Lovely Couple with Attainable Style

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These days the Burberry plaid can only be done well in accents like the roll-up cuff of hot Hannah’s padded jacket. The fitted, herringbone blazer is perfect for Sunday and Chris knows how to pull it off casually. Their individual looks go well with together. The tweed coat worn by Chris is perfect outerwear for fall and even early spring. He had it made at Senli and Frye.

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Just to give more of an idea of this coat, here is a photo of me in mine. I was in desperate need of a haircut that day.

Swede in Fried Bean Hutong

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This was on the famous Chaodou hutong, which means “fried bean.” Joen has a deep raspy voice and is head of a publishing operation. He is the first guy appearing here whose style I would actually imitate. Milan, Paris, London…Stockholm. Absolutely! Being tall and slim tends not to thwart style, but Swedish men go the extra mile with details like the velvet color, lavender lining and ticket pocket. Socialism and gender equality appears to beget men guys with taste. As it turns out, I am half Swedish myself.

Her True Colors

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Michelle, a self-described “desk-slave” in US public relations company Burson Marsteller, believes a girl should be loyal to a set of colors and hers are rose, sherbet, and lemon. Cute, princess-like styles suit Chinese girls best and for her that means round-toed flats and soft textures rather than fashion-slavish attempts to seem overtly sexy and chic; they should fight their inner sweetness. As for Beijing’s straight men, they have thousands of li left to travel style-wise, she says.

Trench Coat Media

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This pair grabbed my attention at once.

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She is one of my favorites appearing here, for some reason or another. This quirky TV executive rides her bike every day. She says it’s the best way to get around in a city with such traffic, and bicycling also helps the environment and allows riders to fully enjoy their natural and urban surroundings. However, riding can be an unpleasant experience outside of the second ring road. Her cotton trench is from Sisley.

Rockers

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Central Beijing is filled with them. This guy uses black to good effect. The mystery of the color blends into this young rockstar’s character.

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With the right attitude, the classic look of jeans and a tee-shirt always distinguish a man. Bo Xuan, the bassist from Hedgehog, illustrates how it also helps to be a rockstar and have the body to wear such tight clothing.

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Dashing to practice, this young rockstar relies exclusively on this trendy cycle for transportation around the city. He says it’s the most convenient way to move here.

Sailor Shirts

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These two are students at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing (对外经济贸易大学). In a few months, they are both going to Rheims, France, where they will study for a total of three years.

Military influenced items and actual items from the military are quite popular with Beijing youth. Though originally intended for men, these shirts are worn by both sexes. Wearers tend to be young artistic types in rock bands, creative industries, etc. Stripy shirts, in the sailor style, other than these authentic naval ones do not seem to be overly popular. People want the real thing or nothing, it seems.

These shirts are available in several outlets in Beijing, though the biggest size, 1, is equivalent to an American small.

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Liu Jian only wears Chinese navy shirts – he owns 25 in total. Since they only come with long sleeves, his had several of them altered a few for summer wear. These shirts are actually a pretty appropriate choice for Liu Jian since he served in the Chinese military for six years. He is an author and folk musician and a member of East District Power, a Shanghai-based folk rock collective.