Bugis Street
The busy Bugis precinct is a lively mix of uptown chic and downtown hip. You’ll find high street brands like Topshop and Miss Selfridge at the Bugis Junction mall, but pop outside and onto Bugis Street and you’ll find cheap eats, clothes and accessories in an offbeat outdoor market setting.
With its rich history and iconic status, Chinatown draws in a great mix of folks, from the expats to the locals, and has a colorful array of sights, shops and stuff to check out. The Little Dröm Store is perfect for souvenir shopping with its range of vintage trinkets and cool stationery, multi-label store Willow & Huxley carries hard-to-find labels in limited numbers, and Red Dot Design Museum hosts a monthly flea market called MAAD Pyjamas, dedicated to all things art and design.
Conveniently located in the heart of town and a stone’s throw away from popular nightlife spot CHIJMES is this techie haven. Find anything and everything tech-related you need here and more; each store offers different add-ons to your initial buy so look around and put your haggling skills to the test to make sure you walk out with the best deal.
ION Orchard’s spectacular frontage makes it perhaps the most eye-catching mall on the Orchard Road strip. This colossal mall houses duplex flagship stores of designer and high street brands like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Christian Dior, Fred Perry, Prada, Uniqlo, Topman and Zara.
Little India
Apparel, drystores, electronics, toiletries and party gear—you’ll find this and lots more at Mustafa Centre, an iconic shopping destination in the heart of Little India that’s almost always packed to the brim with shoppers. Buy brand-name watches and other accessories at a steal here, and get access to an excellent range of Hindi movies and music albums you’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. This district’s also been getting hotter over the years with hip additions like Jewel Café and Bar, Suprette and Wanderlust Hotel now thrown into the mix—you could spend an entire day here.
Just across the street from the F1 Pit Building is where PARCO next NEXT is located. Here you’ll find Singapore’s new generation of fashion designers and their labels such as MASH-UP, Evenodd and 20:TWOTHREE. Aside from the wide range of fashion and lifestyle brands available, Millenia Walk also houses Australian electronics giant Harvey Norman and several joints to grab a light bite at, like Twelve Cupcakes and 3 Inch Sin—best known for their lip-smacking molten lava cakes.
Singapore’s home to some of the best indie boutiques in the world, stocking fashion that represents the best of contemporary design. There’s The Reckless Shop, which showcases edgy Singapore-based label Reckless Ericka as well as quirky accessories by fashion icon Daniel Boey. Another place to check out here is Pact, a retail store slash bar and hair salon that stocks brands like Sifr, Deck Towel and Moscot Eyewear.
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands®
If unadulterated luxury is what you’re looking for, you won’t have to look much further than The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands®. You’ll be able to shop the latest seasons by Chanel, Dior, Escada and Louis Vuitton, which has one of its Island Maison concept boutiques here, as well as sample the creations of celebrity chefs at restaurants Guy Savoy, db Bistro Moderne, CUT, Waku Ghin and more.
Tiong Bahru
Tiong Bahru is home to one of Singapore’s favorite indie bookstores, BooksActually. Pick up hot fiction and non-fiction titles from authors in Singapore and around the world, diaries and other knick-knacks, then pop next door for more quirky finds at Strangelets. Venture into multi-label clothing boutiques nana & bird and two.o.ri, or Flea & Trees for women’s fashion and unique home décor pieces.
