by stylites -

Tedious Trends from Summer and the Olympics, Part One: Kappa and Italy

Though I tend to dislike big trends, sometimes I can’t help but noticing them when their omnipresence starts to make it seem like I will never find anyone interesting to photograph. So, I have decided to do something a little different with a series on the most tedious trends of the last few weeks. To start, at this Olympics, everyone was wearing Kappa or something related to Italy.

I have a friend who is a designer at Kappa and their two woman logo is cool, but I’m against any type of free advertising and brand that dominates the landscape without a subtle touch.

Kappa must be the most successful company when it comes to plastering China with its logo.

Sure, for a sportswear brand it does seem more provocative than Adidas or Nike.

I hope the Italian government is subsidizing this. Italian brands can probably get away with displays like this more than American ones.

Apparently Chinese audiences were comparatively supportive of Italian athletes. It’s not surprising.

Even names of towns make it onto the apparel. This must help with encouraging tourism from China.

Even some foreign kids are getting in on it.

We like to complain about Chinese nationalism, but the Chinese flags at the Olympics were mostly stickers. The Italian flags are permanently on the clothes.

Now they just need to get “Italia” onto the famous manpurses and they can plaster the Middle Kingdom.

by stylites -

Premium Brit-Fan

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Chris is a Beijinger studying advertising in Chengdu; in fact his shirt is a beer advertisement. His jeans are from Cheap Monday and the sneaker/brogues are from Paul Smith, one of his favorite brands, though the chance that they are real is rather slim. Like many of the young men on Stylites, his style takes its cues from British rock musicians.

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Cute Linen Skirt

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Noticeable from a distance for the drape of her gorgeous linen skirt, this young Qingdao girl is starting her own brand – she designed the skirt – focusing on linen and simple designs that will be available throughout Beijing very soon.

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Glam Manager

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From Tokyo, slim Akira has been in Beijing for eight years and thoroughly loves the place. Having just succeeded Charles Saliba as General Manager, he is dedicated to building on the successes of D-22. His fashion heroes are glam-rocker Mick Ronson, Iggy Pop and Ziggy Stardust (Bowie) and his favorite film is a Clockwork Orange. He recommends that hip Beijingers buy their rags at Underground Kids on Gulou Dongdajie.

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PR Girl, Before the Fall

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Sabrina, not the first from Ogilvy to appear on Stylites, says hers is Beijing’s most stylish PR company, due to the influence of its advertising division. She purchased her bag to show support for efforts of the Red Cross in Sichuan. She is believes the Olympics is allowing foreigners to see that China is not as backward and uncool as they might have thought. PR people are generally fearing the end of the Olympics since this has been a very busy time for them.

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The Green and the Black

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Though quite simple, this color combination is not common and has an elegant effect. Jia Jiajia is a travel agent born in Beijing. She now lives around Wudaokou though she prefers the Gulou area for shopping. While acknowledging that the Olympics are a source of pride, she bemoans the loss of much of Beijing’s original character to make way for modern construction projects, mainly malls and high-rises.

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“One Color Tone, Please”

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Co-creative director of Le Divan, Australian designer Tony Hua thinks most Beijing men wear oversized clothing and ensembles that don’t match in color or proportion. He recommends that men choose a style and stick with it rather than trying to mix and match too much. Most local men would benefit from wearing basic colors like black and white and steering clear of patterns, logos, and advice-giving girlfriends, whose tastes are often highly suspect. Le Divan’s shop will be opening soon at Soho Shangdu.

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Pen Ablaze

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Laura is a freelance journalist from Taiwan who writes for a range of Mainland publications including Modern Weekly and Vogue. She covers luxury goods, jewelry and other fashion topics. She loves Beijing, staying here at least three to four months out of the year. Her favorite is the part of the city within the Second Ring Road.

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Black Coffee with Sugar

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I love it when people appear on Stylites more than once -especially lovely young women like Kiki. Last time it was in winter. Always on the way to a rehearsel or show, Kiki, the lead singer of Milk and Coffee, returns in black, as usual, but her smile and the heart make the color warmer. Sometimes I feel that black looks a little bit uncomfortable on a hot day though. But what is the fluffy thing in her hand used for?

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Gentleman Director

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These hats are popular in Japan, from whence this young film student, studying directing, hails. He commented that there is not much good fashion for men in Beijing and everything he wears if bought in Tokyo. It’s nice to see a little bit of pattern and not the usual black on his slim tie. The mustache also adds a certain edge to otherwise precious look.

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Gia W. from Hang on the Box: Killer Looks

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Having now appeared on the cover of Newsweek and toured in the United States and Japan, Hang on the Box (and a wiki here) 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.

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Classics, Head-to-Toes

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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.”