Shanghai

Expats and Chinese alike in Shanghai have a wide range of choices for clothing stores. As one of the wealthiest cities in China, you will see foreigners and locals shopping side-by-side at most of the stores listed below. Of course, you can find very good counterfeit goods as well as authentic Western pieces at almost any store in Shanghai.

Shanghai also has several streets (we detail one of them below) where you will find hundreds of small and trendy stores. These streets, Changle lu, Shanxi lu, Huaihai lu, and others, have something for everyone’s taste.

• American Apparel: 138 Huaihai Zhong Lu. Tel: 65638906; website: http://www.americanapparel.net. Expats can find made-in-USA clothes for about 500 RMB for a coat or dress.
• Exception: Shop 224-4, 2/F, Xintiandi South Block, 123 Xingye Lu, Xintiandinear Huangpi Nan Lu, Metro Line 1 Huangpi Nan Lu Station. Tel: 5382-3067. Open 11 am-11 pm. The owner is Coco Ma, a famous Chinese designer. All of her clothes are made from natural materials, such as linen and cotton. Even the walls and floors are made from recycled materials!
• Feel Shanghai: Shop 110, No. 3 Lane 210, Taikang Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Sinan Lu. Tel: 6466-8065, 5465-4519. Open 10 am-7:30 pm. Great Chinese qipaos and other local clothes. Choose from silks, cottons, linen and cashmere and it takes about a week per order.
• Folli Follie Baby: 1065 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Jiangning Lu, Metro Line 2 Nanjing Xi Lu Station. Tel: 6258-8316. Open 9:30 am-10 pm. Baby goods, clothing and accessories made with high-quality material.
• Haso: 2/F, 139-5 Changle Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Rujin Er Lu. Tel: 5382-8668. Website: http://www.ha-so.com/. Open 10 am-10 pm. With clothes direct from Tokyo, you can buy cutting-edge designs on jeans and T-shirts. They have their ready-to-wear collection or you can customize your jeans with personal touches by choosing your own cut, material, color and embroidery. Jeans average 1,000 RMB for women and 1,200 RMB for men.
• Helen Lee: Shop 11A, 210 Taikang Lu, Luwan, near Sinan Lu. Tel: 6415-7866. Website: http://www.insh.com.cn/. Open 10:30 am-9 pm. Helen Lee, the owner, is a native of Shanghai, and her clothes reflect the cross-cultural flavors of the city. Lots of colors and ever-changing shapes and themes.
• H&M: 645-659 Huaihai Zhong Lu, Tel: 53838866. Open 10 am – 10 pm. The Western giant has become very popular in Shanghai since its arrival four years ago.
• ia Art Studio: 93 Ruijin Yi Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Julu Lu. Tel: 137-6452-0517. Open 10 am-11 pm. This vintage store is owned by an ex-movie actor and artist. He offers leather flight jackets, classical Levis jeans, and many leather articles made by the owner himself.
• Ipluso: 202 Wukang Lu, French Concession, near Hunan Lu. Tel: 5465-0931. Website: http://www.ipluso.com, Open 10 am-8 pm. This store caters to the needs of the business traveler. You can find a stylish leather passport holder (326 RMB), a roll-up mouse pad (42 RMB) for frequent business travelers, ipluso’s signature pens (58-68 RMB), and high-quality notebooks of all sizes.
• Jin Dian: Shop D3-11, Xinyang Fashion & Gifts Market, 2000 Shiji Dadao, Pudong, inside Metro Line 2, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum Station. Tel: 139-1885-5822. Below the Museum of Science and Technology is China’s largest counterfeit goods market. However, this store does not deal in fake merchandise. You can find extravagant hand-crafted necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins and jewelry boxes made from alloys and encased with sparkly, semi-precious stones. Prices start from 100 RMB for a pair of earrings and top out at 1,200 RMB for a unique jewelry set.
• Lao Zhai Workshop: Rm. 101, 1365 Fuxing Zhong Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Baoqing Lu. Tel: 6437-3631. Open 10 am-9 pm, by appointment on holidays. They have thousands of genuinely old clothes: jeans, qipao, and many accessories. The owner personally bought each item and they are all unique. The store offers tailoring adjustments.
• Les Lucioles: 203 Jinxian Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 6513-5110. This French boutique store uses designers from France and Denmark, and creates clothes and other items sold almost exclusively in China. You will find clothes, artistic photos, wallpapers, and jewelry.
• Lomography Gallery Store: 126 Jinxian Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu, Metro Line 1 Shaan Xi Nan Lu Station. Tel: 6256-1059. Website: http://www.lomography.cn. Open Tue-Sun 12 pm-8 pm. This is Lomography’s biggest store in China – 6 floors. They have large offerings of lomo cameras and functional T-shirts and bags.
• Mommy Mode: Unit 2105, 327 Wuding Lu, Nanjing Xi Lu, near Changhua Lu. Tel: 5293-0113, 137-9521-5162 (for appointments). Website: http://www.mhqlive.com. Open Mon-Fri 10 am-5 pm. Stylish maternity clothes.
• NE TIGER: 1/F, Suite A, Bldg 3, 1718 Tianshan Lu, Zhongshan Park, near Zunyi Lu, Tel: 6229-0006. Open 9 am-6 pm. Stunning Chinese and Western wedding dresses, as well as normal dresses with exquisite style – actress Zhang Ziyi wore one to a Hollywood premiere.
• O’blu: Shop 428，1266 Nanjing Xi Lu , near Xikang Lu. Tel: 6288-9367. Website: http://www.oblu.hk/. Open 10 am-10 pm. This unique jeans store offers 11 of the most popular high-end brands from the U.S. with an average price of 3,000 RMB.
• Poesia: 1/F-2/F, 301 Guangyuan Xi Lu, Xujiahui, near Hongqiao Lu. The former General Manager of Prada’s Taiwan operations offers a trendy women’s clothing line. Based on classic cuts inspired by minority costumes, prices range from 680 RMB for flared pants to about 3,000 RMBfor dresses. And you will love the roof-high birdcage! Tel: 6448-3401. Website: http://www.poesiaworld.com/. Open 9 am-6 pm.
• Shokay: No. 9, 274 Taikang Lu, Luwan, near Ruijin Er Lu. Tel: 5466-0907, 136-0198-9500. Website: http://www.shokay.com/. Open 9:30 am-6:30 pm. Now expats can go to a store that features yak down (one adult yak yields only 100 grams of down each year!). They have pre-made or custom-ordered clothes, home ware and accessories – all made from yak down.
• Source: 158 Xinle Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Donghu Lu. Tel. 5404-3808. Website: http://www.thesource.cn/. Open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm Sat-Sun 10 am-10 pm. Lots of brand names and lots of common streetwear.
• The Thing: 276 Changle Lu, Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu. Tel: 6384-9229. Website: http://www.thething.cn/. Open 11 am-10 pm. Stylish urban clothes.
• UNIQLO: 4/F Grand Gateway, 1 Hongqiao Lu, Xuhui, near Tianyaoqiao Lu, Metro Line 1, Xujiahui Station. Tel: 5451-0084. They have eight stores in the city. You will find a wide variety of shirts, jeans, dresses, and tops at very reasonable prices.
• ZAZA: Back door, No. 2, 248 Taikang Lu, Luwan, near Sinan Lu. Tel: 139-1735-8369. Open Sun-Thu 11 am-7 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am-8 pm. This store’s theme is based on a Chinese mythological character. Zaza’s creators combine the ancient characters with modern expressions on t-shirts, notebooks, bags and jewelry.

