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Homie Trousers, HK and BJ

A pivotal moment in recent men’s fashion received ample expression at the Lane Crawford party. Not only are the dropped-crotch trousers a key look for men in winter 2007, they are also one of the memorable pieces from Hedi Slimane’s last collection for Dior Homme, and consequently a collector’s item. Women, especially Japanese, have enjoyed this less constricting style for several years and a few menswear designers have attempted these trousers lately, but Hedi Slimane succeeded in making them look edgy and rockstar-like, as he does with most pieces. They stand in marked contrast with the extreme slimness for which his collections are known.
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They’re not Jodhpurs, intended for riding with a flare at the thighs and a standard rise, and they’re definitely not harem pants. The inspiration appears to be “dhoti” pants from India, which are normally paired with the “kurta” – a long pajama-like shirt. It is perhaps in being paired with other more stock Dior Homme pieces like the slim black tie and small-collared shirt that these trousers really shine. Clothed head to toe in Dior Homme, Marcus is a VM Manager for Lane Crawford. His comment on the night: “With a Lane Crawford better than the ones in Hong Kong, Beijing will quickly supplant Shanghai as the mainland’s fashion capital.

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I asked Richard: “Where is the jacket from?” “Dior Homie.” (his pronunciation) “The tie?” “Dior Homie.” The pants? “Dior Homie.” Beijing’s new Dior Homme carried just four of the 100% wool dhoti-styled trousers, which I now call “homie trousers”, at RMB 6,200 (USD 840) a pair. Richard nabbed one and urbanized the slightly rough look admirably – the glass of Moët helped too. He carries the homie trousers with somewhat more aplomb than the Hong Kong Homie, in my opinion, due to his commanding attitude. I would argue that Richard’s healthy appearance goes better with the trousers than that of the waif-like model wearing them on the runway:

All told, while the silhouette is refreshing, one can’t deny that it is a risky look. Without buying the entire Dior Homme ensemble and, maybe, being Chinese and thus quite removed from American pop culture, a certain comparison might be made.

The Homie pants should not be rejected for eternity just because of that unfortunate episode. I encountered Richard again recently and he showed his usual appreciation of the drama and fun that I believe should always be a part of fashion.

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Anyone who carries a glass of champagne for every picture is fine by me. I still haven’t found out what Richard does or believes. I would like to constantly have a glass of champagne in hand, and have a little man for refilling follow me everywhere I go. A second man would push along a Louis Vuitton wardrobe filled with bottles. That is the only LV piece I would ever buy, and it necessitates the hiring of a man whose sole purpose in life is pushing it. There’s a thought for the new wealthy of China.

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Font Issue

Suddenly there are some font problems on my site. I apologize; I am trying hard to make everything uniform again. These things are perplexing.

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Fur Hat – Lane Crawford Party

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In the dead of winter, hatless Beijingers wearing heavy quilted coats swear hats are not stylish, and snicker when foreigners repeat the old “30% of body heat” thing. Hopefully, Yao Yao’s example can prove that cranial warmth can be chic. This picture didn’t actually appear in That’s Beijing. In fact, they didn’t use most of my shots of females from the Lane Crawford Party, preferring the males.

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Lane Crawford Pictures, Finally at Stylites.net

Finally my pictures from the Lane Crawford opening party can appear on stylites.net, since they have now already appeared in the December issue of Thats Beijing. Please get your own copy, to see these photos in print. The original goal for this edition of Stylites in Beijing, in That’s Beijing, was to focus on the whole Financial Street area in Western Beijing. However, I found on numerous trips to the area that there was very little interesting style in the region beyond the night of the Lane Crawford opening party. Even in Seasons Place Shopping Mall, where Lane Crawford is located, on a normal day, there is no one that I want to photograph. In fact, there are very few people, owing to the location and the high prices of the stores in the mall. Perhaps this simply highlights the exclusivity of the shopping complex. I guess the name Financial Street says it all. Ibankers can certainly be stylish in a traditional way, though they tend not to chase the latest trends, but even that Saville Row set of style sensibilities has not reached Beijing. However, the international fashion elite welcoming Lane Crawford to Beijing showed an intimate knowledge of the looks and pieces that are hot now, and a talent for mixing, matching, and innovating on them creatively.

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Bernie describes Beijing as “culturally rich” with consumers “ready for anything”. His attitude and look both seem “ready for anything” with this singular cotton waistcoat that blends British tradition with the de-rigeur black of the fashion elite. Based in Hong Kong, Bernie is a buyer for Lane Crawford.

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Did anyone ever say Chinese women don’t have long legs. Even with this pair, the leg warmers seem to add rather than subtract from height. Fangfang is a fashion designer who owns her own shop; the coat is her own creation.

