Written by Marianna Cerini and Betty Richardson. For past editions of New Shanghai Shops, click here.
Muji
Yes, the new Muji flagship has been opened for a couple of months now, but we only recently managed to check it out. We did attempt a visit back in December, but after queuing for 30 minutes on Huahai Zhong Lu to get in we gave up and went home for some tea instead. This time though, we were determined. On the hunt for a swish Muji dressing gown to wrap ourselves in these cold winter days, we headed to the enormous new branch of the Japanese home retailer – the largest in China, FyI – and browsed the whole place in search of the ultimate lounge-wear garment.
Flash news: Muji doesn’t do dressing gowns (I know, right??). What it does, however, is a lot more than the minimal beddings, comfy slippers and super functional home accessories we’ve come to associate with it (No dressing gowns though?? I mean, come on). The new store features a Muji Café and Muji Books (a bookshop), as well as Muji House – the company’s own range of prefab furnishings, a bit à la Ikea – and a lot more clothing, children’s toys, food snacks, stationery and mugs from the brand. They even sell bikes (but no dressing gown)!
The whole space is pretty darn neat, except from the fact that is generally rammed with people just staring at things a lot. A small separate store for the Muji’s collaboration with Japanese design brand Idée is also on the premises with bright, bold offerings that make an interesting contrast to Muji’s otherwise neutral palette. your perfect alternative to Ikea and Uniqlo, basically. Just don’t go there looking for dressing gowns.
> See Muji listing here.
Oiam Styling Agency
Sitting in a pretty renovated villa on Wukang Lu, Oiam is the vintage boutique we’ve been dreaming about our whole lives. On sale are an abundance of hard-to-find vintage Chanel brooches, earrings, belts and necklaces, but also silk Hermès bowties, Sergio Rossi stilettos, Birkins in all shapes, sizes and colors, Céline purses and Salvatore Ferragamo clutches. yes, really.
Sadly, and as it is for most dreams, such covetable finery is rather unattainable for average spenders like ourselves. One can still just stare and yearn though, right? Aside from vintage finds, current seasons prêt à porter clothing for both men and women is also available, with a highly curated selection of blue chip labels like Hermés, Chanel and Marni. The boutique also offers leather care service, dress rental and tailoring. For the truly lazy (and the truly well-off) the attentive staff will even wardrobe de-cluttering (RMB990) – because organizing all those ball gowns is such a drag. For the rest of us, Oiam is a must-see stop for inspiration, the occasional post-CNy bonus splurge (prices for the costume jewelry start from RMB1,800) and dress rental. BR
> See Oiam Styling Agency listing here.
J House
Indie shops selling niche designer clothing and/ or furniture have mushroomed in Shanghai over the last few months – and that is a good thing. The only issue we might have with it is how similar they often tend to look: the concrete – or brick – walls, the wooden floors, the corner turned into a café/ wine bar so that customers can sip a cup of joe or some vino as they browse. J House makes no exception.
The name stands for Jason Design Studio, and it refers to owner Jason Chan, an interior décor aficionado with a penchant for British-themed items. Spanning three floors of an old lane house (again, no surprise here), the store is arranged as if it were a posh friend’s house. Downstairs is a lounge area showcasing funky wall decorations – a Dollar sign-shaped lamp, some vintage-looking shop signs – while the second floor is basically a showroom displaying chairs in all shapes and colors, alongside knick-knacks like oven mittens and alarm clocks, vases and tea leaves containers.
One story up is yet another living room, where a set of two plush leather sofas and an armchair sit surrounded by retro chests, artworks and chandeliers. Although not everything in stock stood out as a must-have, this is a decent addition to the local home décor store scene, for it carries a solid selection of genuinely Beat, retro-looking furnishings. Prices start around RMB1,000 for most big pieces. Accessories are on the affordable side (from RMB100).
> See J House listing here.
Form Maker
Want funky cool, sustainable home furnishings with a contemporary twist? Look no further than Form Maker. A Shanghai-based creative design studio started by Australian interior designer Kira Pan in 2013, the venture produces furniture and homeware using renewable cardboard material, ecologically friendly packaging and, in the company’s own words, “a positive state of mind.” Such approach to design translates into a range of products for both the home and the office that are oh-so clever and full-on ‘green’ – always a plus in our books.
Crafted in the company’s workshop, each Form Maker item shows strong, geometric lines and playful structures, spanning composable bookcases, jigsaw-like coasters and hexagon-shaped penholder sets that can be stacked whichever way you want. Clever décor, in a nutshell. Prices start at RMB20 for a coaster, up to RMB320 for ‘Test Tube’ vases.
> theformmaker.com
Year of the Monkey Special Edition Solo2 Wireless headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre
With Chinese New Year around the corner, we've picked two items we believe should be on your must-have list of ape-inspired stuff to welcome the year of the Monkey in style. First up, these special edition Solo2 Wireless headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre. Internationally renowned Taiwanese-American artist James Jean is the hand behind the design, which features distinctive artwork based on the Japanese pictorial maxim of the three monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” (the tenets of the proverb are about not dwelling on evil thought, in case you were wondering). Jean has apparently flipped the concept on its head, “reinterpreting how the primates see, hear and communicate in a modern context.” The result? Some pretty sick headsets for your tunes. RMB2,288.
> www.apple.cn
Shanghai Tang x Moleskine Year of the Monkey Weekly Planner
If you failed at the New year’s resolution thing back in January, fret not: Chinese New year is your second chance at getting things right. Start well organized, and write all of your resolves on Shanghai Tang x Moleskine Year of the Monkey 12-month weekly planner.
Featuring fengshui tips, the Chinese horoscope for 2016, a Chinese almanac curated by a real Chinese master and a few other ape-ish bits, you’re going to go bananas for this neat little diary. Best yet, it comes in two covers: one with a beautiful pattern of little monkeys (winner), the other with the Chinese character for ape (猴, hou) and three embossed monkeys inspired by the famous Japanese pictorial maxim “Three Wise Monkeys” (see above for more on that). Not a believer in resolutions? Get it anyway. you’ll have a great time noting down how quickly your friends abandon theirs. Again. RMB345-415.
> www.shanghaitang.co
Have a new store opening or fashion line coming out. Send your tips to our Life/Style editor Marianna Cerini at mariannacerini@urbanatomy.com with the subject 'New Shanghai Shops'
> For past editions of New Shanghai Shops, click here.
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