Combats and trench coat can be a good combo, especially when you have a model’s physique. Add in the profession of creative director for a major design company, and there’s no bold and chic look that you can’t pull off.
Tag: Wangfujing/Dongdan/Dongsi/Qianmen 王府井/东å•/东四/å‰é—¨
Street fashion from the area around Wangfujing, including Dongdan, Dongsi, Oriental Plaza, and Longfusi Walking Street as well as the more distant Qianmen. Stylish young people frequent Oriental Plaza and a higher spending set can be found at the Qianmen’s Legation Quarter. Wangfujing is filled with a rowdy bunch of peasants.
Looks Accentuated
In a city with innumerable lovely girls, 95% of whom compromise their natural beauty with over-reliance on lace, glitter, and chains, it’s spirit-lifting to see style that highlights the grace of the wearer while at the same time being a little unique. I even forgive the somewhat blatant red LV bag – at least this model is not so often faked as of yet.
Paco and Bustout
Paco Ou just opened Bustout, the largest and most cutting edge street wear emporium in Beijing. My review of the shop will appear in the February That’s Beijing, so I don’t want to say too much here. Keep your eye out. He wants the store, among the most spacious retail spaces I’ve seen here, to be a platform on which education of local youth on the origins of hip-hop culture can occur. Apparently, middle class kids in baggy jeans and over-sized headphones don’t really understand the culture behind the look and the music. According to Paco, the hip hop artists that do achieve mainstream success in China do not play genuine hip hop, from the perspective of the music itself and the feeling that goes into it. I agree with him on this. I’ll give a lot more detail on Bustout within the next couple weeks.
Plaid Military Coat
He must have been expecting to be flash photographed. I often wish I could comment on the attitude, voice, or vibe of a certain person I photograph. Stylites is not a platform for my thoughts and criticisms though. With so much Burberry print covering China – in collars, fake scarves, ties, and window curtains – this ranks as a use of the plaid that I like. The young entrepreneur’s plaid stands out from the crowd of epuelatted coats that define this winter.
Herringbone Trench Coat
Daniel Sui is a designer for Kappa in China and he appeared on Stylites before. The IHT had an interesting story on the public offering of Dongxiang, which owns the exclusive license for the Kappa brand in China. As the existence of Daniel’s job proves, this Italian sportswear brand is not only produced and sold in China, but also designed here. The article speaks of over 20% annual growth of the Chinese sportswear market.
The funny thing is that I have the exact same herringbone trench coat and I was wearing it that same day. Daniel also wore it for his photo shoot with 1626 (1626 also did a shoot and interview with me that should be appearing over the next couple of weeks):
The coat is intended for export to Japan and is by some obscure brand. The cut is really slim and the styling is quite nice. I think the coat looks good and that’s why I bought it despite some misgivings. The price of around USD 50 also didn’t dissuade me. Unfortunately, truths like “you always get what you pay for” do seem eternal. This coat has the same key defect as many stylish pieces made in China for export to Japan as well as stylish fakes of brands like Dior Homme and Burberry Prorsum. That defect is poor quality materials. The fabric, buttons, thread, and lining are all sub-par. Even H&M and Zara offer substantially better quality. The fabric began to pill after a few wearings and the buttons are about to fall off en masse. Anyway, all I can say is that it is worth using Senli and Frye to get a durable piece that will last through the years. That said, sometimes one does want throw-away fashion – this certainly doesn’t seem very ecologically friendly though.
Cola, Manager of Vogue
I ran into Kele, whose name means “Cola”, in front of the soon-to-open DKNY, which will be Beijing’s first. Kele appeared here a few months ago. He is the manager of a fashion boutique at the 3.3 shopping center in Sanlitun. Vogue, the boutique, specializes in “replicas” of products from brands such as Dior Homme, Dolce and Gabbana, and Comme Des Garçons.
Well-Protected Tour Guide
Pheobe is a tour guide here in Beijing who buys mostly domestic brands. Her usual shopping places are Oriental Plaza (where she is in the picture) and Women’s Street. She is from outside of Beijing but has lived here for six years. Those are not her body guards.
Scarfy Couple
These two scarf clad young people attended college in the United Kingdom. His current trading business involves frequent trips to London, where he also does most of his shopping. The velvet coat is from Calvin Klein. I’m not sure what to think about velvet coats. They seem elegant with a good dose of 18th century flamboyance, but they would probably wear out quite easily in the elbows and other places.