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Junior buyer Jimmy says menswear at Lane Crawford will rely on key brands like Zegna and Armani, while educating on new brands with a more “romantic” spirit. His Burberry Prorsum wool/cashmere coat with braided epaulettes (RMB 27,350) encapsulates that spirit and the size 48 hanging in the store happens to be a perfect fit for me. Instead I picked up a similar, but inferior because it lacked the braided epaulettes and Italian fabric, piece in 3.3 for RMB 550.

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Fuzzy Cap, Xidan

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I actually like the dark blue coat and hot pink turtleneck. One of my sweaters is the same color. She’s a designer but was in a great hurry so I’m not sure what she designs. Xidan is Beijing’s answer to Shibuya, though it is quite a lot grittier. It has the largest concentration of young people dressing in interesting ways.

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One Night in Beijing

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I had met these two lovely stylish folk at D-22 the weekend before and was thrilled to see them at the launch, called “One Night in Beijing”, the other night for the Insider’s Guide to Beijing. Jessalu is an Australian horticultural expert and psychologist with a focus on Chinese herbal homeopathy and its applications in modern psychiatric remedies. She is researching Chinese natural cures for anxiety and dementia, which means frequent trips to Yunnan. Her background is even more interesting than her career. Her mother is a member of Sikkim’s deposed royal family and her father is a tungsten baron who supposedly owns half of Western Australia.
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Zheng Chenggong is from Hong Kong, obviously. Also obvious is that he does design. What may not be quite so obvious is what he designs, which is military vessels and yachts. He has designed a new one-man submarine that is as small as an SUV and can infiltrate the hulls of US air craft carriers, gradually taking control of the computer systems. Eventually the operations of the entire aircraft carrier are controlled by the little vessel lodged in the hull. Needless to say, this product has attracted quite a bit of interest from various nefarious and anti-American groups and countries. I suspect his presence in China is somehow linked to the submarine idea. He is just a designer, not an engineer, and the craft is still just a concept. We might not have anything to worry about.

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Enlightened Couple

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I was originally attracted to this pair by her cross, but he would not allow me to take a photo of her alone. In fact, he is quite stylish himself with the Chinese shoes and jacket mixed with an outfit that is fairly preppy. He commented that before going into the work place, Chinese young people follow the Korea and Japan for style inspiration. Once they get white color jobs, the rather restrictive style guidelines of the West must be followed. Right now, of course, he added, Chinese youth are swept up in the craze for all styles English, which seems to be the global zeitgeist. Though she wears the cross, she is not one of China’s millions of new Christians.

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Jewelery Designer finds Muse

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Apparently, in a not-so-put-together moment, I promised my good friend Chris Tjin to put up some photos I took of him back at that Van Cleef party. He met a lovely young girl that night and he thought the event should be commemorated here.
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Chris’ mother was a former Colombian contender for the Miss World title, and she was miss Medellin, seven years running. His father is a famous diplomat, big game hunter, and importer of rare and highly valuable bones and fauna. Chris is now starting his own Jewelery label called Olartes and he has come to Beijing for artistic inspiration. Perhaps he obtained some after the intimate contact with new muse.

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Martial Style w/ Cardigan

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This is one of the best outfits I’ve photographed. This young designer doesn’t seem trendy, but he is hitting several major ongoing trends in men’s fashion. Some viewers might object and say we should look for total originality – people who avoid styles of the moment – but I think it’s rare to find people who know how to wield them well. People that are in-fashion and stylish and original are getting quite a bit right. Sure, military is a bit played-out, cardigans seem to have been the “it” fall piece for at least three seasons, and volume has supposedly replaced slim fits, but this guy still weaves it all together admirably. He was also really modest and amiable, so I hope I run into him again – not too much to ask for in the village of Beijing.
According to the photographer walking down Nanluoguxiang with me at this moment, his companions were a well-known rock band here in Beijing. I guess I spotted the designer amongst the rockers. Some of them could have appeared here too, but this guy seemed the most put-together.
The chilliness of Nanluoguxiang that night – I was just wearing a tweed jacket – made me hurry and produced a blurry photo.

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Stylin’ European Men

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D-22 is a compact space and it was quite packed on Friday night. The crowd was mainly foreign and male, with several stylish Europeans standing out.

This is what a rocker from Italy should look like, though this fellow actually works in a software company. He hails from Apulia, a region I would love to visit.
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The man and outfit are entirely from Norway. I love the cardigan.

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D-22

I was up there over the weekend and was struck by the red socks of this singer. D-22 is a remarkable bar founded by a hedge funder from NYC who now teaches finance at Beijing University. It has become one of the premier venues for up-and-coming Beijing rock bands.

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Cap and Coat

Yuanyuan is a student at Beijing University, but somehow also involved in theater, which may be why she was in the hutongs near the Theater Insitute. It starting to seem like most girls whose style I like, and are also willing to be photographed, are theater students. Maybe I should call my blog “theater students in Beijing”. I like the blend of casual sneakers and cap with the classy wool coat. The cap said UC Berkeley on the back, but she didn’t seem to have any particular attachment to the school.