Shopping for clothing and fashion in Malaysia
Vivid fabrics in a tailor shop in Penang
Malaysia is awash with inexpensive tailors who can knock-up a suit in an afternoon, and some of the swankiest shopping malls are bedecked with Prada, Paul Smith and Gucci boutiques, among others. Needless to say, Malaysians love to look good and so it can make sense to purchase a few choice garments during your stay.
Ladies will have no problem spending days on end window shopping in the multitude of glitzy department stores if that's what they're after. There are literally thousands of chic accessories to scour through. And for the gents, they will look the bees-knees in any of the designer threads from top European labels.
Visiting tailors in Malaysia
There are plenty of cheap tailors all over the country who can knock you up a suit in just a few hours. Most of these establishments are run by Indian Malaysians, and they take great pride in their work and seeing visitors walk out looking like a movie star.
Generally they have magazines with examples of suits from all top fashion houses and will attempt to reproduce the cut from local cloth. They will also recreate any haut coutre dress or gown from Vogue or Vanity Fair for ladies.
The results can be mixed, however, and it is a good idea to go to a recommended business or at least check out some of the ready made examples first of all before arranging to get a suit custom-made. The very cheapest places will provide a suit jacket, trousers with a tie and couple of shirts for around US$100. Of course, it can be worth spending a little extra to get something that will last for years.
Many tailors will try and make you pay in advance
Many tailors will have you come in for a fitting and then your return perhaps return for final adjustments before collection. It is important to spell out exactly what you want in these meetings to ensure you received precisely what you had in mind at the outset. And do not come by to collect the finished article on the way to the airport, as you want to leave time for any necessary changes to be made. Many tailors will try and make you pay in advance for any work, but you should never do this any only leave a tiny deposit if absolutely necessary.
Recommended Malaysian tailors of the utmost quality in Kuala Lumpur include Spark Manshop (No 33 Jalan 5/91,Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Tel: +60 (0)3 9283 2255) or for the cheapest Chinese tailors head to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. In Penang there are many fine tailors but Oh Ghee Tailor (1-14 Ground floor, Wisma Central, Macalister Road, Tel: +60 (0)4 226 0750) comes highly recommended.
Shopping for fashion in Malaysia
There are countless chic boutiques all over Malaysia with swanky malls packed with American and European brands even in remote population centres such as Kota Bharu.
There are numerous discount events throughout the year such as the Malaysia Mega Sale during which participating retail outlets offer superb discounts on last season’s lines. These can be especially good value and are worth checking out for bargains.
Top shopping malls in KL for fashion include KLCC below the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and Pavillion on Bukit Bintang in the heart of the Golden Triangle. Bangsar Village also has a glut of high-end fashion houses. Penang is also a great place to shop for fashion in Malaysia with KOMTAR complex and Times Square home to an impressive array of international labels, whilst duty free Pulau Langkawi should also not be ignored for savings with Langkawi Parade Shopping Complex also an Alladin’s cave of bargains.
