Liu Wen

W Feb. 2015
'La Clique C'est Chic'
Ph: Steven Klein
Stylist: Edward Enninful

Models: Ondria Hardin, Lexi Boling, Amanda Murphy, Jamie Bochert, Riley Montana, Molly Blair, Vanessa Moody, Katlina Aas, Andrej Pejic, Nastya Sten, Harleth Kuusik, Daria Strokous, Snejana Onopka, Jessica Burley, Charlotte Wiggins, Grace Plowden, Neelam Gill, Sam Rollinson, Mathilda Lowther, Joan Smalls, Amanda Wellsh, Gracie Carvalho, Mariana Santana, Barbara Fialho, Dalianah Arekion, Binx Walton, Tami Williams, Ajak Deng, Malaika Firth, Leila Nda, Maria Borges, Liu Wen, Sun Fei Fei, Shu Pei Qin, Chiharu Okunugu, Issa Lish & Dylan Xue



glossynewsstand.blogspot via anlabe32
 
^^Thanks for your input!

Personally, I think Liu and her management(s) has been trying to elevate her status more too, especially these past two years. Maybe not in the sense of landing a LV, Armani or Hermes campaign or other high profile jobs, but in respect of putting her name and face out there more.

It’s apparent that Liu has been attending a lot of events recently - whether they’re large or small-scale gatherings, local or international; or she shows up as an ambassador or some supporting role. Liu is putting herself out there. That's good. And in cases, Liu is given the opportunity to attend events where she usually wouldn't be. This would further confirm that Liu has gained that status in recognition of name and face, as she’s a welcome figure. (Certainly people in fashion would already know who Liu is, but this affirms her position in fashion and draw a small distinguish for sure, IMO.) And 2014 has been a year for Liu in terms of online sites publishing articles of Liu, notably Vogue. Not to mention, whether this is relevant or not, but Liu has been partaking in (more?) charity and other advocacy issues, such as violence against women, that could only elevate her presence in a larger context, by these associations.

Idk, this is subjective and I’m purely going off both by speculation and observation from shadowing Liu’s recent activities. Seems like Liu (and perhaps consulting with her mgmt), is more focusing on mingling in the business/larger public sphere to expand both her presence and list of repertoire. I’m certain Liu has already established solid relationships with some people. Other than that, I think soon or later Liu would need to cultivate an “image/brand” or whatever it may be that she wants to do, especially after knowing her aspirations. Idk how her styling series went…so cannot honestly make a comment there. Hope it went well.

And ever since Liu appeared on Forbes, with the timing and as the leading representative of China, it makes sense that Liu is perhaps concentrating on something that is ‘bigger’ than she is. And she’s there to facilitate that. Indeed, it’s more business than anything at this point I guess…


Not saying these are excuses for the lack of harnessing and securing those blue-chips jobs that we want Liu to aim for. But maybe it’s a matter of prioritizing something that is closer to home. And the primary focus is on Liu as an individual (a role model, business woman, an advocate, an average human). Her being a model is still her job and she’s managing/juggling that role too. Great. Maybe the opportunity is not given and infrequent at the moment (like other struggling top models too).

Meanwhile Liu is elevating her profile to occupy her time in any means and capacity, although it would still be frickin’ awesome to see those work that we keep harping for her to score, especially the ad campaigns and covers. Something incredibly big has to happen this year.

It's also nice to know that Liu is considered a 'supermodel' and she's a "business woman" in the sense, she's raking them in.



Front row - Burberry Men F/W 2015 show:


instagram/burberry


wwdjapan.com
 
+ more Burberry...


weibo/xinuk


Photographed by Xin Li - during Liu's nine day course in London/UK...






weibo/xinuk
 
Liu + VP :woot: Thanks to Sims, we probably would only get to see Liu in the pages of VP... and this should be her second appearance - the first, shot by Sims too.


VOGUE PARIS FEB. 2015
'Studio Vogue'
Ph: David Sims
Stylists: Alt, Suzanne Koller & Joe McKenna

Liu's two shots - complete editorial here.


glossynewstand.blogspot.com via Oxymore
 
I'm so thrilled to see Liu Wen in Vogue Paris! Great for her! She looks great in that Miu Miu outfit!:heart:
 
Do we happen to have any members who could possibly translate the article for us please? The quality of the pics aren't helpful too...

