Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
173
getting a cheap suit.
Justmen's,
19 Tanglin Rd., #01-36/39 Tanglin Shopping Centre
(
&
65/6737-4800
), is an institution within the expatriate community her e. They are
well versed in curr ent fashions, carr y the best selection of fine fabrics, and can fit y our
measurements perfectly—this will probably be one of the best suits you've ever had. The
prices are a steal, starting from S$700 (US$469/£315) for a two-piece suit.
ORIENTAL CARPETS
Once you've walked on a hand-knotted
Nain
in your bare feet,
trailed your fingers along the pile of an antique
Heriz,
or admired the sensuous colors of
a
Tabriz,
you'll nev er look at br oadloom again with the same forbearance. I f luxur y
Oriental carpets seem too expensiv e for your pocketbook, Singapore prices will surprise
you.
Hassan's C arpets,
#03-01/06 Tanglin S hopping Centr e (
&
65/6737-5626
), has
been a fixtur e in S ingapore for generations. P roprietor S uliman H amid is the local
authority on carpets, having advised on and supplied the carpets for the r estoration of
Raffles Hotel. He and his staff kno w the backgr ound of ev ery rug and hav e wonderful
stories to tell. They for ego the har d sales pitch for mor e civiliz ed discourse on carpet
appreciation. It's an afternoon w ell spent. Carpets can be shipped home for y ou, with
smaller rugs wrapped small enough to hand-carr y onboard a plane.
If you still want to see more carpets, you can take a taxi out to Dempsey Road, where
you'll find a few warehouses filled with stock.
PEWTER
Royal S elangor,
the famous M alaysian pe wter manufactur er since 1885,
rode high on the M alaysian tin business at the turn of the 20th centur y, pewter being a
tin alloy. This firm is based in K uala Lumpur and has eight sho wrooms in Singapore. If
you're really into pewter, you can visit the Royal Selangor Pewter Centre, 3A River Valley
Rd., 01-01 Clar ke Q uay (
&
65/6268-9600;
www.royalselangor.com.sg), wher e they
have an exhibit of the histor y of pewter works in the r egion, with pewtersmith demon-
strations daily from 9am to 9pm for S$2 (US$1.35/90p) entr y. For S$30 (US$20/£14),
you can sign up for a half-hour hands-on pe wtersmith workshop. If you just want to
shop, you can also stop in at their sho wrooms at #03-24 Raffles City S hopping Centre
(
&
65/6339-3958
); #02-40 P aragon, 290 O rchard Rd. (
&
65/6235-6633
); and
#02-127 Marina Square (
&
65/6339-3115
).
POTTERY
Antique por celain items can be found in the many small shops along
Pagoda and Trenagganu streets in Chinatown. But the ultimate in potter y shopping is a
place the locals refer to as the “pottery jungle.”
Thow Kwang Industry Pte. Ltd.
is a taxi
ride away at 85 Lorong Tawas off Jalan Bahar (
&
65/6265-5808
). This backwoods place
has row after r ow of pots, lamps, umbr ella stands—you name it. There's even a r oom
with antique pieces.
SHOES
You can seriously go nuts o ver cheap shoes her e. We're talking prices fr om
S$9.90 to S$39 (US$6.65-US$26/£4.45-£18) for cute little sandals, dr essy shoes, and
work pumps. Granted, they're not Ferragamo, but at these prices, you can literally buy a
pair of shoes to match ev ery outfit in y our closet. Unfortunately, if you're bigger than a
U.S. size 8, finding your size will be tough. O therwise, my two favorite places for shoes
on the cheap-cheap ar e the shoe depar tments at
Seiyu,
Parco Bugis Junction (
&
65/
6563-1106
), and
OG,
Orchard Point (
&
65/6317-2222
).
SOUTHEAST ASIAN HANDICRAFTS
At
Lim's,
211 Holland Ave., #02-01 Holland
Road Shopping Centre (
&
65/6467-1300
), and #02-154/155 VivoCity (
&
65/6376-
9468
), y ou'll find items for the home fr
8
om all o ver S outheast Asia; think P ier O ne
