At the Former Embassy

Cao Difei with the Creative Director of Loewe was on the porch of the pre-Communism US embassy, now home to French restaurant Maison Boulud, after a fashion show by Loewe, Spain’s answer to Hermès.

Cao Difei is quite interesting. Beyond being a fashion expert with an extensive collection of colognes, he is also an accomplished singer of traditional Beijing Opera. This movie on youku (in Chinese) talks more about his life and hobbies.

支持人曹涤非是个特别有趣的人。除了对时尚很了解以外,他还唱京剧。在优酷上可以看到关于他生活的电影。

More Mont-Blanc

Some viewers were interested in seeing more of the Montblanc event, so I am posting additional photos.

Word on the street was that the total cost for the Montblanc event topped RMB 100 million or USD 15 million, which might be an exaggeration since the massive Fendi event at the Wall is supposed to have cost a mere USD 10 million. Germany’s Montblanc is big globally, but even bigger in China, which is already its number one market according to CEO Lutz Bethge.

据说万宝龙在这个活动花了一个亿,但我不知道是不是这么多。万宝龙在中国比在西方更有名气。中国已经这个德国品牌第一大市场。

The point of the night, beyond serious marketing and a big party, was introducing the China market to Metamorphosis. In the course of the night, the invention of this new watch was mentioned along side that of the automobile and the internet.

Gap Here This Week

The Gap is opening four large stores in China. The grand launch party for the American brand is this Friday. The two Beijing stores are at Xidan’s Joy City and on Wangfujing street. Here is a more detailed overview of Gap expansion plans in China. As I have mentioned before, Gap is a late entrant to this market compared to European fast fashion brands. I am curious to see the product mix and price point. Will the items be cut slimmer for the China market?

我们美国的Gap终于到了中国。这个品牌在这里会成功吗?这里的剪裁会不会比在美国的合体一点?

All Layered Up

These two were practically traditionalists by the standards of the Y-3 event, but their ensembles are quite interesting.

在Y-3那个活动上他们的搭配还算相对传统。

A Lavish Night

Last night, I headed with my little entourage to “Metamorphosis”, Montblanc’s launch of its double-faced new watch, at 798. This was a truly gigantic affair with performers and celebrities shipped in from all over the world, including, from the US, Brand Ambassador Nicolas Cage, whose face might have looked better less stretched and with more wrinkles, and the well-received Blue Man Group. There was even rumor that Lady Gaga would appear, but I suspect this is said at many outrageously gigantic parties like this.

昨天晚上的万宝龙“梦幻迭变”发布会真是个巨大的活动。万宝龙请了好多外国的明星和表演者。品牌代言人尼古拉斯凯奇来了。有好多人说过Lady Gaga也要来,但果然没有。

LV at China Fashion Week

In what is becoming a continuing series on notable appearances of the Louis Vuitton logo in Beijing, here is Parker Yin, founder of Shanghai China Hosun Brand Original Fashion Design Studio. The hat and tie necklace are Parker’s trademarks, which he sported at numerous China Fashion Week shows.

殷洪生是中国上海鸿森品牌服饰创意设计工作室的创始人。他在中国国际时装周很多秀都带了领带项链和帽子。

Designer at D-Park

Kimi, a young fashion design student, was taking a stroll around 798 on a day with lovely blue skies.

With this post, I am happy to announce that some photos can now be clicked on to reach a larger image. If I have time I will go back and revise the earlier images, but henceforth more images will be expandable.

A Well-Covered Fashion Week


Photos: Suzy

Most spectators at China Fashion Week were not as stylish as the average shopper Sanlitun Village let alone the guests at most fashion parties hosted by foreign brands. Most days at 798 or Beijing Hotel, one could hardly spot the up-to-style bloggers, editorialistas or models with fashion accessories straight off the runway – images so familiar in Paris, New York and Milan. Only the number of media, though almost entirely local, approached international levels.

大部分来中国国际时装周的人没有一般在三里屯逛街的人穿得时尚 - 更没法跟在北京参加时尚活动的人比。这个跟纽约、巴黎和米兰的时装周完全不一样。只有媒体人的数量可以跟国外的时装周比。