For male fans who want to catch the eye of MediaCorp actress Yvonne Lim, here's a tip: Wear Abercrombie & Fitch.

The sweet-looking 30-year-old, who is single, says the American brand known for its upmarket casualwear gives guys a rugged appeal.

Plus, the T-shirt, jeans and sneakers combo is her favourite get-up.

Besides Abercrombie & Fitch, she also likes lingerie brand Victoria's Secret and these two brands made her trip to the Big Apple last year her best shopping trip yet.

She describes herself as a down-to-earth shopper who is more concerned with quality than brands.

But like all Singaporeans, she is also hungry for good bargains.

She once refrained from buying a Coach bag in the United States to avoid overspending, only to realise later that the tote cost more in Singapore.

Lim, who has been acting for almost a decade, jokes that she is eagerly anticipating her 10-year service award.

Where and when was your best shopping trip?

New York City last Christmas. It was quite an experience walking down the streets in winter with all the beautifully decorated shops playing Christmas jingles.

Two of my favourite shops, Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, do not have standalone shops here. But Victoria's Secret is around almost every street corner in Manhattan. When I was at the one in Fifth Avenue, the staff said Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana had just left the store.

Incidentally, the Trump Tower is opposite the Abercrombie & Fitch store in Fifth Avenue.

Before Christmas, a bra at Victoria's Secret would have cost more than S$100, but there were post-Christmas discounts of 20 per cent. I spent more than S$200 in the store.

I spent a further S$400 on T-shirts and shorts at Abercrombie & Fitch.

The other tip is to go shopping in New Jersey. The two places are separated only by a bridge but there is a big difference in prices because there is no sales tax in New Jersey.

There are lots of factory outlet malls there offering quality branded items from past seasons at huge discounts.

Which was your worst shopping experience?

I was filming a drama serial in Shanghai last month and was told to go to this street called Qi Pu Lu where many wholesale centres for shoes, bags, clothes and accessories were located. But being a wholesale centre, all the shops were tightly crammed together and the place was very chaotic.

There were lots of people and you had to shout to be heard by the store owners.

If you're not a wholesaler, the merchants can be quite sarcastic and even rude when you ask for the price of one or two items. They will even yank the item from your hand and ask you to go away.

I spent about 1 1/2 hours there but ended up not buying a single thing because I didn't have the patience to plough through the piles of items and squabble with rude sellers.

Which city offers the best buys?

In Hong Kong, all the major designer brands offer discounts of up to 70 per cent during the sales period in July or August. Besides branded goods, you can also find trendy items by local designers at much better prices in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. The I.T. discount store is opposite Harbour City and you can find some really good buys there. I.T. is a multi-label boutique that stocks local and designer brands such as Miu Miu and Helmut Lang.

What's the one item you saw but didn't buy and have always regretted the decision?

Coach bags in New Jersey. Being an American brand, Coach is much cheaper there and there is no sales tax in New Jersey. But at that point I felt I didn't need another bag. What was I thinking? After I came back, I realised the same bag cost almost twice here.

What's the one item you always look out for when shopping overseas and why?

Definitely shoes. I'm always on the lookout for nice shoes. I'm a size four so finding footwear that fits can be quite difficult, but it's always worth the chase.

What's the hardest thing to look for?

Being petite can have its disadvantages. I am a size 0, or an XS, so it can be difficult finding clothes that fit me in the US or Europe. It's even more frustrating looking for shoes. Asian cities like Hong Kong and Shanghai are better bets for finding things that fit me.

Have you ever been cheated overseas?

This is so embarrassing, but I bought a dress for more than 700 yuan (S$137) in Shanghai last month and was told it was by the store's in-house designer. The salesgirl even pointed to a guy sitting in the shop, so I took it to mean that he was the one.

I was shocked later to find the same dress at a wholesale centre for only 80 yuan. The worst part about getting cheated is my wounded pride.

The dress was hung up nicely and showcased under better lighting in the shop instead of being chucked under piles of clothing as it was at the wholesale centre. So I told myself I paid for better lighting.

MY BEST SHOPPING BUY

'I was in Canberra last October to film a travel programme and we had a shoot at the Old Bus Depot Markets. It's an open-air market where you can watch musicians perform and find second-hand clothes, handicraft and local wines. I bought two sets of animal masks and tails for about A$20 (S$25) as Halloween was just around the corner. But I didn't use them in the end because I thought they looked very strange.'