In addition the stores listed above, expats will find hundreds of funky stores on Changle lu, a street that runs parallel to fashionable Huaihai lu. The atmosphere in most of the shops is very trendy, such as in Greenwich Village in New York or Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. This street is perfect for young and old, hip and sophisticated.

Tailors

Shanghai has lots of very competent tailors. It also has hundreds of tailors in the South Bund Fabric Market (399, Lujiabang Lu, near Haichao Lu). There are different qualities, but a men’s suit costs around 500 RMB. The woman’s dresses vary. Many times you will have to make small modifications to the final product. You can take any piece of clothing or even photographs to be copied. The ties, it doesn’t matter what says the vendor, cost 10 RMB.

The world-class tailors with slightly-less than world-class prices are:

• Dave’s Custom Tailoring: A fabulous tailor in Shanghai. Custom suits range from 5,000 to 20,000 RMB (including 2 fittings), and shirts ranging from 400 to 1,300 RMB, depending on material and detail. Shanghai studio located at No. 6, Lane 288, Wuyuan Road, Xuhui District. Tel: 5404 0001. Website: http://www.tailordave.com/.
• Qiong Zi: 620 Julu Lu. The tailors at this store for women make rich silk fabrics fit like a glove. Prices start at around 1,500 RMB for a qipao. 6289 2372
• W.W. Chan Tailor: 129A Maoming Road. The best tailors in Hong Kong have traditionally been from Shanghai families who fled in 1949. Now they are beginning to return to Shanghai. W.W. Chan is one of these – and they remain one of the Big Two in Hong Kong. Prices are about 20% less than in Hong Kong, with custom suits running about 6,000 RMB and up.