Monday, Oct. 25, 2004
Go any faster than a stroll and you might miss the bright pink sign that advertises Sabina Swims, tel: (852) 3572 3944. But as Sabina Wong, the charismatic owner of Hong Kong's newest and hippest swimwear boutique, says: "Once you find it, it's yours." Plenty of women have already made themselves at home in the store, which opened a few months ago on a narrow street just a short walk from the city's business district. They're drawn by Wong's plainspoken approach to selling swimming costumes: she'll take you by the hand and give you a frank rundown of what will work for you, one body part at a time. And she doesn't ignore comfort. "Swimwear should be for women," she says, "and not for men to look at."
The 1930s walk-up building that houses Sabina Swims was formerly a hip art gallery, and it still shows: floorboards are stripped, ceilings are high, and jazz and cappuccino are on tap. Apart from Wong's signature line, you can expect to find fashionable international brands like Sexy Little Beach, Siddhartha and Kooshi. "Bikinis are a big deal," enthuses Wong. If Hong Kong women didn't know it before, they will now.
- Sarah M. Broom
- Get in Costume
