutiques ar e making modern fashions with quir ky traditional twists.
Shanghai Tang,
at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City , 391 O rchard Rd.,
#02-12G (
&
65/6737-3537
), sells whimsical interpr etations of traditional Chinese
clothing, in campy color ed luxurious silk.
Mumbai Sé,
Palais Renaissance #01-00, 390
Orchard Rd. (
&
65/6733-7188
), carries a wide selection of casual- and formalwear from
India's hottest young fashion designers, most of whom use I ndian textiles that are to die
for.
The true authentic Singaporean style is that of the Nonyas, Peranakan ladies who wear
the traditional
sarong kebaya.
These ladies pair fine sar ongs with delicate lace blouses
(kebaya)
closed with silver or gold brooches and accessorized with beaded slippers and a
bag. Still today you will see Singaporean ladies don
sarong kebaya
for weddings and spe-
cial parties. If you'd like to outfit y ourself in one, the place to go is
Rumah Bebe
(113
East Coast Rd.;
&
65/6247-8781
), located in Katong, the hear t of Peranakan culture.
Proprietress Bebe Seet is a local
sarong kebaya
expert. Her shop sells fine batiks (much
nicer than the ordinary ones on Arab S t.), and matching blouses. S he also specializes in
beaded slippers, teaching classes out of the back of her shop .
ELECTRONICS
At
Funan D igitalife M all,
109 N orth B ridge Rd. (
&
65/6336-
8327
), you can find computers and accessories—there are many, many shops, each with
special offers and deals, so compare when you shop. At
Sim Lim Square,
1 Rochor Canal
Rd. (
&
65/6332-5839
), you can find not only computers, but office and home electon-
ics as well. Bargain hard here—prices are not marked.
If you're in the mar ket for photographic equipment, the best place to go is
Cathay
Photo,
#01-05, #01-07/08, #01-11/14 Peninsula Plaza, 111 North Bridge Rd. (
&
65/
6337-4274
).
FABRICS
Exquisite fabrics like Chinese silk, Thai silk, batiks, and inexpensiv e ging-
ham ar e v ery affordable and the selections ar e extensiv e. Most fabrics ar e sold b y the
meter and there is no standard width, so make sure you inquire when you're purchasing
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