ALTER. Concept Store: In XinTianDi Style, Shanghai

So I heard about this “concept store” located in Xin Tian Di Style, I thought, another concept store that should be really interesting to see. So last night, I head down for a walk in Xin Tian Di (definitely my favorite district in Shanghai), and kept going round in circles trying to find this place, since I have JUST discovered the area this Wednesday. So I get to ALTER.

Alter is a multi-brand concept store. I’ve been to many designer concept stores in my life but really none were like this. The store concept was quite interesting. From the vintage window display, spanning old times to the elite store design, with all the mannequins hanging on the ceiling and the amazing fitting room with infinity mirrors, they thought of EVERYTHING. The design is unique awe-inspiring and evokes luxury expression. The concept store is quite similar to “Collette” in Paris with an exclusive touch and stunning collection.

The store houses many cutting-edge labels range from Robert Rodriguez, Tom Binns (for Disney Couture, with the amazing Alice in Wonderland jewelry) Kimberly Ovitz, Helmut Lang (Oh!! I love Helmut Lang) to Sass and Bide, Victoria Beckham, Superfine, House of Harlow, CC Skye, Jason Wu, Mawi and many more.

So I walked in, took a look at the collection and met Amiki, the retail manager of Alter. I loved her, she was one of the few people I’ve ever met that shared my love for House of Harlow & CC sky jewelry. Then we met another young lady, Sonja Popo Xiao, who is actually the founder and CEO of Alter (how lucky are we to find her in the store). We spent around one hour in the store, getting to know the brand, the shop, Sonja herself. We talked about fashion, business, travelling, the brands that she carries in Alter, art, music, Shanghai… All these topics are actually incorporated in the whole store concept, it was so inspiring. Sonja is such a professional and passionate woman, and not to forget extremely nice. She loves fashion, she loves brands, she loves her brand, what more can I say!

The store opened just a few weeks ago (on October 10, 2010). Alter. Has a unique selection of fashion items, candles, scents & lifestyle brands. All the merchandising is handpicked from a range of designers from London to Paris to NYC to Milan… The best thing about Alter, is that clients here in Shanghai will have the advantage of having a unique item, since no one else in Shanghai carries the brands and items that Alter has.

You really should go check out the store, save up for a few weeks and splurge at Alter. That’s what I’m planning to do at least! I couldn’t resist buying yesterday (got my first House of Harlow ring, that’s already got me a lot of compliments), and I’m sure every time I step foot in that place I will be lured to pick up something for my closet.

Oh and don’t forget to check out the website of the store: www.alterstyle.com
Check out more about this on: Peeperz BLOG.