According to this piece on the Jing Daily, menswear occupies a larger percentage of the fashion market here in China than in other countries.  Needless to say, sales in the area, like every other, are booming.  Another factor bolstering this segment could be that Chinese men are less inclined to perceive an interest in fashion as sissified than their American counterparts.  There is less of a notion that slim-fitting trousers and pink shirts are too feminine.  That said, I wonder how many of the purchasing decisions are actually made by men, who often entrust the task of fashion shopping to the women in their lives.

Photos: Suzy

Oversized cardigans with little rams show the start of a new era.

Photos: Suzy

Here is an interesting mix of rugged and rugged, cozy, and chic.

Jo Liu is a fashion photographer who enjoys vintage clothing and checks.

Read More

This fashion design student is quite a successful taobao merchant.  Here is her shop.

Also at the recent flea market was this fellow who collects windbreakers.

This young lady just returned after studying, and thrifting, in London.

Beijingers will know that this comes late. Wuhao, the premier concept shop in the city, has already been open for a year. Wallpaper already described it as one of the top twenty reasons to visit China now and Stylites has featured the Wuhao Tea Shop pop-up at Beijing Design Week.

But, strangely I have never spoken much about what must be the world’s most beautiful retail setting.  In a garden owned by the family of the last emperor’s wife, Wuhao Curated Shop is tucked behind an barely marked door in one of Beijing’s best preserved hutong areas.  Installations change by the season with themes based on the elements and drawing heavily on the Yiqing or Book of Changes.  The focus is young Chinese fashion and furniture designers, many of whom produce special lines or items for Wuhao.  More pictures of the yard can be seen on the website.

Read More

Yesterday, despite the strong winds, a horde of hip retro kids migrated to northeastern Beijing for a vintage flea market.  The setting was the yard around 2 Kolegas, one of the city’s best known rock bars located in a former drive-in movie theater that never made it commercially.

Charmmy is fashion design student who also sells vintage clothes at markets like this and on Taobao shops for men and women.

Many Chinese designs reference classic furniture of the Ming and Qing while introducing elements from modern design.  The Harmony Sofa by Xiao Tianyu, at curated shop Wuhao, always attracts admiring gazes and cheerful loungers.

This comfy piece adds a wooden back right out of the Ming to the what looks very much like kind of “pouf” chair one might find in a college room or casual parlor in the West.  A event graduate of Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Xiao not only fused East and West, but also rigid with relaxed.  

Who would have thought?  Well-known photographer Gao Yuan is now in a creative directorial-type role at ihavu.com, a frenetically growing online commerce site that is the official web retailer for Rimowa and a growing roster of brands.  Many respected media people have recently moved over to this site.  I believe this is something of a mini-trend and suspect the other players in this arena have been attracting top editors and probably sales and marketing staff.  Expect to hear more about this here.

Other rising flash sale, discounting and other sites in the fashion realm include VIPstore, xiu.com, 5lux, and Shangpin.  They have all done major advertising campaigns in the subways, on TV and in magazines.  Investment is clearly flowing in this direction.

There is a certain thingamajig at 798 that often appears in my photos, so I thought I would give it a post of its own.  It does kind of look like two people.

Here are Jeffrey and Nik nearby it.

Snowboard maker Burton is hosting a party with free drinks and prizes tmw at 798.

Read More

Hong Kong-based lyricist and a columnist Wyman has a major following in Beijing and counts among his friends designers like Xander Zhou.

Photos: Suzy
Jeff is working at Milk magazine these days and narrowly escaped a motorbike accident on his way to the Nuandao event.
Read More

This Hui fur seller operating near Houhai had a rather interesting pair of glasses, probably from the Qing Dynasty.  Apparently, it might be possible to buy these at Panjiayuan antique market.

Photos: Suzy

These two might consider producing camel babies.

Photos: Suzy

New curated shopping website Nuandao.com just threw a “Winter Party” at new Hutong hotspot Jam Bar on Gulou Dong Da Jie. It was a cute, quirky afternoon with quite a nice horde of local hipsters browsing through vintagy wares as well as goods from local design brands like Triple-Major and Tang’ Roulou.

Read More

Here at hypervocal.com is an obnoxious piece about the fashion crimes of Beijingers.  Perhaps the number of pretty women here has caused the author to have sour grapes. Of course there is a bit of rural dowdiness and sacharine glitz to behold, especially on the subways and near tourist sights.  But the bunny ears, overabundant lace, and pop socks are charming in their way. Anyway, she’s evidently more caught up on plebes and provincials than the people appearing here on Stylites or at the Dolce & Gabbana party described here.  That dynamic duo are a bit more positive about the local girls, describing them as “the most beautiful women in the world”.

Photo: Suzy
Tang Shuang is a senior fashion editor at Outlook Magazine in Shanghai. She is wearing a striped menswear inspired shirt under her leather-sleeve coat.