Disappointing shopping trip

Hello my darlings,

I am utterly disappointed at the clothing shops at Far East Plaza. It used to be the place to go to for the coolest stuff. Casual, cheap clothing that's funky and fashionable.

But what did I see tonight when I was there? The same old stuff in every single shop. It's the kinda stuff you can find being sold on the local blog shops. It bores the hell out of me: Tailored dresses, frilly tops, see through tops, over embellished tops and dresses...What the hell is going on?!

I went there with every intention to buy cool casual wear. I'm talkin, cotton tanks, ribbed or non-ribbed, with awesome prints on them. Or casual tees. But what did I find? Stuff made for women who wanna look like dolls. Come on! Even the shorts had frills and little embellishments sewed onto them.

The only cotton tanks and tees were basics/plain and the usual little miss collection and vintage prints...like those don't get old (I say that with sarcasm. It's so over. Why don't they get it? It's so, oooverrr)

So that was one disappointing shopping trip to Far East Plaza. The whole damn place screams korean fashion, come shop for dolly clothes. Ugh!

Can't say that Mango's latest collection was any different. Frills, lace, tailored dresses, flower prints, ribbons, bows! MORE LACE!!

Looks like the lace, frills, bows and hideous flower prints are here to stay...for another season at least.

I've definitely seen enough of those....will someone please pass me a plastic bag? I feel sick.

Ciao my dears. - love, SB

"The Clone Wars"

Hello my darlings,

Shopping is becoming a bore in Singapore.

Although there are malls every where: In every housing estate, on Sentosa and not to mention downtown where we literally have a whole stretch of malls right next to each other. Kilometers of them. It's something that's so unique to our tiny island. However, it doesn't take one long to realize that it's the same old brands in every mall, over and over. Mango, New Look, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Esprit, Charles & Keith (local brand), BYSI (local), Topman, Forever 21, Zara, Guess, Cotton On - Those are just the more popular high street fashions brands available. As for the luxury brands: Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani (A/X, Emporio), Tod's, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfigher. As for departmental stores: Tangs, Robinsons, Metro (all local).

It's "THE CLONE WARS"! Clones of each of these brands every where. Invading our retail space. These are the "giants" that have swallowed the quaint shops. They are all warring brands, rivals in the industry. It's "The Clone Wars" happening in the Singapore retail market and we're caught in the midst of it.

Unfortunately, it's not a very exciting war.

I was so disappointed to see how this new phenomenon called "New Look" (a UK high street fashion brand) has invaded our shores. I was recently at Suntec City, hoping to check out Mango there, low and behold, New Look was in its place. It was a mega store that took over both Mango and Novo (shoe brand owned by Royal Sporting House).

I am going to be honest, and tell you that New Look does not cut it. They do not have the collection that can support the sudden expansion. It's the same old trashy stuff over and over. I would appreciate it more if they had a different theme for each outlet. It'll give a person a reason to go to a particular outlet. Moreover, there's really no need for a mega store. Why create a hyper mart of clothing? It works for food and factory outlets, but such a concept for a single brand? I'm not so sure.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you an update on the latest scores of the "The Clone Wars":

Forever 21 - New 4 level outlet at 313 @ Somerset. 2 other big outlets existing.

Zara - New 3 level outlet at 313 @ Somerset. Several other outlets existing (more than 4)

New Look - New mega outlet at 313 @ Somerset and another at Suntec City.

Cotton On - Mega outlets at 313 @ Somerset and Suntec City. (numerous other existing outlets)

Till my next post my darlings, enjoy the numerous year round sales and discounts resulting from the consequence of "THE CLONE WARS".

313 @ Somerset Saga: Part Three

The most prominent store at Basement 2 (B2) was the British, high street fashion/fast fashion chain, New Look. It was nice. The selection of clothing and shoes were good. I have to say, it's an excellent alternative to River Island. The fashion is similar and it's definitely more affordable. However, what really puzzled me was the row of knee high winter boots for sale at the store! This is Singapore! Why the row of knee high winter boots? Moreover, they had these clothing racks that were so low, I had to kneel to browse through the mini skirts and shorts hanging on those super low racks. Why on earth are they making their customers kneel to look at clothing?
Speaking of high street fashion shopping, there was a nice Mango store at the mall and I have to say, I am impressed with Mango's latest collection. I absolutely love it. And what I love even more, is how much more affordable it has become. I have discovered through the labels, that the clothes are now being made in Vietnam, Pakistan and Indonesia. This helps to bring down the manufacturing and logistics costs significantly, which is a plus for us customers.
And another thing I noticed, royal blue/marine blue ladies' tank tops are all the rage! You can't escape them, just like a Lady Gaga song.
The food court was next...to be continued... (pic credit: http://img.shopping.com/jfe/popular/blue-tank-tops.jpg)