Mme Mao's Dowry
Cultural Revolution nostalgia. Prices are stiff.
Xujiahui
If you're looking for anything electronic, Xujiahui is the place to start. Pacific Digital Plaza is a huge electronics mall in two parts. Phase 2 exit 10 of the Metro station is more oriented to the end-user market; for things like custom-built computers or parts for do-it-yourself, try the upper floors of Phase 1 exit 9. There are several other electronics vendors in the area, including a Buynow exit 10 or 14 and look up by the footbridge.
eno
Two storey shop featuring t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags and shoes designed in conjunction with China's hottest up and coming artists. Also has a cafe with Illy coffee.
Ferguson Lane
A '30s building filled with restaurants and boutique shops.
Garden Books
Good selection of Chinese travel guides, as well as aromatic coffee and flavorful ice cream. Their monthly bric-a-brac sales are a popular local social event.
William the BeeKeeper
Vintage inspired clothing and hand-made accessories from local designers.
Diva Life Nail & Beauty Lounge
A 2,700 ft² house, mixed with Chinese and European style, is located on Ruijin Er Rd. Established in 1933, this three story complex was once the home of the Jewish wine merchant H.L. Menken.
Silk qipao shops
A row of shops along Chang Le Lu, between Mao Ming Lu and Shan Xi Nan Lu specializes in silk Qi Paos traditional Shanghai-style silk dresses, which can be made to measure. The shops are especially popular with Japanese visitors staying at the nearby Okura Garden Hotel.
Torana House
Has Tibetan and Chinese carpets and Tibetan furniture in a contemporary gallery.
Other nearby areas:
Posh Shopping
Designer shops and art galleries. Do not forget your platinum credit card.
Electronics:
Lots of additions to this district, on a seemingly weekly basis. Check out the entire Xujiahui area and Times Square (http://www.shtimessquare....) the latter's on Huaihai Rd for some of the larger malls. Creative boutiques can be found on Julu, Changle, Anfu and Xinle Roads throughout the French Concession, in addition to a high concentration of one-of-a-kind buys for sale in Tian Zi Fang northwest of the Luwan Stadium.
If you are looking for anything electronic, Xujiahui is the place to start. Pacific Digital Plaza Phase 2 is the place to start, conveniently connected to exit number 10 of the Metro station. There are more electronics markets nearby, such as Pacific Digital Plaza Phase 1 and Buynow. Popular game consoles are abundantly available as are computers, MP3 players, memory cards, and computer accessories. The Metro station exits at the intersection of five roads. There is at least one shopping mall on each of the five corners. Grand Gateway is the most upscale of them, and also the best-air conditioned in the summertime. The 5th and 6th floors of Grand Gateway offer a good selection of restaurants.
Ruijin Second Road is a tree-lined boulevard in the heart of the French Concession, where you can experience the real Shanghai longtang a narrow alley from house to house, which is a distinctive Shanghai architecture style. Don't forget to walk down Taikang Lu into Tian Zi Fang and burrow your way into the in process gentrification of the back alleys here. Old men air their magpies in spotless, tiny cages next to top flight restaurants and cafes. Shanghai T is a great place to buy a high quality T-shirt with a smart logo, "What recession?" Tian Zi Fang's renovation is still evolving and interesting shops and restaurants are opening and closing every day. The trendy stores exist side by side with the rhythms of "old school" Shanghai life -- and any time you can catch a glimpse of that, you should feel lucky.
Xintiandi (http://www.xintiandi.com/...) has both a mall and several small stores woven through the maze of reconditioned shikumen. Xintiandi is within the French Concession, but considered a sanitized, touristy and upscale "Disneyland" version of the original old neighborhoods it displaced. "Xintiandi" is supposed to expand and similarly transform a huge swatch of the French Concession later this decade.