Popping up for a mere six months, this whimsically-named accessories boutique is the newest arrival at GOODS showroom – three rooms clustered round the sunny courtyard of a hidden Huaihai Lu lane house, which also houses collections by local designers He-Yan and Rachelle Jim.
The brainchild of Singaporean and self-confessed shopaholics Georgina Koh (‘Nana’) and diminutive, chirpy Chiewling Tan (‘Bird’), the boutique stocks a mixture of own-brand and imported jewellery, with a different featured designer every month - July sees offerings from cult UK jewellery brands Tatty Devine and Mawi, in a first for Shanghai.
‘We sell what we love, and buy for ourselves because we think you’ll love it too’ is Koh and Tan’s mantra, and there’s a definite feeling of girly camaraderie about the space. Housed in a tiny glass-and-concrete hut, wares are presented inside toy birdcages or strewn across pine chopping-boards, while prints from Shanghai-based fashion photographer Matthieu Belin plaster the back wall, creating an arty feel.
Jewellery is priced according to the level of craftsmanship and materials used - from 100RMB for a pair of simple crystal drop earrings rising to 2,500RMB for the most intricate pieces - meaning there’s a piece of hand-crafted loveliness for every budget.
The pricey but gorgeous ‘made by hand’ range is a result of Tan’s frequent pilgrimages to London’s Portobello Road market: vintage clip-on earrings and brooches are reworked into statement necklaces with correspondingly grand names, like ‘Midnight Bloom’ (2,000RMB) which pairs glossy black hematite beads with a rainbow-hued 1960s tulip brooch. We also love ‘Black Tie Event’, a vintage satin and broderie anglaise bow-tie strung on clear quartz beads (1,800RMB). In another quirky touch, each item comes with a whimsical postcard explaining how it came into being.
The other collections on offer are more affordable, but no less desirable. The ‘Silver’ series (from 500RMB) is the result of a collaboration with a Thai-based silversmith and includes delicate pieces inspired by natural life forms (think coral and lotus leaves), while the more directional ‘Cubic’ series features zingy neon or blond wood cubes intertwined with black rope (300-800RMB).