PARALLEL to Huaihai Road, Changle Road is as vibrant and lively as it is convenient. With numerous shopping options from clothes to shoes to designer boutique stores, this is the street to go to for avoiding crowds.

Walk the street from its east end at Chongqing Road all the way cross Shaanxi Road S. to get a full taste of what it has to offer. The area has become a hot spot for Shanghai's young and hip fashionistas, with a range of shops offering everything from sophisticated fashion items to trendy street wear.

More and more Shanghai's homegrown designers have also set up shops along the road. This week we take you to Changle Road and introduce some of the stores you may find just as irresistible as we did ...

Casa Mia

It's the time of the year to protect you and your baby's soft and delicate skin from rashes and sunburn. Opposite the Shanghai No.1 Maternity and Child's Health Hospital on Changle Road, Casa Mia sells all types of skin and body care products for both moms, their newborns and toddlers. Generally it is best to use products made especially for babies that are free of chemicals and the store carries well-known natural skincare brands such as Weleda, Aveeno, Burt's Bee and Bella B. Star. Popular products include Aveeno's Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream (98 yuan/US$15.14) and Bella B's Tummy Honey Stretch Mark Fading Cream (178 yuan) for new moms. It also sells products and accessories for the little ones including soothing sounds for better sleep and microwave sterilizers.

Opening hours: 8:30am-5:30pm

Address: 327 Changle Rd

Tel: 400-685-3854

Seafood Noodle

This lively, noisy eatery serving Zhejiang-style noodles and rice cakes adds to the variety of cuisines found along Changle Road. As the name of the restaurant suggests, the emphasis is mainly on the seafood-based soups which are thick and rich in their seasoning, but pork, beef and chicken broths for meat-lovers are also on the menu. The crab roe noodles and yellow croaker noodles, both at 58 yuan, are the favorites but their flavors are extremely strong and heavy, making this joint unsuitable for those preferring a lighter touch. Popular with both the late-night and lunch crowds, perhaps this is the place to come for short reunions with your visiting friends wanting to try a taste of Shanghai but without having to fear for the standard of hygiene. Prices range from 5 yuan for a braised chicken wing to 116 yuan for their assortment of seafood in a pot.

Opening hours: 9am-3am

Address: 352 Changle Rd

Tel: 5213-7998

Bankura

Particularly popular with the dinner crowd, Japanese restaurant Bankura is famous for their handmade soba. Their fresh and exquisitely prepared meals never fail to disappoint. If a simple meal is preferred, their seiro (buckwheat cold soba) is a good choice at 30 yuan. Alternatively their tempura soba (55 yuan) with its just-right batter and golden flakes is another favorite. Bankura's side dishes are perfect with sake after a long day's work; particularly izakaya treats such as chicken meatballs and eringi mushroom. Rice dishes, salads and teppanyaki are also available. Their definite must-try is, of course, the cold soba; but try their chicken skewers too. Don't forget to book if you plan on going en masse at weekends as lunchtime draws large crowds.

Opening hours: 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-1am

Address: 344 Changle Rd

Tel: 6215-0373

New Product Center (NPC)

This minimalist street fashion store owned by Taiwanese star Will Pan and Chinese VJ Li Chen brings men's street fashion to a new level. With their collaborations with promising designers there is a high chance that you'll find something you like among the eight clothing lines they carry. The house brand NPC's signature is its use of vibrant colors and loud graphics. In order to place the focus on their graphics, the T-shirts are mainly white, but their distinctive designs make up for such simplicity. T-shirts are priced affordably at below 400 yuan. To do your part for distaster-stricken Japan, purchase the Isetan x NPC T-shirt at 200 yuan with all proceeds going toward relief efforts. Wallets, badges, watches and shoes are also sold, and all T-shirts are available in ladies' sizes as well.

Opening hours: 12am-10pm (weekdays); 11am-10pm (weekends)

Address: 139-11 Changle Rd

Tel: 6384-6878

Vin-ett

With the K-pop wave comes the K-everything wave and one of Changle Road's newer additions, Vin-ett, gives shopaholics a new store for one-of-a-kind accessories and handbags directly imported from South Korea. Their elegant ladylike style is reflected in their choice of interior design, but their accessories are focused on being subtly bold with rings modeled after a locket and hair bands inspired by a peacock's tail. For more daring fashonistas with a bolder style, there are necklaces that will scream out to you to be bought with their striking fashion statements. Earrings are also great for spicing up outfits with big gold hoops adorned with subtle patterns. Despite their simplicity, their uniqueness justify prices, which start from 100 yuan for a ring to 1,000 yuan for a pearl necklace.

Opening hours: 11am-10pm

Address: 117 Changle Rd

Tel: 6301-1575

Scent of Beauty

A Taiwanese-Shanghainese partnership, Scent of Beauty focuses on bringing its customers organic handmade soaps that take the daily shower routine back to basics. All soaps are made in Thailand and contain natural extracts of either fruits, flowers or spices. Each soap has its own medicinal purpose and foot scrub soaps for more specific needs are also sold. Despite a strong emphasis on natural scents, interesting ones such as chocolate mint and espresso attempt to replace our food cravings while other soaps like flower in the mist, sea breeze, avocado and mangosteen remind us of tropical Thailand. July will unveil their new selection of aromatic oils. Bath soap is priced at 58 yuan and facial soap 98 yuan.

CM (Culture Matters)

A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes; in reality the same saying applies to guys - especially if the pair of shoes involved carries cultural significance and history with it. At CM you'll find three old school brands, all made and designed in China and two of which are local to Shanghai. All three have made a comeback in recent years, bringing more life with their reinvention and renewed popularity in China and recent spread to the West. Feiyue (Leap Forward) and Huili (Warrior) focus on canvas shoes with their classic designs including skateboarding shoes and the vintage warrior shoes from the latter, while for Qingdao brand Shuangxin (Double Star), basic canvas designs are retailed. With owner Maggie's enthusiasm and house cat Caicai's adorable antics it's hard to refrain from taking a pair of their shoes home. To stand out among other canvas shoe owners customize your own pair by choosing from a variety of more than 600 designs or design your own if you are not content with their sample designs. Prices are very affordable from 25 to 98 yuan.

Opening hours: 1pm-9pm

Address: 47-2 Changle Rd

Tel: 5382-9640