shoptalk kuala lumpur

Photo: shutterstock
/ Teng Wei Your guide to the city’s hottest shopping spots

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY JENNIFER CHOO

Kuala Lumpur (KL) is a city constantly poised for shopping adventure. As in many of its South-East Asian counterparts, despite the horrific traffic and even worse parking during weekends, shopping here is a beloved hobby. Locals and visitors alike love hitting the malls, credit cards at the ready. And who can blame them? Along with designer outlets, KL offers great shopping at reasonable prices: the secret is knowing where to look.

The high life

Stylish
designs
from
Melium
Galleria In the equatorial heat and humidity, air-conditioned malls are the only place you can spend the day trawling without ever breaking into a sweat – and the mother of all shopping malls is Suria Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) on Jalan Ampang, smack in the middle of KL’s most expensive commercial real estate. Although it’s not the biggest mall (that title belongs to Berjaya Times Square) or the longest one (Subang Parade, way out in the ’burbs), Suria KLCC’s breezy, well laid-out interior makes shopping here a memorable experience, and it has an impressive list of tenants.

Designer heavyweights Chanel, Gucci, Hermès and Prada co-exist happily with European high-street staples like Zara and Topshop, but for something truly Malaysian, check out the lush Aseana (Aseana Mall G13–19, tel: +60 (3) 2382 9988).

Menswear made easy at
Philosophy Men Its home-grown FarahKhan collection reinterprets glamour in timeless, exquisitely beaded pieces. They’re priced on the high side – a dress will set you back at least 2,000 MYR (AU$710) – but it’s the place for that special outfit you’ll wear for years to come.

For menswear, look no further than Philosophy Men (Ramlee Mall 116, Lvl 1, tel: +60 (3) 2382 1184) for fashion-forward and irreverent looks. As well as the store’s own label, it stocks limited-edition Adidas and Nike runners.

Jumble sale

Inside Suria KLCC Local designer Villiam Ooi reckons that Malaysian designers have an edge over their South-East Asian counterparts, as their work reflects the Malaysian melting pot of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures. His boutique My Closet (tel: +60 (3) 2144 1775) is definitely a good example, offering quirky, individual designs at ridiculously low prices! But then again, so do most of the shops at Sungei Wang Plaza (Jalan Bukit Bintang, tel: +60 (3) 2148 6109) – it’s as far removed from KLCC’s expansive and expensive offerings as you could find, not to mention those of Starhill Gallery (181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, tel: +60 (3) 2782 3855). Just up the road, Starhill stocks the latest in high-end designer fashion – with the largest Louis Vuitton boutique in South-East Asia taking pride of place. But if you have a yen for a bargain, Sungei Wang Plaza is it. Home to hundreds of tiny shops, the building is one of KL’s oldest malls, having opened its doors 30 years ago.

FarahKhan designsIt’s a chaotic maze, so take your time and find what appeals to you. Creations (F082–088), on the first floor, is a designer’s-gallery-cum-
fashion-café, showcasing KL’s coolest designers: Khoon Hooi’s retro-fusion Inspire range (tel: +60 (3) 2145 6032); Donna C’s (tel: +60 (3) 2145 2752) modern take on glamour; confident and sexy pieces from Jonathan Cheng (tel: +60 (3) 2141 1131); and Melinda Looi’s (tel: +60 (3) 2093 2279) fresh and fun Mell line.

Quirky but cheap clothes
at My Closet Casualwear in all its variations makes up a large portion of the shops; look up the heavily Japanese-influenced Boundlezz (S132, 2nd flr, tel: +60 (17) 288 1511) and local T-shirt specialist Radioactive (S077–078, 6th flr, tel: +60 (3) 2145 1069), which is amazing value for money.