Would like to know what's written about Liu. :smile:

SELF MAGAZINE CHINA FEB. 2015






both weibo: fashiononion & cngba2013 - respectively
 
I'll give it a go. Not word for word translation but here's something in the SELF MAGAZINE article that might be of interest:

------------

Liu describes how she started out:

Back in the day, there was a modeling competition in my hometown. At that time, people did not know what modeling is. I thought it was sort of like a beauty competition. The only thing that got my interest was the prize of that competition--a notebook computer. I have always been more boyish and nothing like a girly girl. But my mom said, "It's summer vacation. You have nothing else to do anyway. Might as well give it a go." So my parents went to Changsha (a city in south-central China) and bought me a pair of heels, to make me more lady-like. I wore heels for the first time in my life, just for fun, and went to the competition. Little did I know that I would get the first prize and enter the industry.

------------

She enjoys the Chinese version of the Amazing Race very much. As she's very busy with her work, she can only download it and watch it in the plane or somewhere else on her trip. And when she saw something funny, she would laugh aloud and everything else would just look at her and go WHAT?

---------------

She describes how they shoot her video WenLi.

---------------

She wanted to become a stylist but she was horrible at painting. In her childhood, her mom sent her to dancing classes, and she was no good. And then her mom sent her to piano classes, and she was no good. And then her mom sent her to painting classes, and she was no good. And then her mom sent her to writing classes, and she was no good.

---------------

Her English is not that great either. When she started out, she was very quiet when she needed to work with foreigners because her English is not good. Now her English is better, and she becomes very talkative when working and drives people crazy.

---------------

At first, she thought foreigners do not understand what Chinese beauty is. After a period of time working together, she discovered that they also understand different kinds of beauty. She becomes more and more confident.

---------------

She has all these plans to do what she wants to do in life, but things always change and she has leant to enjoy the moment.
 
^Thank you very much hishirley! Appreciated it! :flower:


*Credits for both Self Magazines:

Ph: Yuan Gui Mei
Hair: Meng Liuxeng
Makeup: He Leidong



SELF MAGAZINE CHINA FEB. 2015






both weibo: fashiononion & cngba2013 - respectively
 
You are welcome. I was in a rush and there was some typos there but I think you get the idea.

So the article in the other SELF MAGAZINE CHINA you just posted:

Liu reveals that she's still single as she's very busy and traveling a lot overseas, but she prefers Asian man, so that makes it difficult. She enjoys her time being single nonetheless.

She spent a lot of her spare time cleaning the apartment, because she's slightly obsessive about cleaning stuff. And everything has to be in order and stays where it belongs. Other than that, she sees movies and dines with friends. She also enjoys going to the gym and doing spinning.

She often asks herself all sorts of questions. For example, when she goes to the beach, she might ask herself, "If I were not a model, would I be a tourist guide?" Therefore, she asks many questions on her weibo.

--------------------

I wonder whether her agency would do the translation anyway. Don't they have a vested interest in what the local press say about her? Or perhaps it's simply too much work and they wouldn't bother?
 
^Thanks again!

Why wouldn’t they bother to? IMO, that is just weird and a big fail in terms of PR on their part for not translating/releasing info in regard to Liu’s life/career/work. To elevate or maintain her presence - isn’t the next step is to release/create publicity? I mean, we are talking about the relevance of Liu Wen here.

After all, isn’t Liu Wen something to be talked/mentioned about in the press? Does China not care? Do people in China not care? Anyway, I don’t know China and how the media is operated over there…

*I think Liu should advise her agency to make this a consideration and make this a staple part of their job when it comes to local jobs in China/Asia – that needs translation, like this for example. What they could do is, after they get a hold of the content, translate them, and post them on the agency’s blog/site. It would be nice, at least for the people who do not know/read Chinese (Mandarin?).

Nevertheless, it’s good that Liu still get covers and these written articles. Always nice to know what Liu is thinking or has something to say.


