While taking the cat to be neutered at the small animal clinic, I thought I might snap some street fashion in a new part of town: Xinjiekou. There weren’t too many denizens who warranted a second glance, but this new shop caught my attention.
It seemed vaguely familiar.
3 comments July 23rd, 2008
Constantine Comenos teaches music, plays base, and has designed his entire wardrobe, having it produced by Beijing tailors. He loves the process of sketching his outfits and selecting fabric, best found in Southern cities. It always perplexes him that more men fail to take advantage of the inexpensive tailoring to exercise their creativity. The key to staying cool in summer is moving slowly and infrequently, according to Constantine.
1 comment July 20th, 2008
Comme des Garçons had a somewhat odd photography exhibit at the I.T. Gallery. There were numerous fashionistas whose photos I could have taken, but my flash was being uncooperative again and there was also much distracting champagne. Edie Bao is a reporter for Milk Magazine, and she did name herself after the beauty of Warhol’s Factory. Like all the other galleries at 798, I.T. is in a former factory. Was Warhol’s Factory ever a real factory or was it just a large studio?
Rather appropriately, Charlie Kan is wearing a Comme des Garçons hat. He is in charge of a fashion PR company that is going to be especially busy in the run-up to the Olympics.
6 comments July 17th, 2008
Dear Stylites Viewers,
Let me apologize for the infrequency of updates recently. My computer mysteriously stopped working and my photos and editing software are all there. I am working hard to rectify the situation and hopefully normal updates will recommence soon. Thanks for your support.
Best，
Nels
2 comments July 14th, 2008
Sorry for the lack of females recently. I just haven’t been finding them. From Los Angeles, Ryan Horne is a manager at the new China Doll, on the entire fifth floor of 3.3. A lover of cashmere sweaters and fitted blazers, Ryan explains that China Doll gives Beijingers the “reason to dress up” they have been seeking. More than a club or bar, it is a cultural megaplex, and most importantly an arena for dandies and fashionistas alike to promenade.
3 comments July 8th, 2008
Norwegian students like André Holthe always look pretty interesting. Unfortunately, he says, there is no real source of good fashion for anyone who has experienced the multitude of hip and innovative smaller brands on offer in Oslo.
2 comments July 6th, 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
From a while back, this is a photo of a young lady who photographed me for P1.cn. This is the titan of the street fashion world here in China, though it has a very different look and feel from Stylites.
She was a very shy girl actually.
7 comments July 1st, 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
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