Surprised to See

It was one of those "typical" stores in Macau that sold clothes that were "typically" Mainland China. The window display carried printed knit blouses with silk screened prints that were accented with beads and sequins. More specifically, they were bad knit blouses with bad silk screened prints that were accented with bad beads and bad sequins.

Normally, I wouldn't venture into a shop like this. But since Dad and Ate Bullet were still busy in the neighboring store and there was nothing else to do, I thought "what the heck" and went inside.

As expected, most of the clothes inside were bad. Black crepe pants with garterized waistbands (horrors!), chunky knits with faux fur trim, "Auntie Baby blouses" -- name it, they had it. Despite that, I went around the entire store in the hopes of finding a redeeming factor.

Near the back end of the store, there was a glimmer of redemption. There were a few racks of printed shifts and long, evening dresses. They looked like clothes for Spring, which explained why they're relegated to the back. The first rack was filled with Marks and Sparks, then there were a couple of Jones New York evening dresses. Further down, I found a funky Betsey Johnson dress with crocheted details. And at the end of that rack, I found this.



A retro-ish shift from See by Chloe. I noticed the printed pattern was similar to their beaded dress some seasons back. The shape was easy and the fabric was breezy. An added detail was the Peter Pan collar that gives it a "Twiggy meets Mary Quant" vibe. Redemption has arrived. And its name was See.



This great find was followed by a khaki and black shift dress by Catherine Malandrino, which was also being sold at bargain basement prices. And just when I thought that was the end of the surprise, I found a pair of black jeans that were tucked in between the bad, black crepe monstrosities.



It was a pair of skinny jeans from Gwen Stefani's LAMB line. Just looking at the shape, you know it's Gwen Stefani. I've seen her wear these types of jeans more than once.

What made it even more interesting was the detail at the back. Instead of the usual pockets, it had zippers that arched down to the mid thigh area. Methinks this detail is supposed to flatter the body.



Who would've thought that this place would carry these cool brands. Then again, this is Macau. And it's a place that's just full of surprises.