This place is fashion heaven! At least for the ladies ;)…read more Ever since my relative told me about Hong Kong Industrial Centre 香港工業中心, I long to come here every time I visit Hong Kong. The building name sounds industrial and factory-like but really, the entire building is the central hub for wholesale businesses! We are looking at the latest and unique fashions, accessories, toys, and much more. My relative told me that a lot of fashion boutique owners will come here to bulk purchase and sell the items at their own store because of the amazingly low wholesale prices. Back then, an average person like us would not be able to just come here and buy one item, you will need to buy at least 3 of the same shirt (can be in different colours). But now the economy has changed, the wholesalers have become more lenient and can sell you item by item and with discounts. The prices are absolutely affordable and you should definitely pay a visit. Ex. I got a sweater for $100... normally it would cost around $200-$250 out in the city. I got 2 trendy lace jackets also for $100 each. The only thing is that you can't really try on anything because there is no fitting room. If you are coming here for the first time, I suggest to explore the first two floors first. It is more popular on the first floor, but I did found some pretty good stuff on the second floor. It is just like treasure hunting ;) Travel notes: To get to this building by subway, get off MTR Lai Chi Lok Station (Exit B1) and it is less than 5 minutes away.

I think most of us know of H&M, but not many from the states know of Monki. It's own by the same…read morecompany as H&M, but the style and quality of the clothes here are definitely a step up. I'd say Monki is a bit like Urban Outfitters. The clothes are trendy and it caters to people who want to be fashionable without spending a heap of money. This particular location was literally the size of a shoe box, so the selection was lacking compared to larger shops, but I was able to pick up a shirt and a bag. Both of which costs under $200 HKD!

I don't go to Mong Kok very often, but when I do, I try to squeeze in a trip to Monki at Langham…read morePlace. Monki is right next to H&M - and also, in my opinion, the worst H&M there is because it's permanently crowded and they never seem to turn up the air conditioning. So whenever I'm at Langham, I always give the H&M a miss and head straight for Monki. The clothes at Monki range from girly to things you can sort of create a goth look out of, making it a place where everyone can find something that they like. It's one of the few places I know with sizes XXS, so it's great for people who are a little on the smaller size. I've bought everything from nice dresses to basics here and I find that the quality of clothes here is not bad at all. The accessories section at Monki is worth checking out - they have some really cool jewelry like statement necklaces that go great when paired with solid tops. Their stuff doesn't look cheap either. Last year, they were doing a sale on their tote bags, and I was out shopping with a friend from Singapore and she bought 2 back. They were only around $50 each, if I'm not wrong, the designs were cute and the cloth seemed pretty solid and durable. The changing rooms at Monki are really cool - they're filled with mirrors on each side, so looking straight into any one is nothing short of a real life optical illusion! I do wish Monki would have more sales though - usually, they just have one section of stuff on sale and some accessories too. I've never been to Monki and seen that they're having a huge sale. Hopefully, that will change the next time that I am there!

Bershka is one of my favorite stores to shop at. I've been a fan ever since I stumbled upon it at…read morethe basement level of Times Square. Over the next few months, I emerged from the store shopping bag in hand more often than I didn't, When Bershka was replaced by something else about a year ago, I'm not going to lie... I was a little crushed. But ever since I realized that there's a bigger Bershka over at Olympian City in Tai Kok Tsui, I've more than gotten over it. The Bershka here is less crowded than it used to be at Times Square, presumably because of its more offbeat location in Olympic. There's always a section filled with great sales, and it's not like other stores where with things on sale, only the L's and XL's are left - they usually have what I like in my size. And best of all, the changing rooms are great! There are more than five cubicles and they're all pretty spacious. There's hardly a need to line up for the changing rooms, compared to the old one at Times Square - I think I had to queue up every time there! The style at Bershka is pretty diverse - you can find full-on animal print stuff, or you can opt for a basic, solid color tee. They've got super casual tanks and shorts, but if you're attending something more formal like a prize ceremony or a fancy dinner, you'll be able to find something here too. While Bershka is catered to the younger audience, my mother has been able walk out with a couple of buys, so it goes to show that there's something for everyone here! Best of all, Bershka is pretty affordable. Tops on sale aren't usually more than $100, and most of their jeans are on sale right now for just $139! The quality is not bad too. So what are you waiting for? Come on down to Bershka before they put most of those sale items away and bring out the fall items - you won't walk out empty-handed!

