I asked around, and it turns out that Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po is full of shops that sell factory overruns and knockoffs from China. Since the Other Dude was in town, anyway, we decided to meet up and check Cheung Sha Wan Road out.
Damn, there were SO MANY shops, with stuff ranging from really terrible and tacky to actually quite cute. We only managed to walk down part of one side of the street, we didn't even bother checking out the other side since the OD's friend, who tagged along, was feeling achey in the foot.
The OD didn't buy anything, but I did, and so did the OD's friend. Check out my pictures below...and I only photographed maybe 10% of the shops there!
Up and down the street...you can see how far it stretches. We started somewhere in the middle.
The tips to making the most out of this excursion are: comfortable shoes, patience and a good eye. Most shops won't allow you to try clothes on, so you have to know your size and what looks good on you.
Liked this skirt a lot, it was selling for HKD50, but I have enough plaid skirts.
Polka dots are really in right now, aren't they? I bought a vintage white polka dot dress at Beatniks last month, and when I started wearing it, I realized that a lot of shops and magazines are starting to push white with black polka dots. The OD and I saw some polka dot knockoffs in Bossini, too. I guess leopard is out now. Tsk, I hate being on trend, so I'll keep wearing leopard print then. Or...! POLKA DOT AND LEOPARD AND PLAID.
To be honest, my ideal style is to look like a 60-year-old mahjong auntie who is an 8-time divorcee (one down, 7 to go!) and has 20-something-year-old lovers on rotation, drinks gin martinis for breakfast, wears high heels and red lipstick to go to the wet market, owns 2 cats and a Shiba, and has a glamourous flat full of disturbing artwork, including self-portraits in fetish gear. I know, I know...for those of you who know me, I realize that I'm almost there. It's always nice to achieve your childhood dream.
We're still stuck in the 1980s fashion cycle, I guess. If I were 10 years younger and 10 pounds lighter, I would wear that weird denim halter romper.
Love the colours on that green and yellow striped shirt.
This mannequin is so tacky that it's cool. If I were a stylist on a budget for a music video or editorial, this street would be my first stop. You can get clothes for as low as HKD20, and some of the clothes do photograph well.
Back in the 90s, I had a major babydoll dress phase. I wonder if I'm too old for that now. I still have one of my old babydoll dresses, the only problem is that when I used to wear it, I only weighed 87 pounds (anorexia), and I'm not sure I could squeeze into it now (no anorexia).
If I were in high school, I would go nuts in this shop.
I really don't get denim. I have one pair of jeans that's part of my wardrobe rotation, and then a pair of vintage Lee wide-legged jeans from the 1970s that I wear when I'm feeling thin and want to dress up, and a pair of baggy, scruffy jeans for smithing. I really don't see why I would need any more.
I would so wear that blue dress with the yellow and red hearts.
I guess you can't see it in the pictures, but those jeans on the right are SO FUCKING TINY. The scary thing is, a couple of years ago, when she was still living here, the OD was cockroach-sized and would have fit into them.
Very cute!
This immediately caught my eye. It made me think of Vivienne Westwood. HKD160, so cheap! I didn't end up buying it, but I did buy something else from the same shop: a black, ruffled petticoat for only HKD60! See below...
I didn't take a picture of me wearing the petticoat on its own because it's transparent-ish, and, trust me, you don't need to see the horror. I decided to just show you how I would wear it.
This is a shirtdress from Damzels in This Dress, with a bit of a 1960s/1970s vibe, no? I call it my Joker dress because it's the same colours that the Joker wears.
I decided to wear the petticoat under the Joker dress and make the dress look more like a frock coat. Oh...the Melissa shoes...I probably wouldn't wear those shoes with the dress, but they were on the top of my shoe rack, and I was too lazy to dig around for better shoes. Doesn't the dress look so different with the petticoat underneath??
Since it's still cold, I'm hoping to get a lot of wear out of this petticoat! I'm really happy with this purchase, I'd been wanting a petticoat for ages, and I was worried that I would have to order from this chick who wanted to charge me USD70! It's too bad the shop only had the petticoat in green, black, white and pink. I would love to have a teal one.
Anyway, to get to Cheung Sha Wan Road, exit Sham Shui Po MTR Station at A1 (or maybe it's A2). That'll take you to the middle of the street, and you can just walk up and down and don't forget to cross the street to see the stuff on the other side, too!
