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Hong Kong Causeway Bay shopping guide & fashion maps! New travel TV & Vietnam food tour.

causeway bay hong kong colorful signs

Oh, the eye-popping energy of Hong Kong! If you only have a day to explore, then I encourage you to see Causeway Bay. This district is home to my favorite shops and malls, which sell cute character toys, streetwear and smoosh-faced pet cats.

Read on for a shopping guide to Causeway Bay (including maps), and a whole lot of “maooo!”

hong kong fashion magazine, visual kei hair, china gothic, goth punk fashion hong kong,

But first… let me give you a head’s up about my next trips. I’m thrilled to be in Hong Kong again, for one of the biggest TV jobs of my career. For now, all I’m allowed to tell you is that it’s a travel TV show, for a major American network. Once the program is ready to air, I can fill you in on the details and cast — and it’ll be worth the wait, I promise you!

In addition, my friend John Skeleton (above) and I will be adventuring in a new destination…

ciao vietnam travels, tour

Vietnam, at last! We’ve teamed up with Ciao Travel, a local tour company that offers bespoke journeys all over Southeast Asia. Since you gave great feedback on my recent food coverage, I’ll be continuing down this path — and sharing their unique Vietnam Food Tours with you.

vietnam food tour, hanoi halong bay

John and I will be eating our way around Hanoi and Halong Bay:  cooking classes, market tours, local village visits, and other authentic experiences. I’ve heard so much about the famous street food in Vietnam, and can’t wait to try it for myself. As always, if you have travel tips for us, please let us know in the comments or on my social networks (@lacarmina on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and more).

(Above two photos by my friend Joey Wong, who went to Vietnam in 2011.)

hong kong taxi cabs, street traffic

Whenever I’m in Hong Kong, I pay a visit to Causeway Bay for a shopping haul. It’s easy to get here. Hong Kong’s iconic red taxis are cheap, so you can hop in and tell your driver to drop you off at Causeway Bay station, or one of the major malls such as Times Square or Hysan Place.

The MTR subway system is also clean and convenient: simply ride to Causeway Bay station on the blue island line, and exit out of D3.

batmobile, batman display

Taxi drivers almost always speak English in Hong Kong (a former British colony), so we had no trouble asking ours to let us off at Times Square Mall (home to Lane Crawford and other luxury stores).

The entrance plaza usually has a funny themed display for people to pose with. Remember when John saw the One Piece exhibit, featuring a big pirate ship and life-size anime characters?

batman museum, exhibition

On this last visit, there was a Batman exhibition. Look up: someone in a mask is keeping close watch on Gotham City.

times square hong kong mall

People could pose with the comic book walls for free. Yukiro seems to be one of the illustrated characters, cackling “Muahahaha”.

hong kong fashion blogger outfit

How cool to see Batman art over the years. The glass display had cute “chibi” versions of The Dark Knight.

I’m wearing a black and white skull dress from Gladnews Tokyo. The shoes are Yosuke, from Marui Shinjuku. My white purse is from Baby the Stars Shine Bright.

arm scarification, sigil magic symbol

Unlike in Japan, anything goes in Hong Kong culture. Want to sit on the Bat-cycle? Take photos inside stores? Go for it, nobody will stop you.

causeway bay shopping map, store guide

I created the above shopping map for you.  Save or print a copy: it’s my ultimate guide to Causeway Bay’s coolest and cutest stores.

As you can see, most locations are near the subway station (the white symbol in a red circle). Essentially, if you drop by my favorite malls — World Trade Center, Sogo, Laforet, Hysan Place, Times Square — you can’t go wrong.

island beverley, sogo hong kong mall

I usually start with the Japanese malls, which are all next to each other: Sogo, Laforet, and the smaller Island Beverley. As you can see above, this is a popular shopping destination with a crazy cross-street like in Shibuya, Tokyo.

nozomi and friends pirate shirt

Ride the escalator in Sogo department store, and you’ll find all sorts of kawaii Japanese goods. Ironically, many of these aren’t found in Tokyo: such as “Nozomi and Friends” pirate shirts, and the Kilara Hello Kitty clothing line.

