I spent the majority of my day outside traipsing up and down the sunny side of — but still freezing– Nanjing xi lu. While running the necessary errands to facilitate daily life in Shanghai (jet lag has been somewhat bearable, so far…), I was pleased with my productivity but even more tickled by the fashions I saw. Depositing rent at the bank, paying bills, buying groceries– all of these were pluperfect people watching opportunities. What did I see?
Different places, same jacket. Shanghai is deliriously coocoo for wintry-puffs. The luxurious Montcler brand has been ripped off to have its lacquered, brightly colored jackets zipped onto the bodies of urban hipsters. Less conspicuous models are out there as well; however, these lack the details and tailoring of the original Moncler that are actually somewhat flattering to a woman’s figure. But I am not a big fan of this outwear because it has a high-risk of transforming the wearer into a swollen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Case-in-point: see below.
My advice: if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to “lose ten pounds,” then don’t buy a puffer. Or, it could be the perfect cover up after a few of those “my diet starts Monday” weekends. You can always say “I’m not fat, just puffy.” Happy New Year!
Hart, December 31st 2009 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Santa may have forgotten to put your requested sweater in his sack, but yours truly would never forget to give a post on Christmas. I give you scenes from decking the halls, Shanghai style.
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Hart, December 26th 2009 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Hi Everyone! I apologize for the lack of new posts recently. I am working on vamping up the site and am so excited to take SSF to the next level. It should be all ready to go within a few more days! Stay tuned for its debut…..Happy Holidays!
I took this photo of a worker taking a break from the manic construction going on in lu jia zui. The sun was just about to set and cast off this golden light which illuminated his cherry red helmet and bright blue jacket. I love the way this picture turned out.
Hart, December 23rd 2009 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Because the people of Shanghai can be so fashion-forward, I sometimes– only sometimes– forget that I do not live in a first-world metropolis where the trends are dictated and not mindlessly followed. Shanghairen’s fashion choices can both distract me from this reality and, paradoxically, fully remind me of where I am: a developing (albeit, very quickly) communist nation.
Recently, I have often experienced the latter; namely with the omnipresence of trends whose esteem have long since faded out after exploding into their glorious fashion super novae in the West. One trend- take the skull & bones print for example– which might be considered dead and gone in the US or Europe is now hailed as en vogue by China’s masses.
China’s long lag time for a Western trend to catch fire within the mainstream market reminds me that the country as a whole still has a lot of catching up to do. However, I don’t particularly care to judge the aesthetic of a look based on whether the specific style is in or out; my biggest concern is that it simply looks good. That said, I think this young DJ looks dayum good in her skull print sweater. My next ruminations will certainly be about her rhinestone headphones…
What do y’all think? Should we tag this trend as DNR?
Check out this article in the NYT from July 2006, when the skull motif was pronounced DEAD.
Hart, December 18th 2009 |
Posted in Shanghai Fashion: SSF Trendspot, Uncategorized
