Shopping in Shanghai was once limited to cheap knock-offs and kitschy souvenirs, but now big-name global luxury brands are courting the city’s new wealthy classes with opulent flagship stores and China-inspired product lines. Louis Vuitton opened its first China Maison and largest Shanghai store across four levels at Plaza 66, while New York ‘Jeweller to the Stars’ Harry Winston unveiled its largest global salon in a freestanding pavilion at Xintiandi.
Local designers and niche labels are also getting in on the act, taking advantage of the dominant consumer spirit and easy access to raw materials to launch an array of exciting new brands and boutiques. These can be found dotted around the former French Concession and the streets near the Bund.
A Cultural Revolution-era poster at Dongtai Road Antique Market
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Add to this traditional arts and crafts shops, antiques markets with one-off finds, and the city’s famous custom tailors and silk purveyors ready to whip up a bespoke wardrobe, and you might want to consider bringing along an extra suitcase for your Shanghai purchases – or buying one, of course.
Shoppers in Xujiahui
Ryan Pyle
Shanghai’s main shopping streets are Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road. The eastern pedestrianised end of Nanjing Road is usually mobbed by local and out-of-town Chinese shoppers at weekends, while Nanjing Road West and Huaihai Road are studded with marble malls, luxury boutiques and fast fashion outlets.
Passing the luxury retailer Ferragamo on Nanjing Road West
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Shanghai chic
The traditional lanes and shikumen houses of Xintiandi are now a hotbed of big designer brands. For funkier fashions, head over to the adjoining Xintiandi Style mall (245 Madang Road), where hip young designers from Shanghai and across Asia showcase their latest collections. IAPM Mall (999 Huaihai Road C) is one of the city’s newest and swankiest malls with great dining and an IMAX cinema in the penthouse.
In the former French Concession, the narrow residential lanes of Tianzifang (Lane 210 Taikang Road) are packed with local designer boutiques, trinket stalls and alfresco cafés – it’s a great place to pick up some one-off souvenirs. Look out for hand-embroidered ethnic-styled accessories at Harvest Studio (Suite 18, Bldg 3, Lane 210 Taikang Road) and photographic prints of Shanghai scenes at Deke Erh Art Centre (No. 2, Lane 210 Taikang Road).
The streets around the Bund also harbour some gems among the showier boutiques. Check out Suzhou Cobblers (Room 101, 17 Fuzhou Road) for a pair of handcrafted silk slippers, Blue China White (Room 103, 17 Fuzhou Road) offering hand-painted Jingdezhen porcelain tableware, Song Fang Maison de The (19 Fuzhou Road) for fine teas in funky tins decorated with Mao-era propaganda art and Annabel Lee Shanghai (No. 1, Lane 8 Zhongshan East Road) for its gorgeous selection of lush silk accessories.
Across the river in Pudong, the sparkling IFC Mall (8 Century Avenue) is one of the city’s best, and is home to an excellent food court and supermarket in the basement. Directly opposite, Superbrand Mall (168 Lujiazui Road W) is one of Asia’s largest retail complexes, featuring a staggering 13 storeys of high-street labels, plus an Egyptian-themed cineplex and an ice-skating rink.
Art and antiques
The M50 art district at 50 Moganshan Road beside Suzhou Creek is the place to pick up a piece of contemporary Chinese art from the myriad galleries and artists’ workshops. Vanguard Gallery (Bldg 4; www.vanguardgallery.com), OV Gallery (Room 207; www.ovgallery.com) and ShanghART (Building 16; www.shanghartgallery.com) come recommended.
Dongtai Road Antique Market, close to the Old City, is a street market lined with outdoor hawkers selling fun repro-antique trinkets and ‘Mao-morabilia’ that make great souvenirs. Be prepared to haggle. For genuine Art Deco antiques, duck into the established stores set back from the street.
Shanghai is close to China’s freshwater pearling areas, and you can pick up well-priced pearls, and have them strung, at Hongqiao Pearl City (3721 Hongmei Road). Porcelain and other wares can be purchased at the Shanghai Jingdezhen Porcelain Store (212 Shanxi Road N), while tea and Yixing pots are plentiful at the Shanghai Huangshan Tea Company (605 Huaihai Road C).
Custom-made clothing
Custom tailor shops abound in Shanghai. One of the best – with top-drawer prices to match – is the French Tailor (7 Dongping Road; tel: 5465 2468). Equally fine threads can be had from Dave’s Custom Tailoring (No.6, Lane 288 Wuyuan Road; tel: 5404 0001).
At the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum is the South Bund Fabric Market (399 Lujiabang Road), a three-storey warren of small stores selling bolts of material in every guise. Tailors stand ready with scissors and thread once you’ve made your choice and can whip up custom-fit copies of your own clothing or of one of their designs in as little as 24 hours.