Taipei New Horizons
Taipei's newest mall (it opened in late 2013) is a stunner and, unlike most of the other shopping emporiums in town, it's proudly Taiwanese in its offerings. At its helm, on the top floor, is the Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite, and below are dozens of shops run by, or at least carrying the creations (primarily) of, local designers.
The first floor is devoted to high end and sometimes odd-ball fashions. Thanks for the chuckles to Dleet for its "twin" and "triplet" clothes; the first is a shirt with four sleeves, the second a dress with three tubes in which to put your legs—it looks different each time you wear the garment. Dleet is joined by, among others, the clothing store Pamper Heiress, the jeweler Lin Shao Tung and the famed Isabelle Wen whose gowns and ensembles look like they were co-designed by Chanel and Bob Mackie (think: rich, drapery–like fabrics in conservative cuts but with lots of studs, beads and other bling).
The second floor has a carnival atmosphere to it, partially because it offers such a wide range of goods at small outposts, from handmade guitars, to herbal soaps, to all sorts of housewares, gifts and food treats. Most fun are the areas where the customers get to become designers; amazingly enough, you can sign up to learn glass-blowing and pottery in the store. There are complete studios for both.
In the basement is a terrific food mall, with all of Taipei's top chains.
Taipei's newest mall (it opened in late 2013) is a stunner and, unlike most of the other shopping emporiums in town, it's proudly Taiwanese in its offerings. At its helm, on the top floor, is the Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite, and below are dozens of shops run by, or at least carrying the creations (primarily) of, local designers.
The first floor is devoted to high end and sometimes odd-ball fashions. Thanks for the chuckles to Dleet for its "twin" and "triplet" clothes; the first is a shirt with four sleeves, the second a dress with three tubes in which to put your legs—it looks different each time you wear the garment. Dleet is joined by, among others, the clothing store Pamper Heiress, the jeweler Lin Shao Tung and the famed Isabelle Wen whose gowns and ensembles look like they were co-designed by Chanel and Bob Mackie (think: rich, drapery–like fabrics in conservative cuts but with lots of studs, beads and other bling).
The second floor has a carnival atmosphere to it, partially because it offers such a wide range of goods at small outposts, from handmade guitars, to herbal soaps, to all sorts of housewares, gifts and food treats. Most fun are the areas where the customers get to become designers; amazingly enough, you can sign up to learn glass-blowing and pottery in the store. There are complete studios for both.
In the basement is a terrific food mall, with all of Taipei's top chains.
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