By bapester, on August 20th, 2010%  Salut! If you are leaving, that is. From KLue’s twitter :
RT @amrirahim: CLUB MONACO Closing Down Sale @ The Gardens. Up to 80% off with multiple purchase discount. Starts August 19. #kl
3:18 AM Aug 18th via Twitter for iPhone
Is this piece of news verified? Are all Club Monaco stores in Malaysia closing down? So my prediction is true after all!
If anyone had been noticing, Club Monaco hasn’t brought in any new clothes for at least a year. One thing for sure is that there weren’t any new items on the racks since Fall/Winter ‘09/10 and the most recent Spring Summer ‘10, although I can’t be certain for Spring Summer ‘09. When my shopaholic friend and I noticed exactly the same clothes that go on sale every time in their Gardens branch- the same old green and white ribbon belt, v-neck tee’s in the same colour, that navy blue knit tie- the alarm bells are already ringing to signal that the end was nigh. In fact, my friend was bold enough to ask one of the sales staff late last year whether they were closing down, to which we were replied with a neutral smile.
If it is true that they are closing their Malaysian chapter, this means they would join the ranks of Gant as yet another casualty in Malaysian shopping who are still doing well overseas. It would be sad to see another clothing retailer, one that afforded Malaysians a bigger view of global fashion trends, to bite the dust. Club Monaco was to me a retailer that gave fashion-deprived KL not just classic and stylish clothing, but more importantly access to key seasonal items which otherwise would be available only in Zara or Topshop albeit much later. They stocked slim trousers, the knit-ties, ribbon belts, gingham and seersucker long before the others did, along with some good-looking classics like linen sportcoats.
The price may explain why their shops are seldom chock full of people- I would only buy Club Monaco items during the sale, of which are usually pretty genuine. The exchange rate means labels that are considered ‘budget’ in the US and Japan, including Club Monaco, Gap and Gant, are sold at premium prices in KL. If a mega retailer like Gap could close its doors in Pavilion, KL’s supposedly premier shopping mall, what more could be said about a brand with a higher price range and a slightly niche appeal?
Me? I would drop by the Gardens to verify this piece of news. But I would not buy anything albeit being my last chance- I have seen their rather dismal (and depleting) range of items over the last two sales, and I do not think things would be any different this time. That said, they would definitely be sorely missed (if it were true that they were closing down). Here’s to more affordable (and good looking) clothes.
By bapester, on August 2nd, 2010% … for shoppers, at least.
1. UNIQLO is coming to Malaysia!
But you already knew that, didn’t you?
» Continue reading A couple of good news: new and not-so-new
By bapester, on July 16th, 2010% It’s that time of the year again, sale time! (And as luck would have it, also coincides with broke-ass time  )
Would like to share my experience with the few shops that I visited around this very wallet-emptying period of the year.
Went in about a month ago when the shop was 30% off (almost) storewide. Headed for the shirts I had been eyeing and fortunately got a fitting one that was on sale. Unfortunately a grey chambray shirt that I had been eyeing on was not a sale item.
Oh well, money not spent is money saved ( I keep telling myself). They had some plain pocket T-shirts, but I passed since the ones in nicer colours were not discounted.
Anyway, now is the time to GET YOUR ASS IN GAP! Because they have gone from 30 % off to 50% off most items. Of course some of the nicer items have either disappeared from the racks or considered new arrival and thus not discounted. Still, there are some noteworthy items I would have gotten, like :
- their beach shorts (half off from RM199) if I only I was headed for another beach holiday
 - their denim shirt (half off from RM199) if only I could find a time to wear it
 - and their mandarin(?) collar long-sleeve white linen shirt, if only it wasn’t so damned see-through.
I have to admit that the 50% sales are worrying me, especially coupled with the fact the shop wasn’t exactly bursting with people and also that the Pavilion branch closed down several months ago. I hope there is no bad news to be heard.
Anything YOU got from the Gap?
PS: I am curious as to why the GAP website is willing to ship to so many Asian countries including Thailand and Singapore, even Cambodia, Nepal and Pakistan but not Malaysia. We must have a reaaaalllllly bad reputation for e-commerce security.
