Shopping for clothing and fashion in Bali
Surfer chic is all the rage in Bali
Bali is a great place to browse for clothing and offers pretty much something for everyone. There are numerous small boutiques selling quintessential Balinese textiles and lovely silk and cotton sarongs that are always popular souvenirs. For more contemporary tastes, there is no shortage of haute couture designer stores in south Bali’s stylish beach resorts or cheap fake surf and sportswear in busy tourist markets.
Bali is truly the surfing capital of Asia and has countless surf wear superstores from major names such as Billabong, Quiksilver and Ripcurl. There are also outlets just for the ladies at Surfer Girl (branches at Kuta, Legian and Nusa Dua) and Summer Chicks (Kuta, Nusa Dua and Seminyak).
All these outlets stock genuine brand name fashions and are significantly cheaper than you are likely to find back home. Even less dear options can be found at Legian and Kuta art markets which are filled which low quality fake designer labels and footwear. A stylish looking t-shirt or sandals can be had for as little as rp20,000 with a little haggling.
South Bali has a vibrant fashion scene centred around the stylish resorts of Seminyak and Legian and also at Ubud. There are lots of charming retro style boutiques and elegant ladies wear shops, handbags retailers and pretty much everything else under the sun. Ladies shopping in Bali will be able to fill up any spare suitcase space with all manner of accessories to add many more ensembles to their collection.
There are some well known fashion houses here such as Zenergy (Jalan Basangkasa, Seminyak, Tel +62 (0)361 766180, open daily 10:00 to 20:00)who launch new lines with all the pomp and spectacle of a Milan fashion show. Browsing the clothes rails is great fun and can be a welcome relief from the midday heat of the beach, or perhaps a pre-dinner excursion.
Buy a range of bikinis in Bali
If you have time they can create custom outfits for that special occasion in a variety of quality fabrics. A similar yet much more affordable option is CV Bali Design (several branches at Kuta and in Ubud) which specialises in summer dresses and beachwear.
Bear in mind that at the higher end of the market, most places operate a rigid fixed price policy. Bali’s mammoth shopping malls are a fertile hunting ground for stylish bargains with discount promotions operating all year round, even in the high season when stores aim for maximum profits.
Discovery Mall (Jalan Kartika, Kuta, open daily 10:00 to 22:00) has four floors of high street fashions and a few speciality fashion retailers. There is even a branch of Marks and Spencers here. The open air Nusa Dua Galleria is a little more upmarket with a wide variety of plush formal wear and expensive shoe shops.
The best value of all is likely to be found in the large department stores of Denpasar. You are unlikely to find cutting edge designs here but quality is high and prices are unbeatable. The best of the bunch is Robinsons (Jalan Sudirman, open daily 09:30 to 21:00) which boasts whole floors dedicated to women’s, and clidren’s fashions.
