Chinese Street Style

[ecec]

if by stylish you mean people putting effort into dressing up and groom themselves, then yeah any city in china has achieved beyond that. but in terms of 'street style' having its own personality in the veins of a tokyo or stockholm or london then Shanghai has none. 'style' there pretty much limits to what the magazines tell people to wear and they follow it to a T. maybe it's obvious, but when the country allows more freedom of information flow then the style will follow. right now it's a financial hub not a cultural one.


i like this girl. shot taken Oct '05 in Shanghai.

flickr

 

[saann]

actually I think it's the same whereever you go..

I live in stockholm, and also here most people follow the magazines/other people when it comes to dressing themselves.. so it's no different except that what the general population is wearing here might be something that's a personal style where you live

When I look at other cities streetstyles I get the opinion that they have their own style there, but in reality if I lived there I would probably think that everyone looked the same and dressed the smae

 

[ecec]

when i think of swedish or scandinavian style the skinny silhouette a la cheap monday or acne jeans come to mind. when i think of the chinese street style, well, as of now nothing comes up. thats what im trying to get at - however trite or derivative a scene to which one belonged feels played out - it's still a distinct look that defines the city. i dont think any city in china has a distinct look that defines it. probably because it's still a developing country that hasn't the luxury of excess adornment or focus on the individual when its priority is economic stability. but i think it's more complicated than that given the stubborn Confucian ideals that still reside within the chinese mindset e.g. obediance to authority, conformity, etc, that are at odds with the basics of fashion innovation.
but time will come they'll latch onto something since the chinese hate to be losers, so say in 10 yrs maybe, and that's being optimistic.

 

[bediyqz]

 

[bediyqz]

 

[Uchina]

Excellent thread! How come there aren't more posts, and how come all chinese people seem to be so thin?

They spent all their money on clothes.

 

[baguette]

I don't see much of style but do see a lot of fakes.

 

[bediyqz]

 

[stylites]

Beijing

(Hi Bedi...thanks for posting all the pics since I was never able to find them on your actual website)

I see what people are saying about China not having it's own homegrown style. My website, www.stylites.net, proposes that Beijing, though completely unfashionable, is ever so slightly closer to being distinctive:

Love those hands on the last one - that alone would get her photographed.

I've also posted more in the Beijing street style thread - and check www.stylites.net for the full selection.

 

[laughingdisorder]

To be honest, I found that when I went to beijing the style was much more diverse and interesting than in Shanghai. People in Shanghai are trendy (i'm just talking of the ones shown in threads like this, which i presume are taken in very mainstream central locations) but it's heavily influenced by korean and japanese style and some western culture (hence the fakes etc).

 

[MUXU]

^it also have to do with the people in each city. every general area in china have their own stereotypes.
stereotypically speaking, shanghai women care about the brand of their clothing and bags, they would starve for several weeks just to get the LV or gucci bag they want. not offending anyone from shanghai of course. but this trend is not only in shanghai but pretty much every big city in china.
another stereotype of women in Chengdu is that they all have gorgeous rosy skin (which is mostly true due to the water and climate and spice eating) and their t*ts are all cup-C and above (that im not sure my friend told me this haha).

once the masses get through with the brand hype and other korean/japanese hype and get more sound knowledge of fashion, the street styles will loosen up a bit and become more individualized.

i like the first girl's outfit in 89

 

[stylites]

More from www.stylites.net:

 

[ellesea]

Stylites, love your blog!

Can't wait to go back to BJ in the spring. Everytime I'm back, it's like things have gone through years of change...

 

[stylites]

More pics from Beijing

from www.stylites.net:

 

[SophieKawaii]

^ Thanks for posting! ^^
That guy with the fur on his head.. is that his hear or a hat?

 

[augustus]

^ Thanks for posting! ^^
That guy with the fur on his head.. is that his hear or a hat?

I think it's his hair...!

 

[stylites]

I think it's his hair...!

It was his hair. Magic Dance immediately started playing in my brain.

 

[SophieKawaii]

^ I see.. cool hair..

ps.: i just recognized i wrote hair as hear.. sorry for my tired brain

 

[stylites]

More from www.stylites.net

 

[bbosun]

that girl at the end is incredibly cute!