-


Thus, I appreciate that we have someone such as hishirley, to help translate for us. Srsly. :flower:


I enjoyed and am very glad that you translated the articles, because some of the things that were mentioned are so interesting to me. For example - and I hope I am interpreting this correctly is that – Liu probably already have a preconceived idea of what people, in this case, Westerns’ (well actually, white people) take on Chinese beauty. And she thinks they harbor the same perception/ideal of Chinese beauty as the local Chinese. As to my understanding, Liu is not China’s standard of beauty.

Now, I think it’s good for Liu to acknowledge and is aware that she does not fall under China’s standard. Because here is the thing – she has the opportunity to change perceptions and the platform to assert other kinds of beauty, in this case, hers. Break the mold as these ideals of beauty are rather arbitrary and superficial (of course, this is not to say they aren’t appreciated, it’s just that there should be room for many definitions/ideas of beauty). The moral of the story is that all beauty should be celebrated and if anything, Liu should feel empowered. We all should.

I don’t think I needed to say that. But if she doubts – she shouldn’t. I’m glad, Liu is becoming more confident as she is valued and her beauty is unique (at least from the perception or obsession with the doll-esque look/beauty that is constantly associated with Asian womens in general).

Not saying the innocent cute doll look isn’t pretty. But there is more variety to Asian women than just that…





Anywho, Liu should feel great, because this particular picture hearken back to one particular beauty back in the 90s. And that is Joey Wong. I literally was reminded of Joey. Sure, Liu doesn’t necessarily resemble Joey, but this particular shot – did so (or is it just me).


teiba/liuwen


And I’m sorry, but to make my point. With Liu’s hair styled like this – I too was reminded of the glory 90s where the actresses would have their hair styled like this – bun on top and the locks would cascade down and it would just be mystical as their hair glide in the air flawlessly… :lol:

Liu should star in a motion picture just like the 90s.


weibo/modelliuwen


Anywaaaay, I’m glad Liu is not a tour guide and is a supermodel now. Yes, she is - new era. Liu’s English is better than ever. Great for her! And Liu makes people crazy?... I hope she’s not watching the Amazing Race on the plane. Haha. Obsessive cleaning? Never would’ve guessed that! Interesting. What else does she wanna do other than styling? Movie actress? And curious to know her taste in men. Yes, shamelessly, I want to know. Who are her crushes? See if all of these revelations will be disclose… ^_^:flower:
 
Happy 27th Birthday to Wen!

May many great things come your way - your hopes, dreams and wishes smooth the heart and brighten the soul that each day brings.

Relish this moment – eat, sleep, laugh, be goofy, have fun and be safe. Enjoy!



my gif
 
I totally agree that her agency should make it a routine to translate and publish articles and interviews about her in Chinese into English. It’s not that hard and not that expensive.

As for Liu’s presence in media in China, I’m a bit hesitant to say this but in my personal opinion, although she’s No.1 Chinese model in models.com ranking, she’s very under-reported in China. Unless you are following fashion and models, you most likely would not know who she is. I’m someone living in one of the largest cities in China, but not working in the fashion circle. And the people that I know have absolutely no idea who she is. One of the most glaring examples is that, I see Estee Lauder ad on my TV screen everyday—with no sight of Liu in it. It’s always Constance. At the same time, you see local girls selling world-renowned cosmetic brands on TV all the time, but they are mostly actresses and singers who are household names. I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying this but in my personal opinion, Liu is still very far from a household name in China yet. There’re local models who nowhere to be found on models.com who are much more well-known than her simply because they go on some TV shows or later become an actress or date a celebrity or something. Perhaps it’s not her goal to do so, but I think in order to boost her selling power (at the end of the day, that’s what models do) in her home country, her team needs to figure something out to get people to know her.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
She's slowing down dramatically with campaigns, editorials, covers, everything
 
^At a glance, yes, it does seem like she’s “dramatically” slowing down in terms of “everything.”

Personally, I think Liu has been consistent in terms of everything over the course of her career. 2012 and 2013 being her better years all round collectively – though 2014 was quite good too (picking up some steam, really). 2011 & 2010 were relatively stronger in editorials – was frequent and a lot more diversity in publications and photographers, etc.

