Contrary to popular belief, men are not necessarily averse to shopping – in fact, many of them like to indulge in retail therapy as much as the average women. At Mandarin Gallery, we do not play favourites with the genders and there are fabulous buys for the boys as well. We scoured the shops for the hottest boys’ toys and this trio of new arrivals at BAPE, The Denim Store and Ambush came out tops!

Uniform Experiment (Ambush)
Started in 2008, the Uniform Experiment is an experimental project for men’s clothing and accessories. Treading the line between novelty an universality, the label strives to provide an alternative to conventional menswear by contradicting the existing rules. The results are often refreshingly original.

Top Pick: Uniform Experiment X LASONIC iPod Boombox, SGD1440

Uniform Experiment is available at Ambush, #03-14, Mandarin Gallery

Sanders (The Denim Store)
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Sanders is an established shoemaker that has been producing quality men’s footwear since 1873. Crafted from the very best English hides and local oak-bark soles, Sanders’ shoes are designed to be refined, sturdy and fit for the gentleman.

Top Pick: Suede desert boots, SGD319

Sanders can be found at The Denim Store, #03-09-11, Mandarin Gallery

BAPE
The ultimate vanguard of street cool, BAPE constantly churns out the kinds of things that induce a near-slavish cult following. From neon sneakers to Baby Milo t-shirts, the brand has the remarkable ability to turn its products into highly covetable collectors’ items. It single-handedly proves, with its legions of older fans, that being hip is not just for the young.

Top Pick: Camouflage backpack, SGD469

Bape is located at #02-02/03, Mandarin Gallery

It may be Fall/Winter season on the fashion calendar, but that is no reason to give colours a miss. Armed with our trusty instant photography phone app, we have prowled the shops to bring you the latest in brightly hued goodness. Indulge the colour chameleon in you with one-of-a-kind kimono print handbags, pop coloured French clothing or a pair of hot pink leather sneakers!

Kokon Tozai
Made from beautiful kimono fabric, each piece at Kokon Tozai is completely unique. Offering a wide range of products, from apparel to bags and accessories, lovers of the intricately oriental kimono prints will be pleased with the selection. Filled with small pretty things, this is a great place to pick out something nice for a special someone.

Top Pick: Green kimono handbag, SGD69

Kokon Tozai is located at #03-29, Mandarin Gallery

Déjà Fan
Stocked at No. Fifty, a delightfully cheery shop on the 3rd floor of Mandarin Gallery, Déjà Fan is a fun, girlie and very cute French label that is curiously flying under-the-radar on the local retail scene. With a happy-shiny, retro-ish aesthetic, you can expect to find adorable scallop-hemmed shorts, sweet baby-doll dresses and pretty knit separates on the racks. The best part: most pieces (including dresses) go for under SGD250. What is there not to love?

Top Pick: Red & white polka dotted shorts, SGD99

No. Fifty is located at #03-08, Mandarin Gallery

JNBY
Hangzhou, China may not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of fashion, but with brands like JNBY, it is definitely putting itself on the map. With over 500 stores in China, Japan, Russia and New York City, JNBY is a modern street wear label that designs with the young and mobile urbanite in mind. Often architectural and always minimalist, these are clothes that can be mixed, matched and layered to great effect.

Top Pick: Pink leather sneakers, SGD199

JNBY is located at #03-07, Mandarin Gallery

You can always count on hansel to come up with clothes that are fun, pretty and just the right amount of quirky. Following its well-established tradition of building each season around a cute illustrated character, Ali Baba’s playful but faithful donkey take centrestage for the label’s A/W11 collection, Flyaway Donkey.

Inspired by the magical tales from Arabian Nights, it features earthy desert tones and Jo Soh’s signature hand-drawn prints, which in this case, narrate thrilling adventures involving magic lamps and flying carpets. Fans of hansel’s trademark femininity will also not be disappointed – luscious silk dresses and sweet knit cardigans continue to be a staple in the line-up.

Highlights of this wonderfully whimsical collection include digitally printed cotton/nylon knit dresses that depict the escapades of the aforementioned donkey hero, hello hansel’s bold and graphic Treasure print and voluminous silhouettes in the form of billowing skirts and harem pants. Mixing in pleasingly mellow shades like pink, sand and khaki with a neutral palette of black, grey, navy and cream, it creates a delightfully dreamy effect that is befitting the characters from One Thousand And One Nights.

Adding a cherry to the top of this cake, Singaporean jewellery label, WoonHung, has created an exclusive range of custom-made necklaces to complement the Flyaway Donkey collection. Crafted from inlaid wood of contrasting colours and textures, these necklaces feature the donkey and lamp motifs that can also be found on the clothes. They come in 14k or 18k gold chains, sparkling rhinestone chains and an assortment of matte chains.

Over the last weekend, new styles have hit the Hansel store. The Cut-Out Fit and Flare Shirt Dress (SGD169) is a cute but safe-for-work option while the Flyaway Donkey Knit Dress (shown above, SGD189) is a sweet, printed number that is great for a weekend brunch. Drop by the store to check them out up close and personal!

The Hansel Store is located at #02-14, Mandarin Gallery

Available now at the Adidas boutique at Mandarin Gallery is the F/W11 collection of the adidas SLVR T-Shirt Series, a selection of 7 different tees (SGD89 each) designed by creatives from the fields of fashion and music, who have international impact including Edward Enninful (a well known stylist and fashion director of W magazine).

Available in sizes from XXS to XL and printed on classic unisex crew neck T-shirts, they won’t look out of place in any fashionista’s collection. Check out our Facebook fan page for the full album of images.

adidas SLVR is available at adidas, Mandarin Gallery, #03-13