What kind of clothes you wish you had brought to HK when you moved?

[Summit]

OK, now it's time to think about packing.

From LA to HK, I guess I can still wear most of the clothes over there, maybe buy some winter clothes later. I assume it is colder in HK than here in California in the winter?

So, from your experience, any one has any suggestion as far as what kind of clothes are difficult to find or too expensive to buy in HK, that should be bought in the States? By the way, here I am not talking about the extra large size American clothes, as mentioned in other postings.

I am thinking may be:
- branded jeans?
- branded athlete shoes and wears?
- what about business suit?

What else?
What kind of clothes you wish you had brought with you when you moved to HK?

Any suggestion?


Thank you and have a good weekend!

[Baron]

I am thinking may be:
- branded jeans?
- branded athlete shoes and wears?
- what about business suit?

You can find plenty of all of the above in HK. As far as branded jeans though, i guess it depends on how popular the brand is, though most are here. A lot of the cheaper clothing such as t-shirts and shorts are heavy on the surf style.

[shoho]

Guessing that you are male, it really depends on whether you wear the larger brands or smaller street labels. I wish I had brought more UK smaller streety labels with me that they dont stock here but if you wear the larger labels then you will find them here in Harvey Nichols or Lane Crawford which both have great mens demin sections.

Branded athlete shoes - again you can get quite a good selection here - I am not sure if there is a size/stock level issue for guys that the girls have to put up with, can someone else comment on that? Saying all that, one can never have to much footwear, so if you see anything unusual, limited edition or customised that you like, I would but before you come.

Suits - Bring one or two suits that are the perfect cut or fit for you and get them copied once your here. If you would never dream of wearing something without a label inside, there are plenty of designer suits here.

Generally any ready-to-wear label you will find here, so I would concentrate on buying middle of the range streety casual stuff. I know all the winter stuff is already in the stores, but the malls generally carry more formal wear than casual wear. Dont bother bringing winter clothing, you can get that here.

[Katanga]

If you are coming from the US then bear in mind there is no GAP, Banana Republic etc here.

For casual office wear best to bring chinos/khaki's from the US as the ones here are not quite for a western fit (i.e. probably tight around the thighs etc.).

If you need formal wear you can always get suits made here - no offense but formal wear in the US is a bit crappy (this isa brit telling you from experience living in the US for 2.5 years).

[dropdedfwed]

the other thing worth thinking about is your size. If you have big shoulders and big thighs, you will have close to buckleys hope of finding a decent range of clothes in HK. there is some available, but they may not always suit your tastes.

re winter, temperature really ranges between 15-20 degrees C at the coldest (ummmm, 59F - 68F i think, for you US people). So it isn't REALLY cold. Major concern really is the heat and humidity (85%plus) in summer. make sure u get some nice light pant/jeans/trousers b4 u come.

[KnowItAll]

I get my dockers from Amazon and have then shipped to my hotel when I pass through the US. Other than that, unless you're a brand addict, you'll find most of the stuff here.

Ditto on the formal wear comment by Katanga.

[carang]

it does get colder thatn 15 degs celsius...it usually goes down to 5 or 6 for a couple of weeks... seeing as there is no heating ANYWHERE you will probably feel it. a couple of years ago there was an extended cold spell(lasted about three weeks) the shops actually sold out of space heaters!(i realise the the heat FAR outweighs the cold...)

as for clothes, if you are a woman with even remotely larger boobs buy bras... it's hard to find them, at least it's hard to find unpadded ones...

when i take me local hubby back to canada he always buys Levi's jeans... he finds them cheaper there(even when you include all the tax)...

[discobay]

Yes Levis are more expensive here. Found that out on one holiday to the U.S.

[HKFella]

Regular blue denims from the US are a tad too heavy for HK weather most of the year. The HK (and S.E. Asian) ones are made of lighter material which is just right for this climate.

[mrcheese321]

As for athletic shoes - if you wear a Men's size 11 or higher, I would bring any athletic shoes/sandals that you want with you. I wear a 13 and am having a heck of a time finding a store that sells anything higher than a 10.

Also, it seems like anything that is a XL is really about an American Medium, so if you are a larger guy, I would bring the athletic wear that you want from LA.

Things I really wish I would have brought with me:
1) Coolmax shirts (these are athletic shirts that are water wicking and dry extremly fast; with the humidity/lack of air-con here, it seems that I'm always damp and drying faster would be very nice).
2) A couple of pairs of nice leather flip-flops.
3) more casual wear from Gap/Old Navy/J Crew etc.