The best shopping spots across the border

Find out where to get your fix of luxury brands and traditional fashion

KLCC is renowned for fashionable shops and luxury boutiques but there are also many places with bargains that would make a shopper dizzy with excitement

Stroll down the glitzy shopping belt of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), and you can easily feel like a model strutting down a fashion runway.

KLCC, the city centre, is renowned for its sprawl of premium luxury boutiques, spanning acclaimed couture brands such as Hermes, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, and Malaysia’s very own Jimmy Choo. It’s also home to quality casual labels such as Guess and Bonia – and many other offerings that would make a regular shopaholic dizzy with excitement.

But it’s not just KLCC that can give you the high-street shopping experience you’ll love. There are many more places in Malaysia that will whisk you away into a whole new world of retail therapy!

Fashion hot spots

Just beside KLCC is one of Kuala Lumpur’s prime shopping hubs. Jalan Bukit Bintang is home to some of the most popular malls in the city, such as Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Lot 10, Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza.

At just a stone’s throw away from each other, it’s extremely easy to hop from one spree to the next! Offering hauls from upscale labels to street wear, these megamalls will keep you occupied for hours on end.

And the best part is, of course, uncovering the irresistible sales and bargains that are hidden within these malls. One can easily find designer perfume at 50 percent off, or even duty-free products at a fraction of the original retail price.

And Malaysia’s favourable foreign exchange rates (for us) just make splurging here so much more worth it.

Modern & traditional chic

Malaysia has the entire gamut of fashion options, including modern designs and traditional ones with chic updates

Fashion and design in Malaysia isn’t limited to modern style. Traditional outfits and craft are given refreshing updates, and there are many stores that specialise in the most up-to-date reinventions.

For example, the vibrant and bold floral prints in old-style Malaysian batik have been incorporated into flowing gowns, silk scarves, and even elegant dresses. This timeless print is honoured in fashion annually, at the Kuala Lumpur International Batik exhibition.

Premium Royal Selangor pewter-ware is another pride of the Malaysian retail industry. These sophisticated pieces make perfect gifts for loved ones as they are cast in a myriad of classy and novel designs.

Mega sale carnivals

When’s the best time to find bargains in Malaysia? Certainly during its annual sale carnivals!

Every year, at least three big sales are organised throughout the country. 1Malaysia GP Sale usually runs in the second quarter of the year; 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival stretches across the middle of the year; and 1Malaysia Year End Sale at year-end, of course.

So, when prices go tumbling, the smart thing to do is to get your shopping bags ready and make the trip across the border!

For more information or enquiries, please contact Visit Malaysia Year 2014 Secretariat at +6010388917000, or log on to www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my