Get down and dirty
Call it what you will, vintage or secondhand clothing - traditionally a no-no for tai tais and superstitious shoppers - is shaking off its ghostly taboos and infiltrating Hong Kong's fashion consciousness. From high-end collectibles to next-to-nothing finds, here's a short list of some of the best shops in town.
Amour's Antiques, 45 Staunton Street, Central, tel: 2803 7877; Shop 206, The Galleria, Central, tel: 2869 9868. If any shop here has claim to the title 'vintage', it's this one (below). Stocking a treasure trove of collectible handbags, objets d'art, jewellery and clothing (a 1890s Victorian underskirt goes for $9,800), the boutique attracts connoisseurs, clued-up tai tais and costumers.
Beatniks, Shop 221 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2881 7153; No 1, G/F Rise Commercial Building, 5-11 Granville Circuit, TST, tel: 2793 9484. Shop owner Kee Lau, who dishes out deadpan humour daily in the atmospheric, two-storey Causeway Bay boutique, sources second-hand essentials such as ironical T-shirts (three for $100) and authentic distressed denim jeans (about $450) from the US and Japan. Best buys include his selection of that boot-cut, cowboy classic, Levi's 517.
Midwest, Shop 63, Victoria Centre, 15 Watson Road, Tin Hau, tel: 2802 6886. For more than 10 years, this second-hand pioneer (below) has brought us all manner of yesteryear Americana, including square dancing skirts (a fancy-dress party find at $180), cowboy shirts and, more recently, the preppy, 1980s ensembles so popular among young hipsters.
Yung Lee Hong, 26 Graham Street, Central, tel: 2541 2376. Tucked behind the open-air market on Graham Street, this secret address of stylist and costumers is worth a rummage. Hidden in piles of dusty bags is everything from 1960s flight bags to Chinese opera costumes. Prices, as they should be in serious second-hand shops, are negotiable.
Me & George, 9 Li Yuen Street West, Central, tel: 2501 0186; 46 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok, tel: 2417 2395. There are incredible finds in this floor-to-ceiling, second-hand chain - beautiful 1950s silk kimonos, so-kitsch-they're-cool poof-skirts, the occasional designer item - but you're going to have to work for them. The good news: once found, items are dirt cheap and not necessarily dirty. Be sure to bargain.
