China’s Far-Out Fashion

By Kim Wall

As a foreigner newly arrived in Chinas capital, I find Bejingersfashion taste among the most striking features of the city. The chaotic dress was overwhelming at first, but soon I began to see distinct patterns and trends. The arrival of hot weather seems to have brought out Beijings most fashion conscious as bulky coats are shed in favor of stylish summer clothing.

Perhaps the most obvious trend is the paired matching outfits. This can include anything from matching T-shirts to entirely synchronized wardrobes, including shoes. Be it a couple, best friends, or an entire family, it never ceases to amuse. Most charming are the “his and her”T-shirt sets, like the two halves of “I love you”worn by a sweet couple on the subway. Beijing men and Beijing women showed love for their city, oblivious to the innuendo detected by some foreigners.

Then there are the “Chinglish” slogans emblazoned on shirts. Some feature rather inappropriate and often sexual messages, intentionally or not, and I often sense that the bearer does not fully comprehend the suggestive text on his or her clothing.

Some of the messages are utterly incomprehensible thanks to mistranslation, while others present the delightfully absurd.“Vikings love milkshake, pillaging and techno music,” is but one shining example.

For some people it seems that any English text will do, much like in the 1990s when many Europeans found it trendy to wear clothing and even get tattoos with Chinese characters, often with the same or higher degree of obliviousness to their meaning.

Newcomers to the city will also be struck by the unusual habit of Chinese men to roll their shirts up above the belly in warm weather, or take them off altogether. Bare upper bodies can be spotted almost everywhere, including public places such as restaurants, bars and shopping streets.

This oddly relaxed approach to nudity also applies to childrens wear, notably the“split pants.” This environmentally-friendly alternative to diapers allows a child to turn any sidewalk or sewage drain into a makeshift toilet.

Perhaps less unexpected in an Asian capital would be the overstated, ultra-hip and trendy outfits that take “hipster” fashion to a new level. You see it everywhere in Beijing, to a degree that occasionally rivals Seoul or Tokyo.

Less hip are those who combine animal print clothing and bright sequins. Dazzling sequined collars reflect bright sunlight, and Im thankful for wearing my sunglasses. The combination of a glittered top and the long, frilled animalprint ruffle of one womans outfit left me so stunned that I was almost hit by a bicycle. Inspiration from the animal kingdom, however, is not confined to mere animal print. Diehard trend followers even dress up as animals, wearing a full-body panda suit, for instance, or donning cute animal ears and tails. Another popular style is to either coordinate clothes that match his or her pet, or for the true animal lover, even dress up as his pet. Some enthusiastic pet owners even cut and dye their dogs fur in unnatural colors to look funkier or imitate an exotic animal, such as lions and tigers. This array of colorfully bizarre fashion styles is definitely one of the fascinating aspects of moving to Beijing, comprising an almost daily culture clash and source of entertainment. Although I first laughed at the various styles of Beijing, Ive now found myself starting to adopt them. I think the first step was when I found myself craving a fringe. From there Ive bought hipster earrings, vintage dresses, and now I am even contemplating buying matching T-shirts for me and my boyfriend. But regrettably, my fellow fashion-conscious Beijingers, I must draw the line at dressing like a cat.