A Dream of Red Blouses
At a theater in downtown Shanghai, a troupe of China doll models do the catwalk in gold-threaded imperial tunics and silk robes that ripple like water as they move. On the ritzy Embassy Road, Shanghai ladies sip espresso while sifting through the racks of lycra stretch pants, sequined blouses and lace bodices. In a workshop tucked away behind a winding alley that smells of burning rubber and oil soap, three young Chinese designers huddle around a pedal-powered sewing machine cutting patterns for women's blazers.
From the street tailors working in corrugated plastic stalls, to high-fashion retailers that parade around in limousines, to the garment workers sewing labels for J.C. Penny, Liz Claiborne and Ann Taylor, it's clear that Shanghai is a city that lives by the needle and thread.
Shanghai's always been a weaving town. It's had an ideal position as a port on a major waterway and was developed by the Chinese government as a center of light industry. And Shanghai's history as a city of international settlements is responsible for European influences on style and culture and earned it the reputation as the "Paris of the East."
Candide ventured into some Shanghai houses of style to speak to the people working to keep the city's bread and butter industry alive and perpetuate its legendary reputation as Asia's fashion Mecca.
Something Old
Designer/Directors Zhang Zhu Guo and Xia Xiufang are not trying to sell clothes as much as revive Shanghai's reputation as a vanguard of style.
Discouraged by the industry's plunge into commercialism, they created The Dream of Red Chambers," a fashion-drama showcasing imperial fashions inspired by one of China's classic love stories, billing it as a work of art.
"In Shanghai, fashion shows are glorified side shows in department stores or bars where the girls, not the clothes, are the focus of attention. We're trying to use drama to set fashion straight again as a form of artistic expression," says Zhang.
Something New
Meanwhile, Christina Lin, owner of the ultra-trendy Shanghai boutique Chris & Chris, has used China's economic liberalization to turn Shanghai fashion industry on its ear. Born in Taiwan, she came to Shanghai two years ago toting European labels and big business ideas.
"What I like about Shanghai is that it's a big market with European tastes," says Lin, whose fashion favorites include Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni Versace and Chanel. The styles she imports are more MTV trendy -- metallic miniskirts, gauzy blouses--and her business strategy is no less bold.
"People in Shanghai have style but they don't know what's new," says Lin, "so I want to be able to teach them about international fashion trends." By importing the bad, the bold and the marginally ugly from Beverly Hills, Paris, and Milan, Lin says she is bent on creating an image of cutting-edge sophistication for her clientele.
Something Classic
Fang Min has no intention of changing the face of Shanghai style. After a two-year stint in Paris both as a student at the Institute of Fashion and as an apprentice at Yves Saint Laurent, Feng returned to her native Shanghai to continue its tradition of elegance and classic style.
With a staff of five, Fang designs office wear for professional women--practical yet stylish wool suits, long skirts, cashmere coats, integrating European styles and colors to fit Chinese tastes. "Chinese women like more fitted jackets and narrower shoulders. They're also rounder in the hips but flatter in the bust and the behind than most Western women," she says.