ans hello kitty accessories

Hello Kitty is as popular here as in Japan. ANS makes accessories with more “adult-oriented” Sanrio designs, like these chic keychains and wallets.

hello kitty stuffed toys hong kong

Sogo’s Sanrio shop has a wall of stuffed toys, including plush Tuxedo Sams, Bad Badtz Marus, and special edition Hello Kitties. The one with the raised paw is a “jinmao,” the Chinese version of the lucky maneki neko.

my melody paper shredder

Some items veer towards weird, like this My Melody paper shredder labelled “Let’s Shred!”

miffy Garfield astroboy

I love shopping for character goods in Hong Kong because prices tend to be better than in Japan, for the same or similar items. Miffy, Garfield and Astroboy — who is your favorite? (You know the answer, for me… Miffehhhh.)

lockhart road hong kong, causeway bay street

John and Yukiro get spooky beneath the stacks of signs on Lockhart Road. Lots of great stores on this road, including the makeup chain SaSa (look for the pink logo).

my melody makeup eyelash glue

I can’t take a trip to Hong Kong without ducking into SaSa. You can find affordable, only-in-Asia items here like My Melody eyelash glue…

japanese eyelashes makeup

… and Japanese false eyelashes, cosmetics and more for lower prices than in Tokyo.

cat pet store hong kong

Look above, and you’ll see this adorable awning. The Chinese name that translates to “Purebred paradise, dragon cat playground.” (Address: 527 Lockhart Road). But locals call it the “squish-faced cat shop” because that exactly describes what you’ll find inside…

smoosh faced exotic shorthair cat

Cats with flat faces, for sale! This smooshy-faced fellow is an Exotic Shorthair.

scottish fold kitten for sale hong kong

There was a grey Scottish Fold kitten, cleaning his squishy-face with his paw.

cute kitten breeder china

Part of this store sells “dragon-nosed” cats (how amazing is this Chinese term?) The other part sells toys, food and other pet supplies. I got my Scottish Fold, Basil Farrow, a moving toy that looks like a panda.

silver metallic sneakers

Onward to Laforet, a building dedicated to Jpop fashion (which is why it shares the same name as the Harajuku department store). However, the similarities end there. Laforet is a jumble of little independent stores, housed side by side.

Each carries a variety of mostly no-name brands, meaning you can find Japanese street styles for a fraction of the price (such as a sailor-style dress for $90 HKD). Look out for the Marie Antoinette shoe store, featuring a display window of towering, glittery shoes.

jinmao chinese lucky cats

The “kawaii” shops are excellent for picking up character goods at discount rates. There are quite a few cat-tastic little shops in there. This one contains nothing but feline objects, like this row of lucky cats wearing golden bells (jinmao).

Ginger tshirts 服裝店

This is Ginger (服裝店), a designer t-shirt and streetwear shop with a number of locations. They do collaborations both with indie artists and major mascots, like Garfield.

chinese robots exhibit

“We are the Robots.” By now, you can tell that funny-cute-bizarre displays are big in Hong Kong.

銅鑼灣 hong kong wtc mall

Some of Causeway Bay’s malls (like Lee Garden, Fashion Walk and Hysan Place) contain mostly international brands (Hollister, Valentino, etc), which don’t interest me. I prefer the offbeat Chinese street style in World Trade Center. Sugarman x Little Twin Stars encapsulates the type of streetwear you’ll find here.

sugarman chinese streetwear

In Hong Kong, you’ll see a lot of “borrowing” in character design. The Sugarman duck looks like the rubber ducky, and the mushroom creature has a Super Mario feeling.

miffy cartoonn, chinese shop

WTC is also home to my happy place… the Miffy Shop! This white, expressionless bunny is a Dutch character, but her “kawaii” look makes her popular in Asia. China’s TwoPercent fashion brand has a branch 100% dedicated to Miffy.

miffy bunny sneakers

All of the clothing features the rabbit in a creative way, such as silky tops with her face, or shoes decorated with her stuffed head.

