FashionNetAsia fashion blogger Alana Young discovers some hip and happening areas of Wan Chai that bring this historical district into a whole new level of chic and sophistication.
Hong Kong Skyline
As a gateway to China and the rest of Asia, Hong Kong, a post-colonial city, is vibrant and always on the move. The city also offers the most varied shopping experience in Asia. This historical district of Wan Chai has recently seen a revival of its lifestyle, dining and sophisticated nightlife options.
Take a walk with Alana Young, FashionNetAsia’s resident fashion blogger, to some of Wan Chai’s top shopping and dining destinations just a few minutes’ taxi ride away from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
45R on Star Street
Wan Chai Kapok
STAR STREET PRECINCT
Grab a cab and take a quick ride to St Francis Street, which will lead you to a charming lifestyle hotspot named the Star Street Precinct. Walk uphill a few doors on your right is the St Francis Yard, and nearby is Kapok (5 St Francis Yard, 2549-9254), a treasure trove and gallery featuring young designers across the world, with products ranging from music to fashion accessories. It also has a sister store-cum-cafe further down on Sun Street. Also pop into Sonjia (2 Sun Street, 2529-6223), a low-key atelier of Korean-English designer Sonjia Norman featuring crafted luxurious, one-off party dresses and modified vintage clothing, and Chen Mi Ji (G/F, 4 Sun Street, 2549-8800), an intriguing interior store filled with retro and mid-century cultural palettes and portables.
Walking back up to Star Street, you’ll find 45R (G/F, 7 Star Street, 2861-1145) for high-end natural indigo denim made of its own produced yarn. Prepare to get inspired by the store’s hand-crafted wood interiors inspired by a Zen garden.
QUEEN’S ROAD EAST, ADMIRALTY
Local fashionistas make a beeline to Lane Crawford for the best fashion collections in the city
Head down to Wing Fung Street on your right to reach Queen’s Road East. Look across and up, you’ll see Flea + Cents (1/F, 36-44 Queen’s Road East, 2528-0808) stocking secondhand western design curios and unexpected Hong Kong nick-nacks. A few doors away is the Asian-inspired Ovo (16 Queen’s Road East, 2526-7226) interiors and decor store.
If you don’t mind a 5-minute walk further down Queen’s Road East towards the direction of Admiralty, do not miss the upscale Lane Crawford (88 Queensway, Admiralty) department store at the Pacific Place Mall. The trendsetting retailer boasts 4 locations in the city, each with an impressive retail space and inspirational visual merchandising. Lane Crawford is also known for its very good edit of the latest catwalk collections, including edgy fashion brands from designers such as Pierre Hardy and Sharon Wauchob.
EAT & DRINK
The Pawn, Wan Chai
Wan Chai hosts a number of historical eateries. The 40 year-old local bakery Happy Cake Shop (G/F, 106 Queen’s Road East) offers the best egg tarts in town and Kam Fung Restaurant (41 Spring Garden Rd) is famous for Hong Kong-style milk tea and crispy pineapple bun. Both are good for a quick snack.
For proper sit-down options, head to The Pawn (62 Johnston Rd, 2866-3444), a converted century-old pawn shop laying claim to currently one of the hottest addresses in town, offering a British menu with a great cocktail list.
Next door, sharing the same shop house is OvoLogue a food-cum-gallery concept with an Asian fusion menu worth trying. Nearby is also Wooloomooloo (256 Hennessy Rd, 2893 6960) – head to its rooftop terrace for a night cap. Locals swear by the divine desserts at Tiffin at the Grand Hyatt (1 Harbour Rd, 2588-1234 x 7388), just next to the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Dim Sum is no doubt a visitor favourite for lunch. Looking for an upscale option? Fook Lam Moon is the go-to place for Hong Kong’s rich and famous (35-45 Johnston Road, 2866-0663).
HONG KONG’S MARKETS
Ladies market Mongkok
Dim Sum
Looking for a fun cultural experience to wind down after work?
Markets are a great place to capture the energy of Hong Kong and grab a bargain. Ladies Night Market on Tung Choi Street, Mongkok is one of the most popular places to find plenty of Chinese curios, as well as fun fashion and accessories. Head there from 8 – 10:30 pm.
On the island side, Wan Chai Street Market on Tai Yuen Street is regarded as a low-cost department store offering a variety of everything from toys to Chinese clothes at affordable prices, while Costume Market on Wing Wo Street, Central for cheap jewellery and accessories as well as party costumes and masks.
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