By bapester, on June 9th, 2010% I haven’t been doing much shopping lately (with my time and money spent elsewhere), but the summer months have started in the northern hemisphere and with that springs many new collections around the shops. For my first observational report, I thought of making a head to head comparison of these two British high street brands who have also made a home in KL. Debenhams have come, gone and then come back some more, but this time in a new location in Lot 10. There are Marks & Spencers (M&S) in KL, but the one I visited recently was the one in the Gardens, Mid Valley.
» Continue reading Menswear Field Report KL: Debenhams vs M&S
By bapester, on December 30th, 2009% I was in Bukit Bintang today to get some accessories for my new toy (a DSLR- yay!) and also to exchange my Cotton On tee shirt for a larger size.
FYI Cotton On is having their sales right now. My cheap Club-Monaco-knockoff-T-shirt is now half price with the new price reductions, damn! Try going on the weekends, though, as the Pavilion branch was like natural disaster ground zero last Saturday.
Crossing over Jalan Bukit Bintang, I noticed this at the corner of my eye:-
 » Continue reading New Ed Hardy Capsule Shop, Lot 10
By bapester, on December 1st, 2009%  The Summit I was in sneaker shop Sole What? in The Gardens Mid Valley the other day, almost getting cross-eyed by the neon colours blaring from them Nike Air’s. Then, a rack consisting of hiking boots, high-tops and topsider-like sneakers caught my eye, beckoning me in its own smug manner.
My curiosity piqued a little more each time I picked up a pair, then the next, and the next. What shoes are these? Are these limited edition sneakers like the rest, or something more? Why haven’t I seen designs like these in KL before? » Continue reading Ransom by adidas: A Lust-worthy Collection
By bapester, on November 29th, 2009%  Photo from Sup's F/W 09 Lookbook In a closer to perfect world, I would be able to make it down to Singapore at the end of every year for some post – Christmas shopping. However, due to some foreseen circumstances, this plan will have to be put on hold. Still, there’s no harm in preparing a shopping list beforehand. After all, time is of the essence while in Singapore.
» Continue reading Shops to visit in Singapore
By bapester, on November 5th, 2009% 
After dinner at 1-Utama today, I was walking past the shops with my friend when this guy came charging across us from our left with a purposeful walk and curious eyes. While I first thought he might want to attack us, it turns out he was actually attracted to the window display on the shop to our right. It was a Clarks shop that he was looking interested in (not us), and I was wondering what the fuss was all about.
» Continue reading Clarks' 60th Anniversary Desert Boots in Malaysia
By bapester, on November 1st, 2009% With some new observations mall-wise, shopping for men’s clothes in KL isn’t such a pain after all..
1. Cotton On
As mentioned in my earlier post, I discovered this label while holidaying in Australia a month ago. I was delighted when I entered its shop in Melbourne, because it was one of the few Australian labels that offers decent clothes at high street prices.
When I first found out that they were opening branches in Malaysia, the sales assistant told me that it was going to be in Pavilion and Sunway Pyramid. Further research on the internet, however, indicates that a branch is going to be opened in 1 Utama as well. Tongue in Chic reports that the 1 Utama branch would have opened on 24th October, followed by the Sunway Pyramid branch on 30th October just two days ago.
» Continue reading An updated take on menswear shopping in Malaysia
By bapester, on October 27th, 2009% Sometimes I feel that I have to stop complaining about the sad state of men’s fashion in Malaysia.
I just came back from a holiday in Sydney and Melbourne, and the selection of menswear there seems even more limited in certain ways. Of course, being a tourist I may have been window-shopping at the wrong places. That said, my observations are that the mens clothing I come across are either limited/expensive/basic.
In terms of the high street, I found men’s clothes in shops like Jeans West, Country Road and Energie rather bland and simple (and given the skyrocketing exchange rate, not worth my Malaysian ringgit). Maybe it’s an Australian thing though, as I observe that many men there tend to be dressed in decidedly subtle/simple basics like distressed plain tees, deconstructed cardigans, skinny denim/shorts and plimsolls. And almost always in monochrome.
» Continue reading A take on menswear shopping- Australia
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