Hong Kong Thrift Stores Do Exist

Some time last year, I had the good fortune to meet the lovely Geneva of A Pair and a Spare who told me about an amazing thrifting experience to be had here in Hong Kong.  Genuine thrift shopping doesn't exist much in this city because the people are very superstitious when it comes to clothing, furniture, homes, etc.  

The Chinese believe that if you don't know what kind of spirit inhabited the clothes (furniture, home, etc), you could have some bad luck as a result.  Therefore, you just don't find too many vintage or thrift shops here.  The vintage shopping scene is changing slowly, however, but it's mostly the high end boutique kind of vintage shopping.  You can spend a pretty penny if you have it. 

My favorite kind of vintage and thrift shopping is when you find hidden gems for next to nothing.  I remember how sad I was when our local Stanley branch of the Salvation Army closed down.  I used to make weekly stops in there to see what was new.  And I made out on several occasions; Prada and Miu Miu heels, and a Zara blazer.

I was so thrilled to learn about Mee and Gee, which sells mostly Japanese dead stock clothing from the 60s and 70s (and even the 80s).  It's a total rummaging experience.  With some patience (and a little bit of bumping shoulders with other shoppers), you can find some real gems.  And I have.

On my last trip, I found this lovely drop waist, pleated dress.  It doesn't say what the fabric is, but it's most definitely natural, perhaps even raw silk.  And it fit beautifully when I tried it on at home.  Once I had it dry cleaned, it was ready to wear!

The only problem I had on the day I wore it was finding time to catch the daylight for an outfit pic.  Hence, the night time shot.  I'm not a fan of using my flash, so this was the best my little boy could do.  I decided to take close up detail shots the next day.  Something different.

Mee and Gee locations:

64 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok 

9 Li Yuen Street West, Central

Check out this link to see a complete guide to vintage shopping in HK.