Modelmaker Tiny’s toys summon up times gone by, with die-cast models that are a serious nostalgia hit for Hongkongers. Miniature models of vintage (and modern) Hong Kong vehicles make for perfect gifts Rumour has it that Hong Kong celebrities are prone to dropping off their pre-loved items here, for that touch of extra glam. What that all translates to is a regular stock of barely worn clothes, accessories, jewellery and shoes that tend toward the Pradas, the Ferragamos and the Guccis, with some choice vintage options on top – all for far less than you’d normally expect to pay. But even the rich in Hong Kong are squeezed into smaller living spaces, and when they run out of walk-in wardrobe space they bring their brand names to Hipster 9 to be sold on consignment. There are plenty of them in this city of status and money, and along with all the high teas and spa days come an awful lot of designer labels. Hong Kong’s ladies who lunch are known as “tai-tais” – literally just “wives”. Halfway up this short street, the Man Mo cafe serves up some fascinating fusion dim sum, such as pan-fried truffle brie dumplings. But best of all are the wristwatches featuring a waving Chairman Mao on the face, his arm ticking away the seconds. There are also bronze tchotchkes, jade necklaces, Hong Kong postcards, and Bruce Lee posters aplenty for the souvenir shopper. One store even features large marble busts of Mao, Stalin and Lenin, if your breakfast nook is in need of a touch more authoritarianism.
#VINTAGE SCENE T SHIRT FULL#
They still might not quite have the pedigree of the antiques stores that surround them, but this strip lies at the intersection of capitalism and communism: the stalls are full of mass-produced copies of Mao’s Little Red Book, Communist-era propaganda posters, and Chinese Politburo playing cards (can you name them all?). These days the trinkets lining Cat Street are rather more legit.
In Cantonese, a “cat” is a fence for stolen goods, and the street was once well known for its less-than-legal wares. Officially named Upper Lascar Row, after the lascar sailors who used to bunk here, this little alley just off the Hollywood Road antiques drag is known universally as “Cat Street”.
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