by stylites_admin -

Pawnstar at the Clement Apartments

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Not as famous as the Normandie, Astrid, Washington, Liberty or some of the other famous pre-Liberation apartment blocks in the French Concession - sometimes referred to as the Hengshan Road-Fuxing Road Historic Area - the Clement Apartments, at Fuxing Middle Road 1363, is one of the more eccentric unexpected complexes in an area of Shanghai known globally for its art deco.

The first Pawnstar showroom/experience center will be opening on the first floor of the building to the left of the main entrance on the first floor.  You just have to walk in the main entrance and walk left, passing through the small garden.  We are in the process of the renovations and decorating, so we will save the in-depth introduction to our own space for later.  I would like to introduce the Clement first.

Please click below to read more about the Clement.

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by stylites_admin -

Some Musings on Pawnstar

I’m going to attempt an explanation of why Stylites seems to be all about Pawnstar these days. At fashion parties in Beijing or on terraces of art deco apartments in Shanghai, people often ask what became of Stylites. This site is still known as the first street style blog, mostly about hipsters in the Beijing hutongs. But I haven’t photographed the style tribes of China for a while, though friends and fashionistas say I should have continue. Maybe I got tired of it. Maybe the subject of China and style is too overhyped with the myriad local fashion designers, KOLs, and platforms that promote them. The freestanding blog also seems less viable in the age of mobile everything and social media: wechat and instagram trumped blogs like stylites. I didn’t come up with a way to truly capitalize on Stylites when it was most publicized around 2009. Now there’s no way to compete with the influence of the mega-KOLs such as Gogoboi, Leaf Greener, Peter Xu, etc., etc.

Stylites now contains a record of all the projects on which I’m working. And that’s exactly it. Here you can find information on the pop-ups that I’ve been doing at the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing – click on Stylites Projects to the right and this intro to the pop-up program from the Four Seasons site as well as their pinterest board – as well as what I’ve done for other clients like American Rag Cie and The HUB. The project that perhaps most excites me at the moment is something else though, something that I have found challenging to explain here.

From Stylites to Pawnstar

Pawnstar is a project that I have been working on in China with my wife. For me, Pawnstar is about doing a business that relates to fashion but at the same addresses the frustration I get from being involved with fashion. What bothers me is the waste produced by the fashion industry and its numbing seasonal fashion cycle. Being surrounded by people who seem to revel in this addiction to change and newness feels very much at odds with my values. I needed to do something with a more eco or puritanical dimension to it. This has led me to move toward a business focused on secondhand, consignment and resale. This business is now called Pawnstar but it remains in the research and trial period.

by stylites_admin -

Imagination Takes Wingtip

O'Quirey Patrick Jiang Jiang Ming Beijing Koen Naber

Dutch shoemaker O’Quirey is no stranger to striking brogues. Red, light blue, the orange from the national flag and tartan are just some of the unexpected colors and patterns of their most popular styles. But it’s only in Beijing that there footwear has truly become a canvas. Country Manager Koen Naber asked well-known interior decorator and owner of design store Dara, Patrick Jiang, to take his brush to a pair of pale blue wingtip brogues. Jiang is something of a local celebrity and his taste and style are well-respected by local elites and the fashion set, so there couldn’t have been a better choice. This most traditional style of Western shoe gains from the spirit and energy of China’s artistic capital with this one-of-a-kind piece that can be customized in other unique styles on request.

by stylites_admin -

Valentine’s Day Gifts

 

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Get your man a  pocket square for this Valentine’s Day.  We have fun min-animal prints in silk at Senli and Frye.  Even for men that don’t normally wear suit and tie, this can be that last detail that really makes an outfit come to life.

