September 16, 2005

The Shanghai Tang Fashion Show

So the other day I found myself at the Shanghai Tang Fashion Show. For those who don't know, it is a store that sells overpriced Chinese items including stationery, furniture, cups and fashion. You might have heard of it since it has stores all over the world including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris. In fact, I was impressed to find that their stores are located in prestigious addresses such as Madison in NY and Sloane in London.

Anyway, enough of the background knowledge. Firstly, I apologize for not bringing a camera to the event. Now I only have photographed pages of this catalogue to assist my narrative. Set in a posh looking restuarant, the entrance was filled with paparazzi's snapping pictures of famous people I haven't heard of (mostly). Stepping inside the venue, I was handed multiple glasses of champagne by waiters at the foyer and led into the reception area where I was surrounded by beautiful young people, ladies all done up (its amazing what plastic surgery can do) and businessmen.

After sipping champagne for half an hour, we were finally led into the main room where the fashion show was to be held, which btw was disappointingly small and obviously not designed for the comfort of the crowd. Even the front row seats (filled with 2 models I actually recognized and other people who I assume are important people) looked cramped.

Then the show finally started and craning my head through the crowd, I saw the models doing the runway in 4 inch heels that look most unnatural and outfits that only a model can look fabulous in.


Another interesting thing is the fact that there were more western models than Asian models. One would think that Asian models would be more suited to model clothes with the Oriental flair. But as you can see from the pictures here, even the catalogue was taken with a western model. Guess they're not targeting for the Asian market. . . Anyway, despite that, I loved it, because I just love the buzz, the energy and the glamour of fashion shows.

5 comments:

  1. Thakn you SO much for the peek a boo inside a real fashion show. One day, I'm going to crash one here in Los Angeles...but I do agree with you; shanghai Tang is distinctly overpriced. However, I did find a ST jacket in Goodwill the other day....princed at $5.95. Me very happy!

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  2. Stylish wears... really suits for western and asian domains...

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  3. Shanghi Tang just launched a new eyewear collection and it is very modestly priced compared to other high end sunglass and eyeglass brands. Some information about it:

    It is considered to be the first luxury fashion brand from China and is focused on bringing the mystique of Chinese culture to the West. It has Chinese mythology, legends and themes integrated into every frame.

    “Motifs include the cloud (a symbol of luck), jade (the sacred stone of China), the Shanghai skyline with its fascinating mix of old and new, shou (the symbol of longevity), the number eight (an auspicious number in the Chinese language) and coins (symbols of prosperity). These classic symbols are juxtaposed with contemporary design, which is the heart of the Shanghai Tang design philosophy.”

    “The Shanghai Tang Eyewear Collection offers
    a beautiful, vibrant and witty fusion of western
    contemporary design integrated with modern
    Chinese chic. Each style is embellished with
    intricate metal details inspired by traditional Chinese jewelry, coins and even jade! Each frame has a unique story. The combination of very wearable frame shapes with delicate symbolic ornamentation exudes classic charm and modern sophistication and is the new fashion forward must have!”

    I can say that in person the frames look really cool. They have some really nice shapes and great colors, and with everyone being into the Chinese coulture (which is apparent by the many people who get Chinese lettering for tattoos - even those who aren’t even Chinese) I think that it will end up being a big hit in fashion.

    The eyeweaar collection just launched in the US, and one of the first to have it in San Francisco is SF Optics (which launched the collection for the stores 29th Year Anniversary):

    San Francisco Optics on Chestnut (SF Optics) - http://www.sfoptics.com

    Some info on Shanghai Tang eyewear - http://www.sfoptics.com/shanghaitang.php

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