On this guy a frilly shirt and super-tight pants might be a welcome addition. In the eighties, millions of girls had crushes on King Jareth (and he is my hero), and here is his Chinese brother. His outfit could have been more interesting but the wicked hairstyle alone can get you into Stylites.
Only black guys can pull off those huge capacious fur coats, only Asian guys can wear fitted faux-fur jackets, and white guys are left with thinsulate ear muffs. Fur is one of those thing where if a guy has to first ask his friends whether or not he should be wearing it, he probably just shouldn’t bother. Fur (or faux-fur) wearers already know that they should be wearing fur. This record producer is one those guys who can pull it off and look good.
The choice by this student of black and white with a dash of red is actually quite common for fashionable people in China but the studs on the trousers make the scarf seem like a reference to prison, while the shrunken pea coat seems militaristic and the hat a bit threatening – all together an interesting effect. This was at Oriental Plaza.
Combats and trench coat can be a good combo, especially when you have a model’s physique. Add in the profession of creative director for a major design company, and there’s no bold and chic look that you can’t pull off.
Yep, quite a distance from Beijing. Not much time to update now. I was expecting people to be more conservatively dressed. There are a lot of brightly colored scarves with dyed hair revealed in front. The men wear suprisingly tight jeans.
In a city with innumerable lovely girls, 95% of whom compromise their natural beauty with over-reliance on lace, glitter, and chains, it’s spirit-lifting to see style that highlights the grace of the wearer while at the same time being a little unique. I even forgive the somewhat blatant red LV bag – at least this model is not so often faked as of yet.
Please check my column and street style photos in the February issue of That’s Beijing! It is hot off the press!
Updates have been less frequent in the last couple of weeks because I have been very busy with my day job, and because the frigid weather reduces the number of stylish people.
Over the next three weeks updates will likely be still more sporadic. I will be traveling through the Middle East over and may have limited access to the internet during visits to remote historic sites, probably while staying in hostels lacking wireless. When I have the chance, I will post photos I have taken recently.
Hits on Stylites have spiked recently and I recommend that all new viewers enjoy the archives. Street photos are arranged by area in the categories to the right. The best photos are to be found in “Nanluoguxiang” and “Xidan” though “Dongsi” also has some good ones.
Zhai Yanxin’s work incorporates custom tailoring and design. I have always said that this was a natural course for high-end fashion to take here in China. Why buy an Armani dress when a thousand other people have the same one (and aside from the final stitches done in Italy, the Armani was probably made in China anyway)? For the same price or lower, a stylish Chinese lady can have a completely unique piece tailored for her by Mr. Zhai, for example. More from Xinhua here and take a look at the designer’s blog.
These two young college girls were at Tango to sing karaoke.
Coach says China will be its #3 market after the US and Japan. This quote from Coach seems to sum up the attitude that most foreign luxury brands have toward China and the rest of the less-developed world: “In non-Japan Asia, consumers are at a different stage in the lifecyle of their experience with luxury goods. Luxury for them is much more about status. It’s a badge.”
In the West, is luxury an expression of personal style, a connection with traditions, or an celebration of beauty and quality?
Valentino Fashion Group S.p.A will be opening its first free standing Valentino boutique in Beijing this week. In the Peninsula Palace shopping arcade, this flagship boutique will carry the menswear and ladies wear collections as well as bags, shoes, sunglasses and watches. Despite a rather thin presence on the ground in China, the brand Valentino is already quite well-known and has been a frequent victim of trademark infringement. There are many clothing brands based in China that include the word “Valentino” in their name.
I’m on a company trip at moment, so I haven’t really been able to update the site. Please do start checking back as there will be new photos soon.
Huang Yue designs original and inspiring haute couture for local celebs and bigshots. Check out his shop opposite 3.3, next time you are in Sanlitun. Even if you don’t fancy his work, you will enjoy talking to him if he is around. He is such sweet fellow and always makes time to listen and say a nice word or two. Quirky as well, he also has some unique ideas on fashion in China. More on his shop later.
I love the jacket he is wearing, which is, naturally, one of his designs. Too bad the photo isn’t better. Made from a tweedy silk/wool blend in an extremely loose weave, the blazer is completely un-constructed with no lining. You could call it a sweater-sport coat.
Paco Ou just opened Bustout, the largest and most cutting edge street wear emporium in Beijing. My review of the shop will appear in the February That’s Beijing, so I don’t want to say too much here. Keep your eye out. He wants the store, among the most spacious retail spaces I’ve seen here, to be a platform on which education of local youth on the origins of hip-hop culture can occur. Apparently, middle class kids in baggy jeans and over-sized headphones don’t really understand the culture behind the look and the music. According to Paco, the hip hop artists that do achieve mainstream success in China do not play genuine hip hop, from the perspective of the music itself and the feeling that goes into it. I agree with him on this. I’ll give a lot more detail on Bustout within the next couple weeks.