Photographer Wang Peng has evolved his own rather versatile way of dressing. He has five tailored suits in this exact cut each in a different color. They can be either worn as a suit or mixed and matched. I will have to ask him next time if there are really are a total of 25 potential outfits or if some of the colors don’t really go together. The fabric is canvass that he purchased at Muxiyuan.
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.
I also met fellow streetstyle photographer Mavener. I like her unpretentious yet cool style but unfortunately don’t remember the site she works for, will update as soon as I find out.
Having a drink, vintagy photographer Zhang Zheming is founder of his own studio, called Furious, which is engaged in design of print advertisements as well as shoots for fashion magazines. He previously worked for J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and other 4A advertising agencies. I chatted with him about fashion in Beijing.
I ran into my friend, photographer Anne Li - who has appeared here before – at the NOTCH (Nordic and Chinese arts) festival that just opened. Being a gentleman and a sophisticate, I immediately poured her some coca-cola in a champagne flute.
The press gift at NOTCH was the second best I have ever received: the collectible October 2009 Wallpaper* with its provocative Karl Lagerfeld cover. The best gift from an event I ever received was the full-sized bottles of Vidal Sassoon shampoo and conditioner received at the opening of Izzue in Sanlitun. I like swag I can use, as opposed to the multitude of passport picture holders and glasses frame liners one gets from the luxury brands.
Reading their comments in this Wallpaper*, Lagerfeld seems pretty arrogant and, despite all his brilliance and eccentricity, hollow in comparison to Philippe Starck.