Style tripper: get high on fashion in Shanghai
Discover a trove of original and innovative fashions at the city's boutiques, writes Nick Taylor
China is the future for luxury fashion brands. Western designers are flocking to open ever more expansive flagships in Shanghai, such as luxury conglomerate LVMH, which has just rolled out its first shopping mall, the ultra-high-end L'Avenue.
But in reality, China is a terrible place to buy items from big Western brands because they are more expensive than in Hong Kong, being subject to an import duty of about 40 per cent.
The best shopping can be found at the smaller boutiques that stock quirky local brands, creations by emerging local designers and oddball vintage gear.
Changle Lu is "the street of eternal happiness", in Xuhui district. There are dozens of small boutiques at the eastern end.
It's home to Feispace, which hosts pop-up stores by young designers and concept brands, and is always stocked with surprising pieces. Next door is JDV, a menswear boutique from Wenzhou. It offers shirts, hats, belts and shoes inspired by '30s and '40s gentlemen's attire and updated for the 21st century. Shirts go for about 800 yuan, with shoes starting at 1,000 yuan.
Yamado, also in the same locale, stocks handmade leather bags for men and women. The pieces are classic, understated and well crafted, with prices starting from 4,000 yuan.