Tag: Lane Crawford Beijing 北京连卡佛

This fellow is doing many things well. There’s some decent layering action. The heavy reliance on black works to some degree. He’s scoring with the undone terribly skinny black tie. The collar width appears to be in balance with the skinniness of the tie. The leather sport coat is masculine and determined. With that look of confidence, he could have walked right off the cover of any of many local men’s magazines. Shine is matched with sheen and that matches his attitude toward life.

That said, I am growing sick of the shiny black super skinny tie. I would urge him to pick up a knit tie, though his outift might be too shiny for it. Let me advise him that we live in an era that favors nubbiness and knit ties are pretty much at the peak of their hipness in the US and in Japan and South Korea.

If extreme popularity reveals what is already over the hill in terms of the cool factor, the skinny knit tie is over. Look at production rather than the streets. Every factory is doing huge orders of poly and silk 2 inch solid ties for Next, Topman, and every other mainstream brand under the sun. There are actually very few factories that have invested in the relatively inexpensive machines that make knit ties. Just based on the numbers of orders, knit sock ties remain an exclusive item in the field of trendy ties. Also, the production cost of the cheapest knit ties is more than doubled that of the cheapest woven ties.

A man with attitude, Johnny from Qingdao runs a fashion boutique offering clothing with “gexing” (personality), some of which he designs personally. The waist-length coat with peaked lapels and cravatte were brought to earth by ripped jeans and trainers.

Minzhao, who works at Bank of China, had just visited Beijing’s Lane Crawford with her parents. She said that the heating was turned too high, but she did concede that the designs on offer were very cutting edge. Her father commented that the prices seemed far too high for the Beijing market. As for wearing a blanket? Well, it was kind of shocking to see it immediately after viewing the Stella Mccartney and Alexander Mcqueen Couture in Lane Crawford.

Ana, from Moldova, has enjoyed watching the shopping options in Beijing expand exponentially in recently. She thinks Beijing women benefit tremendously from fashion mags, displaying style role models.

A pivotal moment in recent men’s fashion received ample expression at the Lane Crawford party. Not only are the dropped-crotch trousers a key look for men in winter 2007, they are also one of the memorable pieces from Hedi Slimane’s last collection for Dior Homme, and consequently a collector’s item. Women, especially Japanese, have enjoyed this less constricting style for several years and a few menswear designers have attempted these trousers lately, but Hedi Slimane succeeded in making them look edgy and rockstar-like, as he does with most pieces. They stand in marked contrast with the extreme slimness for which his collections are known.

They’re not Jodhpurs, intended for riding with a flare at the thighs and a standard rise, and they’re definitely not harem pants. The inspiration appears to be “dhoti” pants from India, which are normally paired with the “kurta” – a long pajama-like shirt. It is perhaps in being paired with other more stock Dior Homme pieces like the slim black tie and small-collared shirt that these trousers really shine. Clothed head to toe in Dior Homme, Marcus is a VM Manager for Lane Crawford. His comment on the night: “With a Lane Crawford better than the ones in Hong Kong, Beijing will quickly supplant Shanghai as the mainland’s fashion capital.

I asked Richard: “Where is the jacket from?” “Dior Homie.” (his pronunciation) “The tie?” “Dior Homie.” The pants? “Dior Homie.” Beijing’s new Dior Homme carried just four of the 100% wool dhoti-styled trousers, which I now call “homie trousers”, at RMB 6,200 (USD 840) a pair. Richard nabbed one and urbanized the slightly rough look admirably – the glass of Moët helped too. He carries the homie trousers with somewhat more aplomb than the Hong Kong Homie, in my opinion, due to his commanding attitude. I would argue that Richard’s healthy appearance goes better with the trousers than that of the waif-like model wearing them on the runway:

All told, while the silhouette is refreshing, one can’t deny that it is a risky look. Without buying the entire Dior Homme ensemble and, maybe, being Chinese and thus quite removed from American pop culture, a certain comparison might be made.

The Homie pants should not be rejected for eternity just because of that unfortunate episode. I encountered Richard again recently and he showed his usual appreciation of the drama and fun that I believe should always be a part of fashion.

Anyone who carries a glass of champagne for every picture is fine by me. I still haven’t found out what Richard does or believes. I would like to constantly have a glass of champagne in hand, and have a little man for refilling follow me everywhere I go. A second man would push along a Louis Vuitton wardrobe filled with bottles. That is the only LV piece I would ever buy, and it necessitates the hiring of a man whose sole purpose in life is pushing it. There’s a thought for the new wealthy of China.

In the dead of winter, hatless Beijingers wearing heavy quilted coats swear hats are not stylish, and snicker when foreigners repeat the old “30% of body heat” thing. Hopefully, Yao Yao’s example can prove that cranial warmth can be chic. This picture didn’t actually appear in That’s Beijing. In fact, they didn’t use most of my shots of females from the Lane Crawford Party, preferring the males.

Italian blood is infused with courage and, in recent times, design. Andrea, manager of an Italian PR firm, realizes his creative potential with the tailors in the capitol of the latest Empire. Even his watch is his own creation.