Faux snake skin clutch purses at Queena (RMB 168-218)

Ordinarily an area that draws students to its bars and cafes, Wudaokou is also fast expanding into a shopping hub. A nonstop barrage of foreign consumers help keep the prices cut-rate and the trends daring; not to mention the plethora of cafes to help you re-energize when the bargaining gets rough.

D-Park Down the street across from the U-Center, opposite the main roads of Wudaokou, lies a small cluster of boutiques – and D-Park is without question the best of ‘em. Unrelated to the factory responsible for Beijing’s Electronic Music Festival, this small store’s clothing is eclectic, and would make snazzy additions to any summer wardrobe. Highlights include an acid wash denim romper with white lace underlay, a silk navy dress with gold buttons and a zip-up hot pink printed dress – all mostly in the RMB 200-700 price range. For those with a small waist, a whole rack of denim jeans in petite sizes occupies the back floor. Daily 10am-10pm. Across from U-Center, Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (8238 7466) 海淀区成府路(五道口购物中心的对面)

Korean Fashion Market Sort of like Silk Market, only the vendors are not so pushy and the products are limited to clothing and accessories. All the latest Korean trends appear here, from thin cardigans and floral blouses to sky-high heels, though nail polish and other beauty products are also available. There is some room for bargaining, but not much – prices start out reasonably cheap. Daily 10am-9pm. 1/F, Dongsheng Dasha, Chengfu Lu (east of Wudaokou Cinema), Haidian District. 韩国服饰城,海淀区成府路东升大 厦1楼韩国服饰城(五道口电影院东侧)

Lara A brightly lit shop nestled under the popular student hangout Bridge Cafe, Lara offers trendy, more often elegant than tacky clothes and accessories imported from all over Asia. While this branch is smaller than their Dongzhimen one, the selection is no less stylish – our last visit procured a blue tie-dye dress (RMB 298), a faux suede blazer with a pocket (RMB 798) and a floral dress (RMB 198). Daily 10am-11pm. 1/F, Rm 8, Bldg 12, Huaqing Jiayuan, Chengfu Lu (west of Wudaokou subway station), Haidian District. (8286 7760) 海淀区海淀区成府路五道口华清嘉园12号楼8号一层（五道口城铁站西边）

Pinyu Clothes Shop Like Lara, this boutique is easy to get to – you can find it on your way up the stairs to Wudaokou hotspot Lush. Some of the products aim to be more hip, such as the leather zip-up bags and tank dresses; but overall the store collection maintains a more laidback, even gypsy-/hippie-/Tibetan-influenced vibe. Check out their nude purses (RMB 490), which remind us of the classic Birkin bags. Mon-Fri 9.30am-10.30pm, Sat-Sun 9.30am-11pm. 1/F, Bldg 1, Huaqing Jiayuan, Chengfu Lu (across from the Wudaokou light-rail station), Haidian District. (8286 4303) 品语服饰,海淀区成府路华清嘉园1号楼2层（五道口城铁站对面）

Queena This very recently opened shop a little ways past Propaganda shows a great deal of promise. Like all the other stores in Wudaokou, the clothing seems Korean-influenced, but with more subdued interpretations of the trends and a more muted color palette, with the occasional flashy patterns thrown in. The space is small, but there are two floors of chic women’s wear; we were especially fond of a sailor striped tank dress (RMB 200) and a blue collared shirt with puffed sleeves (RMB 220). Daily 11am-midnight. Shop 13-7, 1/F, East of Huaqing Jiayuan, Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (138 1011 1693)乔琨, 海淀区成府路华清嘉园东侧底商13-7

U-Center A newer addition to Wudaokou is this multi-story shopping mall, located conveniently outside the subway stop. Head over here for all the usual chain store favorites, like Uniqlo, Jack Jones and Nike. Restaurants galore – including Grandma’s Kitchen – reside on the top floor, alongside a lively arcade. Daily 10am-10pm. 28 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (8238 6996) 五道口购物中心, 海淀区成府路28号

Wudaokou Clothing Market Often described as a mini version of Xidan Chinese boutiques, this cheap market may be mostly stocked with tacky items, but you can find nearly anything on short notice, whether they be funky t-shirts (available in large sizes), sport and hip hop wear, dresses, shorts, bags, sunglasses, imitation brand name jeans and even temporary tattoos. As expected, the vendors target the student crowd, so the style of clothing tends to be more youthful and trendy – and don’t be surprised if the quality matches the low price tags. A walk here will require about a half hour from the subway stop, but you can also take bus 331 or 375 to the Chengfulu South Station. We advise you arrive before noon to snag the best deals. Daily 9am-7.30pm. Northeast corner of Xueyuan Lu and Beisihuan Lu, Haidian District. (6239 6347) 海淀区学院路和北四环路十字路口的东北角

Zhongxing Zhuzhang Chinese for “Neutral Stance,” this store certainly doesn’t feel very impartial. In fact, its clothes seem to push towards making statements, with perfectly slouchy harem pants, printed rompers and even a cropped YSL blazer (RMB 430). It’s impossible to say whether the name brand pieces are authentic, but the quality at least looks to be above par. Daily 10am-10pm. 21 Jingpin Jie, Wangzhuang Lu, Haidian District. (8237 0127) 中性主张, 海淀区王庄路