Hair Stylist in Tuxedo Shirt at Dongsi
He was just about ready to go back inside after finishing a smoke. He does a pretty good job of not appearing chilly. This hair stylist on Dongsi avenue seems more sophisticated than his unruly peers at Xidan. Dongsi is famous throughout Beijing for its hair stylists, many of whom are said to have trained in Korea. The street is lined with both tiny establishments and larger and higher end ones like this. In modern Beijing, the Eastern part of the city with the Central Business District and embassies is generally more developed, though the West is coming up as well. The Southern part of the city is the more backward part, in the opinion of locals.
They always say that it takes a certain type of man to wear a tuxedo shirt without a tie and links without a suit. I think this guy is doing it even though I suspect that he doesn’t ever this shirt with a bow tie. I also like the bell bottoms, or perhaps wide leg trousers since I’m not sure if they flare or not. This type of trousers is definitely out of fashion, even in China, so this look takes confidence. These particular trousers were actually custom-made. The very slim ankle is the rage here, just as it has been for a while in the West and in Japan. Fuller cuts, though not the flared trousers of a few years ago, are coming back into style though. The slim, tapered pants do not look good on everyone.
Christmas Eve
When you’re 16, you don’t have to be subtle about getting into the spirit of the season. She’s a student at a foreign language high school. Deliberately dressing this way for the occasion, she plans to attend the Christmas Eve mass at Wangfujing church, the largest and probably oldest in Beijing. Though not Christian, she says that young people in China today are very interested in Western culture, which is why she’s attending church and is dressed this way. As far as polka-dot on polka-dot ensembles go, I think the boot and stocking match works…fairly well. Revealing bare leg between the stockings and coat is pretty naughty.
Edit: I just realized I had spelled the word “stocking” as “stalking” in above. It’s a funny mistake to make on Christmas.
Archive – January 2007
The Best Bloody Mary
January 31 2007 (09:28:00) US/Pacific
If you like a good Bloody Mary, check out the 5:19 bar at Women’s Street. They have the best one in Beijing. In fact, it was the best I’ve had in the world. And it was 25 RMB, which is quite reasonable considering the imported ingredients.
I went there this past Saturday night for a discussion on Lolita that didn’t really materialize.
As an added plus this bar has a contingent of builders and carpenters from the Southern regions of the United States. They are a very lively and congenial bunch. This is a very authentic collection of dudes from Louisiana, Mississippiand other Faulknerian sorts of places transplanted directly into Beijing. You should go to this bar just to meet them. They are building our government’s new outpost in this heathen land. They recognized me as a Yankee at once but were very friendly anyway. The owner is an Canadian named Dave who has opened several similar bars in Beijing.
5:19: 8448-0896 26 Xingba Lu, Nuren Jie Next to PiliPili 女人街星å§è·¯28å· æ¯”åŠ›æ¯•åˆ©é¤å§æ—è¾¹
Comments
Pity the souls of the heathen masses that must burn for eternity in the infinite cauldron of hell!
Posted by Lincoln Annecam on 01/31/2007 05:05:30 PM
Faux Fur for Every Generation
January 31 2007 (09:08:00) US/Pacific
Near the Dongsi and Chaonei Avenue intersection.
The amount of faux fur in Beijing is irritating, though apparently not to the skin of most Chinese men. That’s Beijing even did a guide to buying fake (or real) fur. Almost every down coat (羽绒æœ) in the city has fur around the collar. Does it really offer that much extra warmth? Do you really need that warmth in a city where the temperature rises by five degrees with each new winter? No matter how much fake fur people wear, they are loath to don a hat even on the few days that are genuinely cold. Yes, I am bitching about Beijing not being cold enough.
Often the coldest days are the windiest ones and on these days the air pollution is swept away. The sky becomes blue and the air crisp.
(Photos: Colin MacLennan)
Paul Smith Notebook
January 30 2007 (05:55:00) US/Pacific
Stripes were the new stripes at Colin’s birthday party held last week at a fabulous, but secluded, Hunan restaurant north of Oriental Plaza. We rented out a whole section of this trendy but authentic establishment. I forgot to bring my original gift for Colin, so I picked up the newest and most popular Paul Smith accessory to overwhelm local markets.
Let me not take credit for work that is not my own. Please go to Colin’s flickr empire at:
N+1 in the Bookworm
January 29 2007 (08:25:00) US/Pacific
N+1, NYC’s chicest new literary journal, is now on sale at the Bookworm, Beijing’s premier literary cafe, lending library and foreign language bookstore. The Bookworm is Beijing’s literary hotspot for the foreign community – a hive of aspiring intellectuals. Every writer or reader passing through Beijing stops at the Bookworm. Check out their website for more information: http://www.beijingbookworm.com/.
