I already have running shoes and my Vibram shoes for hiking, so I don't really need any other…read moretrainers. But I'm a big fan of sports apparel and shoes, especially the colorful ones from Nike or Adidas. In Wan Chai there are a ton of sports shops to choose from, most of them carrying a big selection of sport wear at good prices. All of them have big discounts and you can normally get a good deal anywhere. But Footwear Supermarket is my preferred one. They have Reebok and Puma for running shoes mainly, but they also have some Columbia and Converse products and pretty much everything is reduced. For what I was looking for, they didn't really have 'the ones', but I still had a look because the staff didn't seem very preoccupied with me browsing around, so I kept going. I found it odd that on one of the corners they have 'normal' shoes, but I ignored those because they were, well, a little ugly, and just didn't fit in there. They also had some okay clothes. If you are looking for a fancy pair of trainers, it's probably not the place, they all look very functional, and cheap (some of the discounts went up to 50%). Because I already have what I need and I'm more looking for 'pretty' shoes, I decided to go next door, but if you need good shoes, don't care that much about the design and are not willing to spend much, it's worth checking them out. Also, for trekking shoes they're pretty good too.

They weren't kidding when they called it Sneakers Street. Literally every athletic brand you can…read morethink of exists here. Ended up grabbing like three pair of shoes due to the good sales talk by the associate helping us. Convenient location, there's plenty of drink and food places nearby if you're needing a little pick-me-up from shopping. Down the street was the infamous ladies' market as well.

Fun stop in Mongkok…read more Sneaker Street is filled with...sneakers. There are also some local markets selling fruits and vegetables. Make sure to read the signs on the road and look left, look right when crossing the street.

If you're like me, with size 41 feet ... shoe shopping in Hong Kong can be, shall we say…read more'challenging'? Fortunately, there's always Vickie Shoes. I was introduced to Vickie by our relocation agent - that's right, I got in early. Shoes, then an apartment, its all about getting your priorities straight girls. Most places in Hong Kong go up to a 40, which is always too small (although better than the 37 on offer when I lived in South Korea), but just close enough for a tantalising 'maybe - I should try it just in case ...' but it never ends well. Marks & Spencer cater for the larger sizes, as does a shop at the plaza end of Stanley Market, but Vickie definitely rules the roost. Off the rack - or shelf if you want to be picky - sizes go up to a 42 as standard, but, if that still doesn't do it for you, they'll make 'em for you. Up to a size 47. It's a fairly captive market, and they know it. Their summer range of flats and sandals are all marked at around the HKD $400 mark, and the pair of grey suede boot I bought last winter were almost double that. But the quality is good. And you know you have a choice of styles - anything in the shop! When was the last time anyone above a 38 had that on offer? I find lot of the styles a bit old fashioned. But that's my personal and standard opinion of flats in general. It is with a heavy heart that I have boxed up most of my heels (sniff), but they really aren't practical for walking around Hong Kong - the pavements aren't exactly even in a lot of places and Thank God for the escalators, but those hills are Not, repeat Not (yes with the capital N) stiletto friendly. I'm coming to terms with a new world order, fortunately, I have my pal Vickie to guide me through.

This shop can't go unnoticed if you get to the 7th floor of Hysan Place. Even if you're tired of…read moreseeing shoes, some of their pairs on the window will definitely catch your attention. Whether you like their style or not, it's fun to have a look inside. For me, I have mixed feelings: I did love some models and thought some other were a little ridiculous, so much that I wouldn't wear them, I thought. Their collections include high heels, flats, sandals and sports shoes. Two pairs made me start thinking of an excuse to get them...a pair of colorful sandals with a bit of a platform and blue leather strips up to the ankle (that were on sale), and some sneakers with details in pink, green and purple of the lift-up type (heel embedded in sole). These were more expensive than the sandals though. I didn't find prices very high considering that they use high quality materials (leather and suede) and they claim to have their shoes handcrafted. I wasn't so keen on their flats, however I cannot deny their personality; in fact some of them are really original, with some messages on the front part of the shoe. They seemed to be quite random though: "seat belt", "stop", "go". Definitely I wouldn't find those same ones anywhere else. They probably are best fit for casual wear, even their high heels, given their colors and patterns. I could also find a few very plain designed flats, but it's definitely not their symbol of identity of the brand.

