Author: stylites

In Beijing, the most interesting fashion megatrend was Chinese products and styles. Several related trends occurring concurrently gave the impression that Beijingers wanted to find new ways of adding a Chinese touch to their own unique style of dress. Whether it was retro schooldays, Northeastern fabrics, incorporating traditional elements in modern ensembles, or wearing Chinese designers, the emphasis for young local hipsters and some resident foreigners was incorporating elements of China.

在北京,中国最有时尚气息的城市。街上会有各种风格的人出现，那是因为北京人要找到适合自己独特的衣着。无论是复古的学生时代，或者融合有传统色彩的东北面料，或者穿中国设计师的。。。。年轻的时尚人士和一些当地的外国人都会融入一些中国元素！

Trends that in the West are retro, alluding to a certain era in our shared experience or that of our parents, are often completely new to China. “Camel is back” or “we’re stuck in the ’80s again” doesn’t really have the same resonance. Last time camel was popular, China might not have yet had fashion magazines (most are post-2000). So when girls all over Beijing start wearing cap toes, bi-tonals, tasseled loafers, and generally aspiring to be feminine dandies, it seems fresh. Sure, they are following a global trend that is already somewhat played out in the West, but in China it feels new because it is not retro and does not carry the same associations.

有些潮流的东西在西方会觉得很普通，但在中国我会觉得很新鲜，很特别。2010年很流行穿男式风格的皮鞋。

“Androgyny” was a candidate to be one of the ten trends for 2010, but it really has been prevalent for several years. Newer this year was the number of people of both sexes wearing loud-print tights.

今年不仅女生爱穿裤袜, 男生也开始大胆的尝试。

Fired by eco-friendliness, economy and the need for something special, the savviest Beijing hipsters have proclaimed consignment shops and thrift stores to be kosher shopping destinations. Of course, most of the time, this means hitting Williamsburg, Brick Lane, or American Ebay. Only abroad can a wide range of quality secondhand goods be found at reasonable prices, though there are some secondhand markets in Beijing as well as shops specializing in imported vintage.

For the first couple of years of Stylites, a reoccurring problem was that girls I wished to photograph were often accompanied by rather dowdy males. These males were often very protective of their girlfriends, not letting them be photographed. The guys appearing here were rarely accompanied by girls. Recently the boyfriends have started to catch up.