We wanted to shop for local band interesting things in Bali. I first encountered batik, or patterned cloth made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique there. Batik is made by applying melted wax in a pattern to cloth before it is dipped in dye. There will be a slight cracking in the pattern and the dye will not penetrate areas where there is wax.
Certain patterns can only be worn by people of a certain noble lineage and patterns and colors may vary by region. Now there are many batik printed cloths which may not actually use the wax techniques.
I went to a tourist centered batik factory store in Ubud and was able to see the batik process. I don’t usually like to shop at these establishments because they tend to be higher priced. Batik was also easily found elsewhere in Ubud, particularly in and around Ubud Market. I bought a few batik pieces pictured at the beginning of this post (about 2.25 meters in length and can be worn as a dress or sarong) from a vendor on the ground level (I later learned the less trafficked second level could have had better deals). Bargaining is mandatory and vendors are pretty aggressive.
I ended up getting the pieces for 40% of asking price and I still wasn’t sure if it was too high because sellers may start the price at ten times above the normal price! Luckily our driver said I got a bargain and I’d wear the batik as a skirt or dress.
Tip: Ask a local guide, concierge, etc. for pricing reference points.
We also found the most adorable boutique on Jalan Rasa Seminyak – By The Sea(the rest of the street had random casual clothing shops, spas, and restaurants). The baby blue Vespa by the door was already an indication of the fun and fashionable vibe inside. It was closer to American pricing on items, but the items seemed to be of good quality.
It was like a tropical J. Crew inside and they even had great styles for guys. Mr.Shop ‘n Chomp got a t-shirt and this was the shopping bag!
What do you like to buy when you travel?
What fun! Such gorgeous fabrics! And how cute is that shopping bag??
I love to buy tees when I travel!
40% off it’s really a bargain:)
and the exotic version of J.Crew looks great!
wow, i love the boutique, it looks so cute! and i always love buying something local 🙂
YES totally (link exchange) – i’ll add you now :o) … lemme know if u make a button and we can exchange them :o)
Love these fabrics! I like to buy local things when I travel, things you can’t really get anywhere else or that the area specializes in.
These are all goregous!!! What do I buy? Mostly anything and everything I can get my hands on. No seriously I usually buy the specialty 🙂
I LOVE THE BATIK! just gorgeous!
i love to shop when traveling, but i usually can only buy TEENY TINY items since i tend to overpack!
Unfortunately I end up buying things that you can find at “World Market”… but I just love going to the local markets and buying lil’ nic naks!
xo tash
Lovely batiks. Those textiles are gorgeous! I love buying local crafts/items when I travel. xo style, she wrote http://www.styleshewrote.com
what an interesting shopping trip… it must have been great to see the whole process of how these fabrics come to life
Great merchandising.. I would have had to pop in too! xx
Ooh you’ve been to bali! I’m Indonesian and as a native I think your shopping tip is very good: it’s true, you might wanna check the reference price first so you won’t buy any over priced items. Start the haggling by half of what they offer, or even start from 60% off from the first price they ask ;p
YURI
http://tigerlilysbook.blogspot.com