Shop HK

Came across this article on Yahoo and thought it will be good to share with those who are heading to the shoppers' paradise of Hong Kong.

Outlet shops (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN)

• In the south part of HK, in Ap Lei Chau, is Horizon Plaza (2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau; tel. 852-25549089), a 28-storey industrial building that houses the outlet shops of the high-end department store Lane Crawford and equally upscale Joyce Boutique, among others.

From Exchange Square in Central (Connaught Road), take the 590 bus to Ap Lei Chau (fare is HK$6.90). The scenic ride takes 20-30 minutes. Get off on the last stop. From the terminal, take a five-minute cab ride (HK$18) to Horizon Plaza or there is a shuttle from the bus terminal to Horizon Plaza.

At the reception, ask for a copy of the shopping guide so you know which floors to hit. It has outlets for fashion, furniture and home accessories, kitchenware, toys and baby items, food and wines, and even an excellent pet supplies shop.

Business hours are 10am-6pm. Note, though, that some shops are closed on certain days, so you may want to check before going.

We suggest you work your way down, beginning on the 27th floor, where you'll find the warehouse of Club Monaco, Juicy Couture, Marni, Diesel, the Max Mara Fashion Group. The elevators are kind of slow, so you may want to take the stairs if you're going only one or two floors down.

It's hard not to lose your head on the 25th floor, the vast Lane Crawford warehouse, which has last-season collections of every designer of note up to 70-per-cent off.

On the 21st floor is Joyce Boutique, smaller than Lane Crawford but with a selection that's just as impressive. It has Balenciaga, Azzedine Alaia, Balmain, Comme des Garcons, Jil Sander, among others. The menswear racks and shoes are also worth a look-see. Right above, on the 22nd floor, is the Armani outlet.

If you like your Jimmy Choos, head for Bluebell Fashion on the 19th floor, which has shoes and purses from the label, as well as racks and racks of Paul Smith and Moschino. Next door, at Fairton Label Fashion Warehouse, is a mix of Jean Paul Gaultier, Lancel, Seven, Kookai.

On the fifth is the outlet of the I.T boutique chain, which sells avant-garde designers like Martin Margiela, Tsumori Chisato, Yohji Yamamoto. Don't make the mistake of skipping on a purchase even as you're also headed to the I.T Sale Shop in Tsim Sha Tsui (3/F, Silvercord Building, across Harbour City on Canton Road); the stocks are different in every shop.

• Before heading back to Central, check out Space Warehouse (2/F, South Horizon Plaza, East Wing) near the bus terminal. It's the outlet shop of Prada and Miu Miu. There's a big Prada sign, so you won't miss it.

• Citygate Outlets in Lantau (Tung Chung Station on the MTR; www.citygateoutlets.com.hk) is an outlet mall near the airport. They have all the brands like Burberry, Timberland, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Diane Von Furstenberg, Escada, Calvin Klein and Vivienne Tam.