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| Chinafotopress |
Yet Beijing and Shanghai host numerous labels that creatively and tastefully employ traditional Chinese motifs and objects, techniques, and fabrics. Tianshang Studio Beijing designer Huang Yue offers evening gowns, men’s suits and wedding dresses in his own distinctive fashion language that relies on a genuinely bespoke process. Customers can sit back as Huang masterfully blends his artistic vision with their needs before trying on the finished items, made of the best domestically-made flaxes and silks in China and not merely remainders from batches intended for export.
The snakeskin-print silk qipaos at Lingxifang may not be suitable attire for the faint of heart, but they are certainly fetching, and eye-catching, in their design. Designer Xu Dong chooses unconventional fabrics for her qipaos, while using traditional, and more often than not exquisite, methods for her stitching and hand embroidery. Lingxifang’s garments are customized and handmade by a tailor schooled under Yang Chenggui, one of China’s most famous Qipao masters.
The custom silk slippers and leather-soled flats of Suzhou Cobbler leave Beijing’s humble buxie (cloth shoes) in the dust. Though intended to harken back to the glamour of 1920s Shanghai, the styles and colors of the 100% hand-sewn Suzhou Cobbler shoes are not gaudily Chinesey and are perfect for combining with standard items such as jeans or casual dresses. The shoes, as well as bags, hats, children’s clothing and small toys are available in Shanghai, Hong Kong and further afield.
Named for one of Edgar Allan Poe’s poems, Annabel Lee specializes in around-the-house wear and simple fashion accessories. The designers predominantly stick to the traditional Chinese motifs of lotus flowers, gabled roofs and clouds but at the same time manage to infuse suitably modern touches. Employing Shandong silk, silk charmeuse, cashmere, and other traditional local materials they create luxury shawls, pajamas, shirts, cosmetics bags, jewelry pouches and pillow cases that are available at the boutique along the Bund and in shops at the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Grand Hyatt and other top Shanghai hotels.
While any piece of jewelry that references the blue and white of Ming porcelain can seem a bit trite, the cufflinks, necklaces, earrings and bracelets created by China Silver rely on Ming Dynasty pot shards, with designs that are fresh but also distinctly Chinese. The offerings generally involve complex silver designs surrounding pieces of porcelain, and are one-of-a-kind or close to it, with items available only through their website.
While innovation is also taking place in the realms of non traditional-focused Chinese fashion design, the beauty of the designs and designers listed here is that their style cannot be mistaken for the products of any other country. Dressing red, head-to-toe, and covering yourself with gold stars might be enough for celebrating the last six decades of the People’s Republic of China, but these items go far beyond that, to the traditions of the past five thousand years.
Huang Yue
Opposite Tongli Studios, Sanlitun, Beijing
Tel: 010 64171903
Annabel Lee
No.1, Lane 8, Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (The Bund), Shanghai
Tel: 021 64458218
Suzhou Cobblers Boutique
Room 101 17 Fuzhou Lu, Shanghai
Tel: 021 63217087
www.suzhou-cobblers.com
China Silver
Tel: 13811809448
http://blog.sina.com.cn/chinasilver2009
Lingxifang
Fangjia Hutong 46
Dongcheng District, Beijing