Fashion Report: China

I'm back, people! And this time, with a legitimate excuse for my absence: I've been holed up in China for the past month, travelling the shit out of that beautiful country!! I've got lots of articles planned for you guys, but first things first: here's a recap of the top trends this season.

China must-knows: fashion on the high streets

1. Appropriateness gone crazy

Standards of clothing-appropriateness are noticeably reversed - this is true in Beijing and Shanghai, but also, from what I've seen, in the smaller cities. China struck me from day 1 as very much a top-button kind of population, and yet... in compensation for that upper-half Victorianism, shorts are mini mini mini. If it's longer than hotpants, then it's acceptable.

This may seem like an enjoyable change for some, but as someone who tends to wear tank tops and spaghetti straps, I stuck out like a sore thumb! (And this despite my comparatively conservative knee-length skirts). Eventually, I gave in and started walking around in baggy t-shirts and mini-shorts. When the air is so hot and humid it hits you like a wave of toxic gas from the moment you step outside, how little you wear won't make a difference - you'll invariably be sticky within the hour.

2. Shorts. 

The shorts-mania that's gripping the nation clearly hasn't left out the other side of the world. Sigh. (Sigh? Yes, sigh. I can't wear shorts without looking like I'm in diapers.)
Frilly tops, t-shirts, all are worn with mini-shorts. Even girlish minidresses are worn with shorts underneath, bloomers-style.

3. Cut-out shoulder tops

In compensation for the conservativeness of the upper half of the body, risqué shoulder holes are incorporated into the design of many shirts. I do love that trend :3

4. Platforms and heels of Gagaesque heights

We're talking a good 10cm average, here. Convenient considering the quantity of unidentified puddles in the streets, perplexing when worn on Great Wall treks. Doubly impressive is the fact that most of the available designs are mules. Seriously, how do people walk in mules?? One of the big mysteries of life.

5. Bright colours

Chiffon fabrics and flowing cuts are in this season, and it would seem nobody does bright colours better than China. Turquoise, bright blue, pink and orange are very popular, but yellow takes the prize, the biggest and brightest and most common. Amusingly, after looking through my travel photos, my Parisian aunt's only comment was, "do these people never wear black?!". Ah, you really can't change the French.

6. Umbrellas

Rain? Sun? Whatever the weather, women all whip out their umbrellas faster than they can say Quidditch. Umbrellas are THE must-have accessory this season. Make sure you pack one if planning a trip to China. Else you might get caught in the summer monsoons. Or, god forbid, you might get a tan.

And yet...

The bad and the ugly: anti-fashion habits exposed!

Anti fashion habit #1: The exposed pot bellies and love handles.

Men, why take off your shirts when you can walk around with them riding up to your nipples?

Anti fashion habit #2: The spitting. 

True story for you all: One evening, I was waiting for my overnight train to Xian, when, in front of me on the platform, I noticed a beautiful woman. Presumably in her 30s, she donned long black hair, a sexy casual black dress, and more character than Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn put in a blender together (an odd comparison, I'll concede). There I stood, with nothing better to do than admire her femininity and class, when the object of my observation turned around and spat out more phlegm than I ever thought humanly possible onto the tiles next to her, with about as much class as a low-ranking mafia spawn (again, really weird comparison - I think I watch too many movies).

Anti-fashion habit #3: The split pants.

Referring to the common habit of certain parents of cutting their children's trousers down the middle for... convenience's sake. I'll leave that up to your imagination.

Anti-fashion habit #4: Crocs.

Apparently, in China, Crocs are still a thing. So are Cocs, and Rcocs, and other variations on the originals.

Thoughts and Musings - Hipsters, Consumer Habits and Inspiration

So I just let my friend interview me about my consumer habits for her marketing dissertation. Her topic? Hipsters. and it's made me reflect on my own habits and the reasons why I do the things I do a lot. 

I don't necessarily identify myself as a hipster. 

It seemed to me that hipster is the new mainstream. She corrected me by saying that the modern conception of 'hipster' was actually the hipster of yesterday, and that the definition she was going by is that of an individual who actively seeks to be ahead of consumer trends. But if you go by that definition, I am definitely not a hipster. On the contrary, I almost feel like the anti-hipster. If hipsters are ahead of the trends, I'm decades late. I don't look forward in time and think "people will like this 5 years from now", I look back and think "When I grow up, I want to be Rachel Weisz in the Mummy". 


My friend asked me what it was about certain adverts or images that speak to me and stick with me enough to influence my style. Is it purely visual? Is it more about the atmosphere, the content, the message? It's definitely visual. For me, it's about a particular sense of aesthetic that communicates an atmosphere that speaks to me. If that makes sense. For example, I realised that the adverts or images that will stick with me and compel me to hit 'save image' or tear out a page from a magazine will always fit into one of three categories:

- Fairy Tale
- Travel and exoticism
- History (be it Victorian, Far-West 1800s America, or 1950s retro... amongst other things)

Interestingly, these correspond to the three types of images I reblog on Pinterest.
Is it escapism? Perhaps so.


She then proceeded to ask me about the trends that influence other aspects of my lifestyle - the bars that I go to, the food I eat, the hobbies I try out. Why I do the things I do. Do I actively seek out to be different? Would I be annoyed if my favourite haunts became popular with a wider audience? I told her about my love for pop-up bars (Leyshon Brothers, anyone?), speakeasy's and Secret Cinema. Sure, I would be quite annoyed if these venues, which rely mostly on word of mouth, suddenly became a regular go-to for half of London's population. I like my quirky taste and the individual style it gives me. The combination of it all makes me unique; it's a reflection of me and only me. 

But at the same time, I don't actively look to be different. I don't go looking for obscure hobbies or trends with the conscious intention of standing out from a crowd. I chose to wear certain clothes, frequent certain bars and do certain things because they correspond to a certain set of values, aesthetic and otherwise, that I appreciate.
I don't do any of those things out of spirit of rebellion, either. Although I have plenty of that in me, I don't sing or belly-dance or dig up the remains of dead civilisations to contest the society that we live in. I do it because I appreciate and adhere to a certain set of norms and values that may not necessarily be the ones that are prevalent in modern society. 

Take burlesque, for example. Burlesque is something I enjoy immensely, and have done for years. I've watched it, I've performed it, I've introduced it to people. Despite its recent surge in popularity, it's still a controversial topic for many people. Yes, it is essentially striptease. But I definitely don't do it to shock people. To me, there is absolutely nothing shocking about it - merely teasing -, nothing distasteful or degrading or objectifying to it in any way. I think it's sad that some people don't agree, that they let their idea of what 'politically correct' should be cloud their appreciation of not just burlesque but many things that are somewhat sexual; but I also don't care. These are my convictions and the norms that I chose to live by, and I'm not trying to influence anyone else. 

Even something as simple and yet so alien to much of our society as dressing up or nights out. Fifty years ago, if you went out for dinner, men wore suits and women wore evening dresses or gowns. And that was just a regular Friday night about town. Now? People have lost that sense of dressing up for occasions. I, personally, really wish these aesthetic values that I personally adhere to  would come back - does that mean I'm not trying to be unique? Where does that put me on the 'hipster' scale of trends?

Sorry about this wall of text! I'm not entirely sure what my point was, but I hope my all-over-the-place, self-reflective ramblings provided food for thought at least. If not, here are four pretty pictures to make up for it.

This is the type of image that inspires me.

You can find me on Pinterest here.

When I grow up, I want to be Rachel Weisz in the Mummy...