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Of course you can never go wrong with a tie.  Come by to see our selection.

by stylites_admin -

Hot Pink Cremant de Loire Rosé

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Popping open a bottle of Cremant always suggests some level of assurance with oneself. Outside of France, it’s almost exclusively for insiders, those who know one méthode from another. The point of the bubbles is pure pleasure rather than displaying the brandname of a member of some global luxury corporation. That said, a magnum of Hot Pink Cremant de Loire Rosé from Domaine de Salvert will garner admiring glances. This flowery wine rests on the base of classics Chenin and Grolleau Gris, but also relies on the Cabernet Franc grape, which is extracted after a short maceration of the skins to produce a delicate rosy shade.  I think we will be ordering a few cases for our baby shower and this is a no-brainer for Valentine’s Day.

 

by stylites -

Transform Yourself with Hair Loss and Beauty Solutions from Chiquel

Transform Yourself with Hair Loss and Beauty Solutions from Chiquel

There is no faster, less-extreme way to completely overhaul your look, than to put on a wig, extend the length of your hair or clip on a fringe. Celebrities like Beyonce, Niki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga are all fans of transforming themselves (often overnight!) using wigs, hair pieces and extensions.

Chiquel is a fashion wig retailer who specialises in wigs, hair extensions, hairpieces and even eyebrow wigs! Born from a desire to help people feel and look their best during stages of hair loss, Chiquel works with their customers closely to provide the best hair loss and beauty solutions to suit them, whether that is a custom designed wig, or human hair extensions to fill out a thinning mane.

Now there are wigs, and then there are wigs. The difference with Chiquel is not just in the exceptional customer service their clients receive, but also in their quality. They might not be the most affordable hair solutions but if you want a natural, high-quality solution to changing your look, covering up hair loss or simply to add length to your current cut, then Chiquel’s online store is where you’ll find everything you’ll need to achieve this.

Below are a few samples of actual hair solutions available from Chiquel:

Lana Lace Front Human Hair


This gorgeous lace front, long length wig incorporates 100% human hair, soft layers and more than enough body! The lace front design and monofilament top give you the most natural-look with an invisible hairline. This style can be worn tied up or let loose showing off the natural waves.

Tova Synthetic Monofilament


The Tova incorporates a trendy, pixie crop with flipped ends and wispy layers. What’s more, this synthetic wig is easy to style so you have full creative control to change it up when you feel the need. This style is available in a variety of colours including: Dark Chocolate, Coffee Latte, Harvest Gold and Maple Brown.

Easibang Hair Piece


This clip-in fringe is the easiest way to transform your hairstyle, or find out if you actually look good with bangs before making the chop yourself. This human hair clip in attachment is lightweight and creates a natural looking fringe without the need to cut your own bangs. This hair piece can even be styled to create different looks.

Easixtend 16 inch Elite Clip On Hair Extensions

Arguably the best hair extensions on the market – Easixtend are designed to blend naturally with your own hair. These come in a variety of lengths and piece numbers, and are available in more than 24 colours. What’s more, you can even straighten, curl or colour them.

Weft Permanent Hair Extensions

At Chiquel, you can order either standard or custom weft permanent hair extensions. These use a state of the art beaded design which means no more glues, waxes or other chemicals. Choosing custom weft, allows you to create the hair extensions you want by tailoring the colour (block, two-tone or regrowth), length and hair type (Brazilian, European or Russian).

These are just a few hair solutions available from Chiquel. They have an extensive range of human hair, synthetic, costume and lace front wigs, synthetic, human hair, temporary and permanent hair extensions, hair pieces and even fake eyebrows and eyelashes to choose from. Chiquel are based in Melbourne, Australia but offer international shipping so you can order online and have it shipped to you, wherever you are in the world. Check out www.chiquel.com.au to view all the hair and beauty solutions they offer.

by stylites -

The Excelsior Chair

Thanks a lot to Gautier Chiarini, designer and founder of the ChairMan, for donating his Excelsior Chair, to the charity auction tomorrow at Mesa with proceeds going to Free Lunch for Children. Made in Jingdezhen, Chiarrini calls the Excelsior “a tribute to the Chinese millenary craft of porcelain making with an anachronistic foreign concept of space. It is a prototype of a series of numbered chairs to be released this spring.”