Fabulista Excited: About ION Orchard

Silly name. I know. Of all the words available to the human language, they chose one that seems to show no relationship whatsoever to the experience of the place. Oh well, it doesn't matter. It is not for posterity. It is likely to change once the management changes hands (case in point; Lane Crawford to Wheelock Place).

What one is more enthusiastic about is the promise of exciting and new concept shops that have never been to the shores of the sunny island set in the sea. More than 60 per cent of the mall will be taken up by flagship stores, new-to-market brands and new concept stores.

Some of the more established names include Burberry, Club 21, Mango, Muji, Richemont Luxury, Sephora, Starbucks Coffee, Swatch and Zara. Many of Fabulista's in-laws like Cartier, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Uniqlo, Topshop and Topman will showcase their collections in double-storey flagship stores.

The mall, situated on what was once the picnic ground of Pinoys in Singapore, is also bringing in brands like Bimba & Lola, Boss Selection, Chaumet, Christian Audigier, Dsquared2, Diane von Furstenberg, Just Cavalli, Marc Jacobs, Patek Philippe, and Vivienne Tam, which are new to Singapore or having its own stand-alone boutiques for the first time.

Time to settle one's credit card bills to get ready for the next round of card flashing exercise come July.