Waistcoats were embraced by fashionistas of both sexes this spring and into the summer in Beijing. They were mostly low buttoning and black, in a style similar to what is worn with black tie ensembles. This pairing with a peacoat was the nattiest ensemble on the ‘xiang. A documentary-maker for CCTV, he loves his style as “Britishâ€. He advises Beijing men to eschew brandnames, though sometimes there is no choice but to choose fake Dior when completing his outifts.
Tag: Nanluoguxiang – å—锣鼓巷
Wizard in Distressed Denim
From Hong Kong, Oz is a graphic designer who studied in the Midlands of England. He arrived in Beijing a week ago and already prefers it to his home town. Things will be better after the Olympics when tourists are fewer and the place is less “messyâ€. He does say that it’s impossible to find decent fashion items in Beijing. Perhaps the sleeves on jackets selling here are too long.
Sales Impacted by Earthquake
The earthquake period really did alter the mood of the country, with the effects discernible in every aspect of life. Liu Lu says that her store’s business was going well until last month. Customers have clearly adopted austerity measures, since spending on fashion during such a period seems a bit frivolous. Many people she knows are sending the money that would have gone to dresses and shoes to Sichuan, which she stresses is as it should be.
The hot weather should make sales pick up a little though as people start to beef up their summer wardrobes. Griping about the heat and noting that the average fellow does not look so good in a sleeveless shirts and short shorts, I asked her what men should do in the summer since we are forced to cover ourselves more than women. She commented that in Beijing, “wifebeaters” are not as big of a fashion crime as they would be in New York or London. Certainly, in the hutongs of Beijing, it is far from uncommon to see men with their arms and even their stomachs revealed.
On a more fashionable set – or at least this is how they perceived themselves – in Hangzhou a few years back, the sleeveless blazer was actually a major style. It was different from a vest because it tended to be the same length as a traditional blazer or suit coat and often featured the button position, vents, and shoulder pads of a suit coat. It could just as well be a suit with the sleeves hacked off. These were usually made in low-quality polyester and worn sans shirt. They were purchased by those who felt comfortable revealing their chests. Perhaps we should be glad that I can’t locate a photo of this look.
Still, I am earnestly attempting to find comfortable suit alternatives for summer. Can a light waistcoat or vest be a substitute for a suit jacket or blazer in the summer? It could be a backless vest in a very light cotton. Here in Beijing, I have been seeing a lot of these vests on both sexes; they are usually paired with tee shirts. If it were a suit, the bottom piece could be longish shorts. This is probably pushing things too far beyond the bounds of good taste.
I’m not sure how well it goes with the whig, but it’s an interesting whimsical print in a silk chiffon. Left over from a high-end order meant for export, Lu got hold of around 15 meters, which means she was able to make five pieces – truly a limited edition.
Brown and Black
Some people actually consider mixing black and brown to be a no-no, but Niklas is proving them wrong. A teacher from Sweden, he believes that fake items are underrated, describing his “Converses†as just as comfortable as the real thing. However he still prefers Swedish brands since they are cut to fit slim people.
Pout and Grin
At an American PR firm, Wang Xiaodong rocks the long cardigan and works mainly on Vidal Sassoon. Song Ying, in media, just got back from studying in Korea and she says that the air is worse in Beijing now but the people are much more fashionable. Does that mean that overall things are improving aesthetically? In any case, Beijing girls still don’t care as much about appearances as Korean ones, who literally all have had plastic surgery.
Cuddly Editor
Modern Weekly focuses on culture, fashion, and art and boasts a nationwide distribution of 450,000, highly concentrated in Shanghai and Beijing with relatively few readers in Guangzhou, following the pattern of most other trendy publications. Jian Cui (and on Douban) is one of their editors and his colleague, Ms. Ding Yun, made the inspired decision to write a story on Stylites, boosting hits on the site. Here is their article (in Chinese).
He proposed standing next to the men’s room. I must confess that I have used that bathroom on several occasions. Despite the pungent smell, there are often groups of men inside smoking and chatting. I’m never tempted to join in and, so far, none of these guys has appeared on Stylites.
Lu 12.28
A native Beijing designer, Liu Lu just opened her first shop on Nanluoguxiang. After studying at an elite boarding school in Switzerland, she studied fashion design at Parsons in Manhattan. Her brand, Lu 12.28 has ready-to-wear and haute couture lines. She just adopted a very cute stray puppy that seems to be drawing in the clients. In the photo, the top and skirt are her own designs.
Clothes from the ’70s
He’s always in fitted blazers or ‘70s cords, which is nice because it is unusual to see actual vintage clothing here in Beijing. I believe Max is on the marketing team of China Doll, one of Beijing’s chicest clubs that will be reopening next month on the fifth floor of 3.3, a rather un-chic shopping mall in Sanlitun. We’ll have to see how China Doll does sitting atop four floors of tassles, chains, lace, and fake Dior.
Color Wheel Opposites
This is one of the more creative looks. A student at famous People’s University in TV and radio broadcasting, Hannah likes to dress in color wheel opposites with green being predominant. Seems a bit like a Tokyo person in London or perhaps Dublin, which is not bad at all for a native Beijinger.
Her True Colors
Michelle, a self-described “desk-slave” in US public relations company Burson Marsteller, believes a girl should be loyal to a set of colors and hers are rose, sherbet, and lemon. Cute, princess-like styles suit Chinese girls best and for her that means round-toed flats and soft textures rather than fashion-slavish attempts to seem overtly sexy and chic; they should fight their inner sweetness. As for Beijing’s straight men, they have thousands of li left to travel style-wise, she says.
Loose and Billowy
From Guangdong Province, she says Beijing is less stylish than Guangzhou due to inferior access to products, but calls it a more authentically Chinese city than Shanghai. This very Hong Kong-style girl wonders how the locals can stand bicycling through such foul air though.
Trench Coat Media
This pair grabbed my attention at once.
She is one of my favorites appearing here, for some reason or another. This quirky TV executive rides her bike every day. She says it’s the best way to get around in a city with such traffic, and bicycling also helps the environment and allows riders to fully enjoy their natural and urban surroundings. However, riding can be an unpleasant experience outside of the second ring road. Her cotton trench is from Sisley.
Natural Forever
A photographer, Ms. Xie proudly rides a Forever 28, but only for leisure. While commuting, she turns to her electric scooter. She wears cotton and other natural fibers, though she tries to avoid animal skins for ethical reasons.
Rockers
Central Beijing is filled with them. This guy uses black to good effect. The mystery of the color blends into this young rockstar’s character.
With the right attitude, the classic look of jeans and a tee-shirt always distinguish a man. Bo Xuan, the bassist from Hedgehog, illustrates how it also helps to be a rockstar and have the body to wear such tight clothing.
Dashing to practice, this young rockstar relies exclusively on this trendy cycle for transportation around the city. He says it’s the most convenient way to move here.
Clashingly Cute
Civil engineering students in Tongzhou, Wu Ying and Zhang Guangyuan think bicycling is better than driving because it avoids traffic and pollution (hence the mask) and offers freedom. However, they cycle mainly because they are still students, and think they will probably end up in cars once they start work.