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JUST 10 years ago, virtually the only shopping to be done in Shanghai was at the state-run Friendship Store, where you could stock up on overpriced, China-esque widgets, or at the showcase Number One Department Store, which peddled comprehensive lines of People's Republic pharmaceuticals, pointy bras and cheap socks.

New dawn ... shopaholics can rejoice in the evolution of Shanghai as a new retail mecca. Picture: AFP

What a difference a decade makes. OK, Shanghai is not quite Tokyo or Hong Kong or Bangkok, but there is some fabulous retail booty to be had; you just need to know where to look.

Xintiandi, corner Taicang Lu and Madang Lu: Xintiandi means "new heaven and earth", a somewhat lofty name for this overly manicured shopping and eating precinct, housed in a warren of restored shikumen or old stone-gated housing. There are some retail highlights, though, including Shanghai Trio (North Block, Unit 5, House 1) where luscious use of colour, good fabrics and quality design characterises "a slice of China transformed into jewels and homewares and fashion". Annabel Lee (North Block, Unit 3, House 3) also offers exquisite home decor items, many with gorgeous embroidery detailing, and some simple clothes, too.

Madame Mao's Dowry, 70 Fuxing Xi Lu: A clever mix of pretty old kitsch (pastel-hued posters from 1950s China, ceramic busts of Mao Zedong, vintage photographs and colourful enamelware) and chic new stuff (gorgeous clothing, a smattering of homewares and beautiful little purses and pouches finished with a traditional touch). Prices are on the high side but, if time is short and souvenirs are needed, this well-edited selection makes for good pickings.

Shanghai Drama Costume and Accessories Shop, 181 Henan Zhong Lu: This place is pure fun; purchase everything you'd need to get togged up in Beijing Opera regalia, from extraordinary make-up and tasselled platform shoes to twitchy, feathery headgear. For something a little less dramatic, the shop does a great line in low-cost silk pyjamas and dressing-gowns.

Foreign Languages Book Store, 390 Fuzhou Lu: By far the best all-purpose bookstore in town for non-Chinese speakers, stocking an array of pictorial volumes about China generally and Shanghai specifically. It also carries many titles that deal with Chinese culture, food and customs, as well as books to help you do everything from set up a joint-venture enterprise, learn a smattering of Mandarin or decipher a local menu. The Chinese do some mighty fine postcards, too, and there are gorgeous sets on sale here.

Fangbang Lu Weekend Market, 457 Fangbang Zhong Lu: This multistorey antiques market, near the Old City and just around the corner from Yu Yuan Garden, swings into high gear on the weekend. There's a heap of tat and fake junk there but rifling through the stalls may uncover some gems; we're talking Concession-era bric-a-brac and Cultural Revolution propaganda art, though not Qing dynasty treasures or bargain cabochons of jade, so don't get too excited.

YY's, 299 Fuxing Xi Lu: A stunning assortment of well-structured and interesting threads for men and women inspired by that ubiquitous blue-and-white Chinese enamelware. Designer Yi Yang Wang also produces exquisitely simple leather shoes that are her sophisticated update of the everyday Chinese cloth shoe.

Ming Qing, 201 Changle Lu: Want a few well-tailored cheongsams in fabulous fabrics with beautiful, understated detailing? There are many places in Shanghai to get rigged up but this is one of the best. Designs are based on Chinese clothing from Shanghai's giddy 1930s heyday, with patterning from ancient dynasties worked into some of the creations.

Taikang Lu Art Centre, Lane 210, Taikang Lu: An interesting precinct of artsy retail: picks include Shirtflag (Room 8, No.7, Lane 210, Taikang Lu), where bags, T-shirts, sneakers, caps and jeans come cleverly emblazoned with fun graphics based on '60s and '70s propaganda motifs. In a similar vein, but decidedly girlier, is in-sh (200 Taikang Lu), where natty clothes and accessories take inspiration from "local culture, entertainment and even the Shanghai dialect". At Harvest Studio (Room 118, No 3, Lane 210), it's all about the Miao (one of many Chinese ethnic minorities) and their sublime embroideries and jewels, while over at L'Atelier Mandarine (Room 218, No.3, Lane 210, Taikang Lu), Caroline Stavonhagen creates gorgeously refined bed linen and luxurious lingerie, using the best fabrics and quality local craftsmanship.

Suzhou Cobblers, Room 101, 17 Fuzhou Lu: Former graphic designer Denise Huang's tiny shop is shoe heaven on earth. Hers are finely hand-embroidered silk slippers and there's a sprinkling of bags and extremely cute baby knits. Entirely handmade, there are two styles of shoe (slip-on and strap-over) with poetic names such as Mandarin Duck, Plum Flower, Green Tea or Calligraphy.

Blue Shanghai White, Room 103, 17 Fuzhou Lu: Hand-crafted, modern interpretations of classic Chinese blue-and-white china can be found there. Buy small individual pieces (teacups, plates, bowls) or invest in aged wood cabinetry, screens or chairs, featuring distinctive ceramic panels and tiles.

THREE for Women, Three on the Bund, 3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Lu: On the second floor of this temple to Shanghai's new consuming passion – shopping and lifestyle – THREE is a blend of wildly original interior design and lofty price tags, from Demeulemeester to Yamamoto, in an environment so cool you'll get frostbite. Even if you can't afford the clothes, at least spend a few minutes inside one of the freestanding "lotus flower" changing rooms, which unfurl to reveal a latter-day Botticelli Venus, wondering if her bum does look big in this.

Cloth Market, Dongjiadu Lu: An undercover market spanning a block, and the place to load up on a rainbow's worth of pashminas (70 per cent pashmina, 30 per cent silk) for about $3 a pop, a chic full-length pure cashmere coat for $50 or a dead ringer of Chanel's latest jacket for $40. Best of all are the lustrous embroidered silk cheongsams and jackets – made to measure in a day or altered to fit if it's off the rack, in an hour – starting at $30 for a jacket (try Shanghai Kang Fu Cloth Shop at stall 195-196).

Xiangyang Fashion & Gift Market, by Xiangyang Park, Huaihai Lu: Two banners are stretched at the entrance to this seething market: "Strive to become a cividised (sic) owner" and "Maintain intellectual property". Lofty sentiments, indeed, but for the hundreds of punters haggling there it's all about maintaining that bargain, such as a look-alike Prada purse or Gucci tote at a fraction of the recommended retail price. Years ago, in London's West End rag-trade district, it was called "cabbage", whereby a few extra designer garments were squeezed out of a length of fabric at the factory, then flogged off cheap to shops. Now that everything seems to be made in China, it had to happen eventually.