As VP Asia-Pacific and China Marketing Director for N+1, I am proud of our prominent spot in this esteemed literary institution.
Several copies have already sold. The price is RMB 100, which is now about 13 dollars.
N+1 is next to the The Jews in China, which is a photographic journey through a century of Jewish life throughout the mainland. It contains many fascinating photos of mixed Jewish-Chinese families, highlighting the way Jewish Europeans found a welcoming haven in Shanghai and other Chinese cities before and during WWII. One can see from these photos that the Jews integrated locally to a much greater extent than many other European settlers. I searched for pictures of relatives of my dear friend, David Adler, whose family lived like royalty in Shanghai during the thirties and forties.
The Jews have been a tiny but notable part of the tapestry of minorities since the Northern Song Dynasty, when they established a community in Kaifeng.
What? Bar
January 28 2007 (03:30:00) US/Pacific
I visited the What? Bar, after nearly a year of frequenting posher establishments.
This band was pretty good I was told. Of course, I don’t actually enjoy raucous music, whether it be dance, hip-hop or rock. I do support the subversive spirit – especially here in China.
The What? Bar is one of the most famous live music venues in Beijing. Located just north of the West gate of the Forbidden City, the What? Bar is on Xichang Road, the narrow strip that runs between the new and the old centers of power. Thirty meters east of the What?Bar is the Forbidden City, from which the emperors of Ming and Qing issued their dreaded commands. Fifty meters west is Zhongnanhai, the “Southern Central Sea”, center of power for the modern rulers of China. There is a notable dearth of other commerce around the What?Bar, certainly no other bars or businesses catering to foreigners or the Chinese bourgeoisie.
Businesses Crack Down on Prostitution
January 28 2007 (03:06:00) US/Pacific
This sign is from the doorway of a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai:
This photo is from a discussion that I started on the forum of thatsbj.com
Comments
we disapprove this resteraunt Notice. it’s posted by that pervert wacko Laozhong aka Macro polo aka Laowild aka street laowai. i thought prostitution is always some hidden factor to promote the economics developing, no matter in what countries. a fairly subtle contribution to national GDP.
Posted by Mottosinner on 01/28/2007 09:39:19 AM
Nobody is saying prostitution is bad or that it is unique to China. I’m sure it plays a part in the economic miracle (may that miracle be praised and worshipped eternally). On a side note, would anyone shed tears if they never heard the acronym “GDP” again? One of the reasons why so many development experts are trying to create alternative macro-economic indicators must be that they are simply sick of this yardstick’s divine status.
Posted by stylites on 01/29/2007 08:32:51 AM
A Peeping Dateseeker
January 28 2007 (03:01:00) US/Pacific
Ugo Umeh came in for his first fitting yesterday. He is using an s120 navy matte from England. This is the best value option we offer, and perhaps the best value for a custom-made suit anywhere in the world: 2500 RMB (320 dollars) for a slim fashionable suit in durable, all-season, English suiting wool.
This is going to be one of the best looking suits, which is partially owing to the model-like physique of Ugo.
Ugo lives in New York City and he was born in Nigeria. He is at the start of a career in investment banking. He will be based out of Hong Kong.
This young lady entered the shop and unobstrusively watched the entire fitting process. Her job is to welcome people into the building where the tailorshop is located. There are three or four other people who have this same job. They all stand in the lobby visible behind her. She wants to find a foreign boyfriend to learn English.
chic and sporty is back
January 27 2007 (07:50:00) US/Pacific
The happiest day in a long time.
I am accessing my chic and sporty blog from China.
Temporary Blog on Sina
January 09 2007 (05:44:00) US/Pacific
Dear Fans,
This regrettable situation with the web has continued. I have no way of accessing this blog and updating, which has caused no small amount of anguish. There are so many uberchic happenings in the chilly courtyards of Beijing these days. I need for you to know.
Please go to http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1273331532. This is my stopgap solution. Sina is one China’s largest web portals.
I’m going to go be up-and-coming with it.
We will be back here shortly.
Once again: http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1273331532.
Best,
Nels
Earthquake – natural disasters really do matter
January 01 2007 (14:52:00) US/Pacific
The earthquake in Taiwan made the internet really hard to access from the land of Yellow. Please keep checking back since the Central Committee will rectify the situation imminently. I have some fantastic material waiting. (0) Comments | Post Comment