Make sure you also find your way to the recently renovated T-Hop on the 6th floor, which has its finger firmly on the pulse of Eastern-centric trends. And stop to browse the offerings at Bird Bird (6F–91, 6th flr, tel: +60 (12) 313 0240): everything from neon-coloured tights to shoes for 30 MYR (AU$10.70). Co-owned by make-up artist Amber and Xu – part of KL’s favourite indie collective, Twilight Action Girl – it stocks a great range of niche fashion, including streetwear, vintage and retroinfluenced lounge, hippie, punk, club and gothic styles.

Ted Baker’s smart
pieces Another gem, just outside Sungei Wang Plaza, is Dolls Store (87 Basement, Jalan Bukit Bintang, tel: +60 (16) 202 3002) – opened by Sharp and Yati out of despair that KL girls were starting to look like clones of each other! The duo’s eccentric style pervades the store, which is packed to the rafters with clothes and accessories for both sexes, sourced from Bangkok and Bandung in Indonesia (which has a thriving indie rock scene). Local brands Defy, PopMalaya and The Kioue are also represented.

High street, low prices

Khoon Hooi’s designsAlthough Bangsar is out of the city centre, in the past year this affluent suburb has become a mecca for fashionistas looking for unique and wallet-friendly buys. Bangsar Village is packed with little specialty stores and cafés; its recently opened addition, Bangsar Village II (2 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru), was conceptualised as its fashion wing. There are international brands like Ted Baker and Massimo Dutti, but it’s the independent shops like Khai, Mori Pin and Sole Lovely that’ll have you reaching for the plastic. Impeccably turned-out crooner Sean Ghazi recently discovered the boutique of local designer William Liew here, and picked up several of his cool shirts with subtle design twists.

Fun and diverse
clothing at Vivien
Tsai’s Wardrobe Rows of shophouses just beyond the mall also host boutiques catering to every taste, mostly on the first floor – and the cheaper rents translate into significant savings for shoppers! Vivien Tsai, who owns the delightfully diverse Vivien Tsai’s Wardrobe (23 Jalan Telawi 2, tel: +60 (3) 2287 6018) believes that the low rents also allow smaller players to enter the retail industry. Two other standouts are Gossips (8A Jalan Telawi 2, tel: +60 (3) 2287 0772) and Oopsie Daisie (28–1 Jalan Telawi 2, tel: +60 (3) 2282 9769), featuring beautifully presented and well-edited womenswear, accessories and shoes, painstakingly sourced from around the region.

womenswear and
accessories from Gossips Gallo (1st flr, 12 Jalan Telawi 3, tel: +60 (3) 2288 1927), on the street behind, is one of few boutiques in Bangsar that designs its own collection. Offering superb cuts and sensual fabrics minus the hefty price tags, Gallo’s limited-edition designs – no more than three pieces per size are made – is overseen by creative director Teresa Thian. A capsule men’s collection is also available: plans to expand it are in the works.

Make your ringgit go the extra mile

• KLCC – All prices here are fixed, so to grab a bargain your best bet is to catch the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival, on now until 2 September. There are amazing discounts and special offers and since this is Visit Malaysia Year, other big sales have also been planned, among them the Malaysia Year End Sale Carnival (1-31 December 2007).

• Bukit Bintang – Prices are more flexible in the independent shops here, and asking for a discount is de rigueur. Malaysians are a friendly lot and you can get by with only speaking English, though if you make an effort with the local language – maybe a tolong-lah (please) or terima kasih (thank you) – will get you a bigger discount.

• Bangsar – Prices here are mostly fixed, but the boutiques often have great offers, like a discount for buying more than three items. At only 50 MYR (AU$18) for a top, it’s not much of a splash-out to pick up more than three!

Jennifer Choo says:

I spent 32 (wo)man hours researching this article, six hours writing it and 515 MYR (AU$178) on miscellaneous clothes and shoes bought in the name of ‘research.’ My favourite piece was not the most expensive but a 50 MYR (AU$18) vintage Victorian blouse I picked up at Dolls Store. I couldn’t bear to leave it at the tailor even for one day, so I had to do the unspeakable: I altered the hem myself (this took four hours) despite a complete ineptness and deep-seated horror of sewing!