Fashion and beauty insiders dish on their favourite places to shop around the world
You can virtually buy anything via the internet now (hello, Amazon Prime), but nothing really beats the the rush of an unexpected holiday discovery – well, in our books at least. If you’ve got travel plans for New York, Paris or Milan, you’ll want to bookmark these insider recommendations for your next trip… and you can thank us later.
While in New York…
“I’ll make a beeline for The Apartment by The Line to handpick curios and other beautiful objects for the home. The last time I was there, I picked up a hand-painted ostrich egg, a brass plate and some other unexpected treasures for my atelier. I hate having a functional workspace, and need to be surrounded by beautiful things, so I just love everything the buyers curate in this space.” – Alli Teal, Mmerci Encore (pictured left)
“Head to BITE Beauty LIP LAB – we do not have the brand in Singapore yet, and they carry beautiful lip products. You can create your own custom lipstick (USD$55 for one lipstick or two for USD$80), or splurge on a USD$150 package for two personalised, unique shades. If you’re only looking for their off-the-shelves products, just make your way to any Sephora store there!” – Larry Yeo, celebrity makeup artist
“I love going into STORY, a lifestyle retail concept store along Manhattan’s 10th Avenue. The visual merchandising changes dramatically every other month and the various themes keeps it really fresh, making the products heaps of fun to browse.” – Ginette Chittick, musician and fashion designer (pictured right)
Moving on to Paris…
“My favourite beauty store has to be Oh My Cream at 3 Rue de Tournon. This charming multi-label beauty store in Paris’ Left Bank stocks well-known and indie beauty labels. Joelle Ciocco is great for their Grand Soin and Sculpture Massage, which is essentially a no-needles facelift. I love facial massages, and they’ve perfected this anti-aging facial massage which helps lift the countenance while banishing signs of fatigue. It also helps detox the skin.” – Alli
“The flagship Christopher Lemaire store on 28 Rue de Poitou is definitely worth a visit. This cutting-edge label is all about quality construction and wearable designs, and its showroom is a sleek amalgam of the brand’s philosophy.” – CK Koo, fashion stylist (pictured left)
“Oh, how I adore Mariage Freres for their teas. I’m just bowled over by the whole shopping experience – from its history (it was established in 1854) to the beauty of the brand. It’s so impressive that it seems like a Singaporean company has copied its concept.” – Larry
Over at Milan, Florence and Rome…
“POTAFIORI in Milan is a florist-slash-bistro that combines two of my great loves (other than beauty, art and music): food and flowers! They do incredible floral sculptures and arrangements and deliciously healthy food in one creative space.” – Alli
“In Florence, a must-visit is the AquaFlor Firenze, where beautiful fragrances are created. Step into the shop and let the master perfumer help you discover the your ideal scent. I’ll buy everything here, if not for my baggage limit! When in Rome, do visit Franchi Gastronomia, one of my favourite gourmet places in Italy. It’s an authentic Roman deli with amazing food and produce – I always buy my parma ham in individually, vacuum-packed parcels. It’s so good, I’ll usually bring up to 2.5kg worth of meat home.” – Larry (pictured right)
Bangkok…
“One of my go-to places for independent designers is Siam Center, which features the city’s top Thai designers. Each label has a unique presentation, and I always walk out of the mall feeling inspired – and with loads of shopping bags.” – Carolyn Kan, Carrie K. (pictured left)
And of course, Tokyo
“The Jill Stuart eyelash curler‘s on my shopping list here, only because it’s the best curler I’ve used so far. You can find it at any of the brand’s department store counters, or at the Haneda Airport. Addiction by Ayako is also a big favourite, and I recommend the makeup range for their Cheek Stick, and blush and highlighter brush.” – Larry
Forget about dealing with wads of cash, or worrying about foreign exchange conversion rates when you shop overseas – with the DBS Multi-Currency Account, you can make purchases in 11 foreign currencies with your DBS Visa Debit Card without incurring any foreign exchange costs!
Best of all, you can enjoy a S$50 cashback when you spend a minimum of S$1,500 in foreign currency from now until 31 December 2017 on your DBS Visa Debit Card. Find out more here.
This article is sponsored by DBS.