Saturday. 50% off…read more SHEER INSANITY. Great deals. I never miss the opportunity of taking the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong side and descending on Hennessy Road, when visiting Hong Kong. Pro-tip: this is primarily an area for shopping, not many exciting eats around. Eat before you embark on your retail therapy.

There are many floors in Sogo, however the layout on each floor just confusing for us…read more Not the greatest department store. My sis bought skincare items and the merchandise did not come with a carrier. I get it that we need to protect the environment and use less paper, etc etc.. But this a bit much. My sis has to put her purchase and stuffed it in her designer leather bag. The only thing I like is the grocery store in basement two. So many things to buy and many interesting food items to check out. And yep, we stuffed our groceries in our designer bags too :( Extremely crowded on weekdays evenings and all day on weekends.

So I have a shoe thing. Some people may call it an addiction, I call it good taste. I love all…read morekinds of shoes, and would invest my hard earned cash in them. Now HK with its dirty pavements, torrential rain and cobblestone walkways with pitfalls of death are not conducive to maintaining beautiful shoes. But what is the point of buying nice shoes if you don't wear them? So along comes my favourite cobbler. He's super efficient, takes great care with my often astronomically priced shoes and always does a good job. What I mean by good job is, when I get a pair of shoes soled, it doesn't lift and comes off within 6 months, it doesn't come back with any marks which weren't on there previously, he's reasonably priced and did I mention fast in his work? I dropped 3 pairs off to be soles before these babies hit the grounds of HK and they will be ready in a day. If you have urgent repairs, take a seat and he'll do it on the spot. What more can you ask for really.

Tucked away in Fashion Walk around a corner from the zoo of the main hub of Causeway Bay retail,…read morethis store is kind of quiet and peaceful compared to other Nike stores that are small, packed, with no room to walk around. Offering up the Nike clothes and shoes, this space has wide aisles on the retail floor. It is very spacious! Although it was out of order when we were there, they do have a cool tread mill running mechanism to have you get fitted into the proper running shoe for your foot which I had never seen and seemed pretty interesting. Be aware if you are a guy looking for shoes (as my USA visiting nephew was), standard sizes at most Nike stores are not larger than size 10.5 at best. You will never find a 12 or higher...on Sneaker Street or core store like this one.

Gigasports is a mega store for sports goods, in fact it is a giga store for sports goods (that's…read more1000 times better than a mega store - whoop!). I particularly like the location in Pacific Place, as it is large, carries a good stock, both on display and "out the back", and often has sales on, on top of their regular discounts. The store stocks all types of shoes, clothing and accessories for sports, primarily; running, fitness, basketball, racquet sports, swimming (which many other sport stores don't cater to), footy, and general outdoor (hiking, etc). It is mainly shoes and clothes, with some things like bags, swimming goggles, medical supports. They don't stock a great deal of kit like balls or tennis racquets, so if you need specific sports equipment, you may have to look elsewhere. The store is well laid out, by sport, department, and brand, so things are easy to find. Staff are on standby to help, and can be helpful to the point of pestering, but they do have to make a buck I suppose. When you buy, always ask for a discount. Nine out of ten, they will apply the 5-10% membership discount, regardless of whether or not you are a member. This store in particular, impresses me with their range of swimming gear. As well as swimwear, they have loads of goggles, including prescription lenses, waterproof mp3 players, and floats and accessories. The stock is large compared to other stores. They also have a dedicated kids department, and a good Columbia concession with loads of wicking clothing.

I was at Pacific Place today looking for a few fitness clothes, as I need to 'renew' my closet for…read moresports clothes. I had been looking around Wan Chai for some of those but the best deals I could get were still not that great value for money (okay design and too pricey for their quality). Wan Chai has great stores for branded trainers; prices are half the ones at Giga Sports, but I suspect they're also from previous collections. However today I was after some tights and sports bras. I was impressed by the size of the store: they have a few sections by brand and sport. There's a specific one on fitness which I went to check out. Unfortunately they only had a couple of tights from Adidas, but they were around 250HKD, which is much cheaper than other stores. Their range of bras is great though, and they have the same price (so it's pretty much average). There were some more clothes on the running section and even the tennis one, but for the size of the store it didn't seem much. They're not a specialized store. Instead they have multiple sections with a few items, including swimming and golf, and a corner devoted to hiking products. There is way too much staff in this place though, but nobody approached me to help, which was fine as I could find what I was after quite easily. I picked up a brochure I saw at the fitness section and I'm browsing through it, got hooked on their Adidas tights and will come back for them!