miffy clothing boutique

Prices are reasonable and the quality is high, such as $200 HK ($25 US) for a bunny-eared hoodie.

hong kong sneaker street shops

Forget the Mongkok sneaker street shops. You can get the funniest custom sneakers right here.

miffy rabbit tshirts

You can’t find the Miffy store outside China, so put this on your must-see list.

miffy balloons

If you purchase a few items, you’ll get a gift or discount at checkout. I bought a black and white purse, and we walked away with these free Miffy balloons! (Remember how we made Miffy drink wine at a restaurant?)

causeway bay map, shopping malls

I hope you find my Causeway Bay store map helpful. Let me know if you were able to easily find these spots, or have any to add!

chinese fantasy girl anime

Isn’t Hong Kong shopping the best? I’ve been blogging about this city for years, so for more travel tips, check out my previous Hong Kong posts.

And let me know if you have Vietnam travel advice for my upcoming trip. I’m getting ready to eat a lot of pho!

SHARE & COMMENT

34 Comments

  1. Ro Main
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:02 am | Permalink

    Pretty colors chicks

  2. Mekal
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:02 am | Permalink

    so nice

  3. Khong
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:03 am | Permalink

    vai lon thang cho de

  4. Xenotis
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:03 am | Permalink

    neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed the miffy sneakers

  5. MD
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:03 am | Permalink

    what a Batman car i realy want it

  6. Kirsty
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:04 am | Permalink

    wow Good LUCK!

  7. Pink Parfait
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 8:06 am | Permalink

    yay squishy faces!

  8. Brooke
    Posted August 25, 2015 at 6:23 pm | Permalink

    Miffy is cute, but it’s all about Garfield in my book =)
    Great post as usual and have fun in Vietnam. I can’t wait until you can reveal more about your tv project there

    • lacarmina
      Posted August 25, 2015 at 10:17 pm | Permalink

      You know I love fat cats too ;-) thanks so much for the love!

  9. Matthew
    Posted August 26, 2015 at 11:02 am | Permalink

    I love both saigon and Hanoi . Let me know if you want tips

  10. Jackson
    Posted August 26, 2015 at 11:03 am | Permalink

    Vietnam! The north is prettier, the south is more fun imo.

  11. Jackie Kelly Brito
    Posted August 26, 2015 at 8:22 pm | Permalink

    I’m thrilled for you about this American TV travel show. Like, holy s! Seriously? You so deserve it! I’m anxiously waiting more news on this. :)

    Thanks for the beautiful photos, kitty! As always, loved it all. I mean, shoes with bunny face studs and Brazil shades/head piece in Hong Kong? Looks like I’d fit right in this awesome couture madness. ♥

    • lacarmina
      Posted August 27, 2015 at 3:01 am | Permalink

      Thanks, kitty! I’ll take more photos of new places in Hong Kong for you, on this next trip! xoxox

  12. Fernando
    Posted August 27, 2015 at 2:44 am | Permalink

    Shame you’re gonna be in the north around Hanoi and Halong Bay. The South in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is a lot more fun, but I will say that Hanoi is by far the prettier city.

  13. Aimee
    Posted August 27, 2015 at 2:45 am | Permalink

    Wow @.@

  14. Draw ame
    Posted August 28, 2015 at 10:10 am | Permalink

    I love your Snapchat right now!!!!!!

  15. Lilies.
    Posted August 28, 2015 at 10:11 am | Permalink

    Dress with skulls is on point ;)

  16. Steven
    Posted August 28, 2015 at 10:12 am | Permalink

    I like seeing Hong Kong through your eyes. It changed a lot hasnt it since the 90s?

  17. Hama
    Posted August 29, 2015 at 2:11 am | Permalink

    Vietnam is my dream destination :);)

  18. Gretaaaaaa
    Posted August 29, 2015 at 2:28 am | Permalink

    Congratulations on the big show.

  19. Elisabeth Natasha
    Posted August 30, 2015 at 2:47 am | Permalink

    I love kawaii stuff so much so thank you for sharing :D
    Visit mine ❤️
    Flower or Crepe?

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