"Excuse me. Do you know where the Sincerity Travel is in Mong Kok?"…read more"It is right next to Argyle Centre." As I was trying to get my student card ready, I was in Mong Kok trying to find that place but I ended up getting lost somewhere and had to resort to ask for help. The way he told me where that was made it sound like everyone knew where Argyle Centre was. Well, not for me. I seriously had no idea where that was. I just kept asking everyone along the way. Thankfully I made it. Turns out Argyle Centre is one of those malls for teens. I realized that teenage girls love coming here and I can tell by the number of people in this tiny little small here. You can see all kind of shops and I seriously do not think that any guys would come here as most shops here sell heels, accessories, dresses and basically women's stuff. So to be honest, I was literally the odd man out surrounded by all those girls. Anyway, the stuff here is extremely cheap. Well normally for guys, my shirt alone would cost me a few hundreds, but here a dress only costs around HKD$50. Wow! Are you serious? Well, design and taste aside... you can still buy lots of cheap stuff here. However, I believe everyone knows this place better than I do. I am so ashamed to call myself a local at this point. So if you are looking for decent clothes at a cheaper price, come here then.

Argyle Center is teenage shopping heaven. It's shop after shop and floor after floor of trendy…read moreclothes and accessories, all at EXTREMELY affordable prices. And I can't stress this enough - we're talking earrings for $10, shorts for $30 kind of cheap! Argyle Center is about a five minutes' walk from the MTR station. It's pretty easy to find your way - or you could just follow that group of teenagers in front of you because that's probably the way they're heading. The variety of things at Argyle is endless. You can find anything from backpacks with huge dolls attached to them to bags appropriate for you to bring for work - that's how much choice you'll have there. The mall is obviously catered to teenagers, but I don't think anybody could possibly leave here empty handed! Don't worry, it's not just all clothes and accessories - you can also find really fun novelty items and gifts there, like drinking games sets, offensive but funny cards and prank toys. If you're a fan of Korean pop music, you'll be able to find some shops that sell Korean celebrities merchandise like badges and posters. A word of caution though: some of the things here can be pretty tacky and cheap-looking - you'll see a lot of bright t-shirts with badly spelled words that make no sense and bags with so many studs nobody should be let within a metre-radius of them. But once in a while, you'll see a decent looking sweater or a necklace that doesn't look half bad. Most shopkeepers are willing to bargain, so you can get things cheaper than they already are! If there's a defect in something you want and it's the last remaining piece, don't be afraid to ask for a discount - you'll almost definitely get one! At all costs, do NOT come on a weekend because this place will be super crowded! You won't be able to browse much because you'll be knocking elbows with others who are trying to get a close look too, and it really just isn't worth coming on a weekday. Come on a weekday because there will be significantly less people! The key to shopping at Argyle is to be patient - you'll see some seriously tacky clothes, and you'll be bumping into other people because the mall isn't huge - but persistence is key! Poke around long enough and I'm sure you'll leave with a couple of good buys!

I am very unhappy with Maple. I tried Maple for the first…read moretime in my life but my first experience was very very bad now i will never try it again in my entire life.

If you're looking for inexpensive Japanese or Korean-inspired clothes that are locally designed,…read moreMaple is your place. The clothes at Maple aren't very 'mainstream' - don't expect to be finding H&M or Zara-esque styles. Frills, layered pieces and graphic t-shirts with cute prints but awkward and sometimes grammatically incorrect phrases are the norm here at Maple. Granted, some of the clothes here look a little cheap, but I have found quite a few nice things here before. Personally, the clothes at Maple don't really fit my sense of style, but once in a while, I walk out of there with something. These include a pair of shorts with anchor prints on them, a pair of plain charcoal grey leggings and a solid burgundy sweater. I was happy with all my purchases - except the shorts are a little too loose-fitting for my liking. Also, sometimes they don't let you try their clothes. It kind of seems to be arbitrary, because once I was told that tops aren't allowed to be tried on, but I definitely recall trying on a couple of t-shirts here before! I have a couple of overseas friends who adore this kind of Asian-style clothes, and Maple is the perfect place to hunt for gifts for them! The clothes are extremely affordable and there's a huge variety. Everything comes in more than one color and though cheap, the quality really isn't bad at all! Maple also has a ton of accessories like earrings, scarves and rings. Again, they're inexpensive and cute, so they make great gifts for friends or even yourself!

We were out in Lai Chi Kok in pursuit of a noodle shop we had read about and also made note to find…read moreout what D2 Place was all about as well. A small, compact, cute, four leveled shopping plaza with a entire floor of food options is what we discovered. It seems funky, fun, festive and kind of new. Other than maybe the Croc store, most stores seemed like local, small, entrepreneurial places selling handmade crafty things like jewelry and gift items to figurines that have your likeness having been made by a 3D printer on sight. Many stores selling clothing too. There is also Greenlive, which is an indoor electronic golf range and golf course. The 4th floor is entirely a home store called Home 21, selling everything from couches to mirrors to place settings. Kind of feels like Pier One has met a furniture store, if you are familiar with Pier One in the US. If you find yourself in Lai Chi Kok, absolutley stop by D2 Place to buzz around, buy something and maybe take in a meal or coffee (or even ice cream...they have an ice cream shop inside!). Lai Chi Kok is a quiet suburb outside the hype of places closer to Central, but D2 Place seems like a cool, hip place to get the fun feel of shopping and exploring you find in the main cultural hubs around Hong Kong.