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At Men’s Bazaar Event

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Recently, Men’s Bazaar presented its awards for the most tasteful/successful men (《芭莎男士》主办的中国品位成功年度人物颁奖盛典) at the National Stadium. It was a great chance to see the water cube and bird’s nest again. They were quite lit up.

The event boasted a huge array of billionaires and celebrities like otherworldly Ali Baba Founder Ma Yun (马云), Yintai Investment CEO Shen Guojun (沈国军), actor Sun Honglei (孙红雷), billionaire entrepreneur and software engineer Shi Yuzhu (史玉柱) – a fellow that looks like he controls several gangs of Jersey-based crooks – and countless others.

This young designer from London, here for a few months, was one of the guests. Sorry for the time lag in my posts. My time has been surprisingly limited recently.

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Another LV Addict

LV Fan

One problem with the LV handbag – as ubiquitous a part of the Chinese urban landscape as Sichuan Restaurants and taxicabs – is how it overshadows the rest of any outfit. Attention is drawn immediately to the handbag rather than to anything else the person is doing fashion-wise. Of course that is the goal. The person wants to be able to announce every time they use the bag – even when it is paired with clothes of some lesser brand – that they are in the elite.

Well, we all know that yelling “I am rich” is not the behavior of people secure in their economic or social standing. There must be more understated ways of showing one’s status and more tasteful ways of sporting the LV print.

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I find the notion of LV print trousers very convincing. The picture is not good, as it was already dark, but note the difference in direction of the print on the two legs – a creative touch.

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Vega Wang

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Vega Zaishi Wang is a designer now based in Beijing’s Jianwai SOHO. Born in Liaoning, she studied in London for several years and operated a studio in Xiamen. Learn more about her and view her collections at her website. Her brand is called Sforzando.

Vega的工作室在北京的建外SOHO. 她在伦敦学过时尚设计. 可以看她的设计在这里. 她的服装品牌叫Sforzando。

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A Tasteful Saddlebag

tasteful way to do it

What an elegant way to transport objects! I wonder which social class these guys are from. Of course there are many other – not necessarily difficult to attain – ways of projecting refinement: a vintage vehicle, an Oldsmobile, and the car seat car covers. I have been trying to find cotton fabric to make a dress shirt in this classic print.

太有品位了！他们属于社会什么阶层的人？

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Under the Cotton Tree

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As mentioned, Li Xiaoyan won the gold prize for the best spring/summer collection at China Fashion Week 2009. She gave me the scarf after the photo, which was taken in her studio. Born in Taipei, Miss Li arrived on the Mainland in 1994. She has designed for a whole range of labels before her current one, Fangfang, and the focus is on 100% cotton and natural colors.

拍完照，2009时装周最佳设计师李小燕小姐把她在图片里戴的围巾很大方地送了我让我永远记住她这次时装周的装秀。她在台北出生长大的，1992毕业于台北暨南大学文学院，1994到了广东。她已经做过几个凭牌的设计总监包括”芳莹”、”法碟”、”如意坊”、”Marvel”、”ä¼´å°¼”和现在的“芳芳”。李小姐特爱纯棉，今年也继续了这个主题。所有的衣服是浅米色。她的设计也反映她对环保和健康的态度。她也是个天天汽自行车的人。

Sorry for the lag time that sometimes occurs between the photos being taken and their appearing here. Photos taken for my column in Modern Weekly must first appear in print.

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Beijing’s Modern Dandy

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I had been meaning to put this one up for a while. Li Mengxia (李孟夏) is one of the most well-known and admired figures on the Beijing magazine publishing scene. He has worked in numerous capacities as a creative director, art director, and editor. I don’t have time for fact checking right now, so I won’t mention each of his various positions. He has been associated with Modern Media (现代传播) for quite a few years. One of his position was heading up the City Life section of Modern Weekly (《周末画报》城市版), to which I contribute a weekly column based on this blog.

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Quite an interesting detail on his wool tie, which was purchased at Lane Crawford. The peacock feather type ornament on his lapel was what all VIPs received at the event that night.

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Kiki’s Creation

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The Chinese Madame Figaro – the most cerebral of China’s mainstream fashion magazines – is hosting a “magic pattern exhibition” at the World Trade Center this week that I recommend to all Stylites readers now in Beijing. Since March, issues of Madame Figaro have included original patterns by such well-known designers as Martin Margiela and Karl Lagerfeld. Readers were invited to use these patterns as the basis for their own designs. The most interesting of these new creations were actually brought to life in Beijing workshops. This one here, my favorite, was conceived by Milk@Coffee singer Kiki and is based on a pattern by French designer Marcel Marongiu. The patterned section is a vintage scarf.

More on the event from Yoka.com.

Kiki has been on Stylites in summer and winter.


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Green and Red

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This fashion design student is pairing green and red, which was formerly considered an unacceptable combination in China. She says that she doesn’t care about those old rules. Actually, I think it might even be bad for men to wear green at all.

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Military and Cat

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Marie-Alice Legarda has been working as a stylist in Beijing for three years, but she doesn’t feel that there is a huge amount of style here though people are clearly into fashion. Perhaps she has spent too much time in the City of Light, and every other place seems dim in comparison. As a shopping expert, she recommends that people who travel abroad do their shopping there. I would agree, with the exception of tailoring, since there is such a huge mark-up on quality products here. When it comes to restaurants and bars, Beijing is more blessed, in her opinion. Among her favorites are Maison Boulud, Hatsune, Flames at the Hilton Wangfujing. She also recommends Tea Time at the Ritz Carlton Central Place.

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In the Shade of Snowy Willows

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Never before have I taken a photo on Liuyin Street (柳荫街), right around the corner from my home. This, perhaps Beijing’s most attractive street in what was formerly the most noble section of the city, is usually filled with homely tourists, rickshaw drivers, and urban peasants. Fortunately these elements clear out after nightfall and during snowstorms. In times like these, there is no more romantic place for a stroll. It will be painful not to be able to live near it after the area becomes completely gentrified – sure to happen in less than a decade. I am, as of yet, not part of the gentry.

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Shanghai Knight

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Here is Keeven, a fashion designer from Shanghai. His work has shown at fashion week there. He is with the group Fashion Design Organization. Sorry, still putting up pictures from China Fashion Week. After spending so much time seeing shows, my work has become rather backed up and I haven’t had a chance to go out shooting.

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Armor for a modern urban knight? He designed it himself as he did all of his other garments.

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Cartier Collection at the Forbidden City

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Catch this show (more at the Telegraph) in the Meridian Gate (午门）as soon as possible. It ends with November. The Chinese-influenced pieces, mainly from the 1920s, are beautiful and surprising. The rigor with which Cartier artisans studied and imitated the motifs and techniques of traditional Chinese jewelry is impressive. The object above joins a Chinese-style tortoise with Western horological genius.

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This was one of my other favorite things. It is a tiny picture frame in the shape of a camera. It is about four inches tall.