But yeah, Liu wasn't necessarily acing all four grounds... but to put it into perspective, Liu actually did great with what was given at that time, kudos to her; and to this date her body of work collectively is not excellent (in bluest blue-chips), but great, IMO. If we were to do a "rank" here is what she has accomplished in terms of prestige: runway (walked literally every big designer, topping 74? shows in her prime), ads (only cause of EL and CK repeat, although Cavalli, Boss, Dolce are nice too!), eds appearances (primarily vogue, which she appeared in all big four with a few editions missing) and then covers...

And if I may, I think we could all agree to some degree that this “issue” that we perceive with Liu right now… is because of the lack of the more blue-chip materials, no? That, yes, hasn’t been that consistent (despite EL and CK repeat – although CK is hardly “blue-chip”), if we were to look from that angle.

I think we are all well aware of who Liu is, and at her level (however you want to interpret that as), she should be obtaining the crème de la crème. Why hasn’t she gained them? Don’t know. Is it a matter of Liu or her mgmt or these taste-makers? Ultimately and strictly business, as usual?

And this is not directed at no one particular, but I think we ought to give credits to Liu for nabbing whatever she could, even if they aren’t the bluest of them all.

These are just my opinions. Others are encouraged and welcome!

....



hishirley, if they aren’t doing it, then you should be hired and get paid to translate for us. All of Liu’s interviews in Mandarin – articles, public appearances and those videos should definitely be translated. Up for the job?


And wow. Well, no wonder Liu is a workaholic. That’s kind of sad actually. Not getting the bluest blue-chip, but also not the support of China’s people? Note: I am generalizing here and don’t mean to say all. To put it into context, when I say support, I mean do they simply don’t care for Liu mainly because of her as a person or more so with her kind of beauty? Interesting.

Do you happen to walk pass by or shop at EL by chance? Do you see anything that is Liu? Have you ever seen Liu on your TV or shown around you, like not even once? Do you know or aware of Liu’s absence from the advertisements of EL products? How about her other ads for La Perla, for example? How are those doing? How about her commercial ads like Erdos and the like? Any coverage/output/sign of those?

~hishirley, if you like to or prefer to, you could rather PM instead.


As for those lesser known models and ‘celebs’ – I could see how they could gain status and I agree with you. And as for the household names, that is a given – stars are held to the highest form of commodity in entertainment…

But what about Liu, right? And you are right, perhaps Liu is not the type who wants to be in the public 24/7 or at the caliber as actors and singers. Yes she’s a model but maybe just that – that is what makes her happy for now. And not to get the wrong idea, but yes, Liu doesn’t come off as a status-seeker type (although, some of us want her to be even greater in terms of her career and longevity and with that, come along an expectation of solid blue-chip work). Liu’s pretty laid back and ‘normal’ and simply performing her job. I like that. We all like that, no? To say that this lifestyle doesn’t change her.



Okay, obviously we don’t know what Liu wants (and we shouldn’t make value judgments). But I like others, care for Liu and that we want better and greater things for Liu. She should. She still got years.

Hopefully we aren’t overreacting but just concerned. May Liu keep surprising and prove us wrong!


....

A shout out was given to Wen from Australia's The Age newspaper...


weibo/needapacemaker


Liu spent some days in Cotswolds for her blog series, here some cadids shots:



first two: twitter/oldfarmdorn & latter two: twitter/kinghamplough
 
Harper's Bazaar March 2015 "In The Stars“ by Anthony Maule stylist: Carine Roitfeld

65ab7d5agw1eox0dhoipyj20z00ostcn.jpg


weibo:C-Oli
 
^If memory serve me right, this is the first time Liu is working with Carine, no? It makes sense with last year's appearance. Good. When first heard about this, I expected something more or different - in styling/creative direction. I hope we could see more Carine + Liu in future projects. Want to see whether Carine could do more with Liu than this. Plus back in Bazaar!

Liu was in the Bahamas! I might have a clue this job could be, but hopefully it's something else! With the lovely Cameron. :blush:


instagram/cameron_r
 
US Harper’s Bazaar March 2015
In The Stars
Photographer: Anthony Maule
Fashion Editor: Carine Roitfeld

wearesodroee
 

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