IF SHOPPING is an art to you, the Bras Basah and Bugis precincts should be your stomping grounds.
Turn to the variety of quirky independent stores in the area to find extra-special and unique items, which are frequently very well-designed.
Best of all, these outlets stay open in the evenings, making the area a vibrant shopping destination after twilight.
Here's my paper's shortlist:
SEAH STREET/PURVIS STREET
Better known for delicious grub, these parallel side streets host a few designer gems.
Home-grown multi-label brand concept store Actually (29A, Seah Street, tel: 6336-7298) is so successful that owner Paul Khor recently opened sister store Actually Actually a street away (16, Purvis Street, #02-01, tel: 6336-7002).
Go there for design-centric cult brands such as Freitag (bags made out of recycled truck tarpaulin, bicycle inner tubes, car seatbelts and airbags), Uniform for the Dedicated (men's clothing with a playful edge) and Vandalist (creative men's fashion).
If you're there in the early evenings, marvel at the clean aesthetics in the showrooms of Italian lighting brand Artemide (12, Purvis Street, tel: 6334-1653) and home-grown Sunlight Luminaire (5, Purvis Street, tel: 6339-6086).
STAMFORD HOUSE
The beautiful architecture of this building, built in 1900, makes shopping here a unique treat.
Visit the free-sampling concept store Fr3b (#03-05, tel: 6336-5435), home to one of the most innovative business ideas in Singapore.
You pay just $28 per year and "shop" to your heart's content. Your first visit entitles you to pick up eight samples – these include sachets of Dermalogica creams and 80ml bottles of Listerine.
Log in to your Fr3b.com account and post reviews of your products. On your next visit, pick up eight more samples.
Fr3b finds good company with Hansel (#01-02, tel: 6337-0992). This funky shop is opened by one of Singapore's most talented fashion designers, Jo Soh. Get quirky pieces, from skirts to dresses, which are right for both the office or a cocktail reception.
Fellow designer Nic Wong's Nicholas is also in the building (#01-03, tel: 6339-0223).
THE CATHAY
While on the prowl for one-of- a-kind fashion and lifestyle accessories, don't overlook The Cathay in Handy Road. In its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, the Art Deco-style building was a prominent landmark.
At Woodwould (#03-03, tel: 6836-2434), paper and stationery fans will fall in love all over again.
Its indie greeting cards, notepads, journals and vintage toy models are mostly imported from Japan, the United States and Korea.
Though Black Alice (#04-09, tel: 6836-4037) specialises in Lolita fashion – marked by the sweet, doll-like outfits often seen on youths in Tokyo's Harajuku district – don't think you won't be able to find something for yourself here.
The more adventurous will tell you that you'd be able to mix and match the unusual blouses, headbands, parasols and even headdresses that cost between $25 and $300, with your usual wardrobe to spice it up by quite a few notches.
At The Cathay, you'll also be able to satisfy the rocker in you with something from Spin The Bottle (#01-02, tel: 6738-2848). The shop carries cult brands such as Worn Free (a favourite of rock bands such as Kaiser Chiefs and Travis) or Dutch bag brand Tagger, which allows you to customise your bag with interchangeable flaps and straps.
HAJI LANE
This destination for local fashionistas is a treasure trove of vintage and forward- looking design finds.
Check out The Blogshop (35, tel: 6396-6170) for the very best offerings from local shopping blogs. Launched last year, it stocks fashion items such as clothes and accessories, but also has a stand dedicated to Lomos and other mechanical cameras.
There's also a stand displaying gaming paraphernalia so you can recreate a casino feel at home.
If it's vintage clothing, accessories and fabric that you're after, head to Pluck (31/33, tel: 6396-4048). Grab a scoop (or two) of ice cream while you're at it, as the store is part-retail outlet and part-cafe. Neighbour Dulcetfig (41, tel: 6396-5648) is another vintage hound's haven.
BUGIS JUNCTION PUSHCARTS
You may have rushed past the pushcarts at Bugis Junction on your way to catch a train, but stop and take a closer look.
The streets hosting the carts – the Malay and Hylam streets of an erstwhile Bugis – have been conserved within the mall.
You'll be able to purchase anything from cross-stitch kits (Emiko) to all manner of ties and bowties (Meticulous).
Take your pick from an array of socks (Citrusox) or Hello Kitty toys, stationery and accessories (Toyz). They make cute, affordable gifts, or you could just add them to your hoard of collectibles.
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