D is the singer for D and the Hutong Cats. He was born on Shajin Hutong in the ‘80s but really should have been born in Nashville in the ‘50s. The style of his band and dress is decidedly rockability as he says himself. There was already a photo crew following him through the hutongs when I found him.
4 comments August 3rd, 2008
Having now appeared on the cover of Newsweek and toured in the United States and Japan, Hang on the Box front woman Gia W. is known for her agitated singing style. Considered representatives of the new Chinese youth since the late ‘90s, they claim Marilyn Manson and Billy Corgan as fans. Gia’s outfit was purchased mainly in Tokyo and consists of Japanese brands. She said her day job is oil painting.
5 comments July 30th, 2008
Who did I run into on Nanluoguxiang the other day but Richard Lu, a long-time star of Stylites? Founder and CEO of Classical Public Relations Co., Ltd., Richard believes men’s style in Beijing is ever improving but needs to gain a more “international” flavor. He suggests that men here read more fashion magazines and find girlfriends who have taste and are happy to dress their girlfriends. The foreign men of Shanghai are much more fashionable than those of Beijing, whose style Richard describes as “square.”
4 comments July 24th, 2008
From Changsha, Wind Lee is a freelance stylish and merchandizer seeking new assignments. He used to work for Jack and Jones, but he doesn’t wear their clothes, which he thinks are too boring, preferring pieces from more avant-garde labels like the Dries Van Noten casual jacket purchased in New Zealand that he is wearing in the picture.
You may have noticed that recently the number of men appearing on the blog has been growing. Beijing men are not known for their refined taste or genius in replicating the latest trends from Milan and Paris. Though men’s style is governed by a million little rules of taste, cut, and fit, most men here are ignorant of these guidelines or choose to ignore them. Foreigners arriving in Beijing happily adopt a laid-back or lazy style of dress since most of their local colleagues could care less. This means there is ample aesthetic trash on the landscape, which in the case of men is usually not even entertaining.
The positive side of this is a sort of freedom to experiment for those who are interested in style and wish to be creative. The need to look good remains for women in Beijing, while men face little pressure. Money and status tend to be the main attractions a man can offer to the opposite sex, here even more than in the West. For men, dressing well is more of a hobby; the men who dress interestingly sometimes look like they are having more fun than the women, since society requires that women have some sort of style. The well-dressed or quirky men also stand-out a great deal more from the gray and navy blue crowd than the women do.
2 comments July 3rd, 2008
Allen said he chose Harry Potter as his stylistic muse for the day and I think he did a good job bringing his own petsonality to the look. The specs were definitely also channelling David Hockney though some primary colors would need to be added to complete the look. A freelance writer who tracks fashion and culture, his main assignments have recently been for internal publications for circulation within organizations under the Ministry of Culture.
7 comments July 2nd, 2008
Waistcoats were embraced by fashionistas of both sexes this spring and into the summer in Beijing. They were mostly low buttoning and black, in a style similar to what is worn with black tie ensembles. This pairing with a peacoat was the nattiest ensemble on the ‘xiang. A documentary-maker for CCTV, he loves his style as “British”. He advises Beijing men to eschew brandnames, though sometimes there is no choice but to choose fake Dior when completing his outifts.
2 comments June 29th, 2008
From Hong Kong, Oz is a graphic designer who studied in the Midlands of England. He arrived in Beijing a week ago and already prefers it to his home town. Things will be better after the Olympics when tourists are fewer and the place is less “messy”. He does say that it’s impossible to find decent fashion items in Beijing. Perhaps the sleeves on jackets selling here are too long.
1 comment June 26th, 2008
The earthquake period really did alter the mood of the country, with the effects discernible in every aspect of life. Liu Lu says that her store’s business was going well until last month. Customers have clearly adopted austerity measures, since spending on fashion during such a period seems a bit frivolous. Many people she knows are sending the money that would have gone to dresses and shoes to Sichuan, which she stresses is as it should be.
The hot weather should make sales pick up a little though as people start to beef up their summer wardrobes. Griping about the heat and noting that the average fellow does not look so good in a sleeveless shirts and short shorts, I asked her what men should do in the summer since we are forced to cover ourselves more than women. She commented that in Beijing, “wifebeaters” are not as big of a fashion crime as they would be in New York or London. Certainly, in the hutongs of Beijing, it is far from uncommon to see men with their arms and even their stomachs revealed.
On a more fashionable set - or at least this is how they perceived themselves - in Hangzhou a few years back, the sleeveless blazer was actually a major style. It was different from a vest because it tended to be the same length as a traditional blazer or suit coat and often featured the button position, vents, and shoulder pads of a suit coat. It could just as well be a suit with the sleeves hacked off. These were usually made in low-quality polyester and worn sans shirt. They were purchased by those who felt comfortable revealing their chests. Perhaps we should be glad that I can’t locate a photo of this look.
Still, I am earnestly attempting to find comfortable suit alternatives for summer. Can a light waistcoat or vest be a substitute for a suit jacket or blazer in the summer? It could be a backless vest in a very light cotton. Here in Beijing, I have been seeing a lot of these vests on both sexes; they are usually paired with tee shirts. If it were a suit, the bottom piece could be longish shorts. This is probably pushing things too far beyond the bounds of good taste.
I’m not sure how well it goes with the whig, but it’s an interesting whimsical print in a silk chiffon. Left over from a high-end order meant for export, Lu got hold of around 15 meters, which means she was able to make five pieces - truly a limited edition.
6 comments June 23rd, 2008
Some people actually consider mixing black and brown to be a no-no, but Niklas is proving them wrong. A teacher from Sweden, he believes that fake items are underrated, describing his “Converses” as just as comfortable as the real thing. However he still prefers Swedish brands since they are cut to fit slim people.
1 comment June 19th, 2008
At an American PR firm, Wang Xiaodong rocks the long cardigan and works mainly on Vidal Sassoon. Song Ying, in media, just got back from studying in Korea and she says that the air is worse in Beijing now but the people are much more fashionable. Does that mean that overall things are improving aesthetically? In any case, Beijing girls still don’t care as much about appearances as Korean ones, who literally all have had plastic surgery.
7 comments June 10th, 2008
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