Fashion Fridays: Shopping on Taobao & My Cut-out Shoulder Shirt Dress

Ever since I discovered how easy it is to shop on Taobao through Taobao agents in Singapore, I haven't looked back.

I have to admit it was a little tricky at first. The multitude of products available is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it ensures that you'll be spoiled for choice, but on the other hand, sieving through the sea of products to unravel gems can be a rather challenging task. To narrow down your search, having a basic command of Mandarin is very helpful. For instance, you might be looking for Korean style clothes, a tweed jacket, or off-shoulder dress. Searching for these terms in Mandarin is usually more effective, and as daunting as this may seem, it is surprisingly easy to find the exact Mandarin terms by through a quick search on Google.

How do you determine what Mandarin terms to use?

The trick is to use a mix of English and Chinese words to tease out the right term. For example, to find the exact term for off-shoulder dress, key in "off-shoulder 衣服" (衣服 is the equivalent of clothes in Mandarin) into the search engine. You should be able to find an accurate translation from the first few links that pop up without much difficulty. In this case, off-shoulder refers to "露肩". Once you are equipped with the correct terms in Mandarin, searching for the items that you desire becomes a walk in the park.

For ease of reference and convenience, I also make it a point to bookmark reputable sellers (please read the reviews and ratings before buying!) whose products I adore, especially for items such as clothes, shoes and anything related to fashion.

Here's just one of the sellers that I typically buy from:

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=40371394113

I posted this cut-out shoulder shirt dress on my instagram account (@reginachow_sg) recently, and I received many queries on the exact Taobao link where you can purchase this dress from.

As promised, here's the link.

Cut-out shoulder shirt dress from Taobao

Shoes from Charlotte Olympia

Bag from Hermes

Necklace from random shop in Singapore

At a little over S$20, this dress is an absolute steal! It looks exactly as pictured and I love how the cut-outs at the shoulders give it a more feminine vibe as compared to the typical shirt dress.

I'll be sharing more details on the other sellers that I typically buy from in time to come, complete with outfit shots, so if you're interested, remember to watch this space!

I'm currently on my way to Hong Kong as you are reading this post. I'll be updating my instagram account while I'm on the go, so do follow me to find out what I'm up to (@reginachow_sg)!

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The author enjoys experimenting with the latest fashion trends and beauty products. An avid traveller, she also loves exploring foreign lands, immersing herself in different cultures and sharing her experiences (and photos!) with everyone. Drop her an e-mail at regina.chow@gmail.com for advertorials/sponsorships/collaborations.