Our trip to China is not the only reason I have cheongsam on the brain. The traditional silky silhouette is one of the stars in Kate Moss's new Asian-inspired collection for Topshop. I believe the early 90's was the last time this dress shape was trendy in the West, so perhaps it has been long enough to call it comeback. I was not expecting to see so many iterations of the style in MLC this summer. I assumed that its inextricable link to the Western image of a Chinese woman was the residue of an antiquated stereotype that bore little resemblance to modern fashion. In fact, we saw it all over the country. The majority of the wearers, however, were little girls. As for the older crowd, I would venture to say that nearly every female citizen over the age of 16 owns a some variation of the internationally overplayed boho maxi skirt.Saturday, November 14, 2009
Checking back in with the cheongsam
Our trip to China is not the only reason I have cheongsam on the brain. The traditional silky silhouette is one of the stars in Kate Moss's new Asian-inspired collection for Topshop. I believe the early 90's was the last time this dress shape was trendy in the West, so perhaps it has been long enough to call it comeback. I was not expecting to see so many iterations of the style in MLC this summer. I assumed that its inextricable link to the Western image of a Chinese woman was the residue of an antiquated stereotype that bore little resemblance to modern fashion. In fact, we saw it all over the country. The majority of the wearers, however, were little girls. As for the older crowd, I would venture to say that nearly every female citizen over the age of 16 owns a some variation of the internationally overplayed boho maxi skirt.Thursday, November 12, 2009
Gyo-za
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Not Great, But Pretty Good Wall of China
Curious about Chinese graffiti? Check out this street in Chongqing that has been completely transformed by local artists.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Who wants a wedding photo?
Based on the preponderance of wedding portrait places we saw, I assumed that this must be a question Chinese people ask themselves on a daily basis. Even in the middle of nowhere, we would always stumble upon elaborate photo studios with enough formally dressed mannequins on display that I usually mistook them for department stores at first. On several occasions, we actually saw couples walking around on the street nearby, fully outfitted in rented gear from the aforementioned establishment. Many were saying cheese in front of painted murals and scenes that resembled foreign countries, far away from the place where they would say their vows. I
asked a Chinese girl we met while staying in a quaint little mountain what she had to say about this seemingly popular practice. She explained that some people simply like to dress up with their fiancés and have nice photographs taken of themselves in different scenarios. She also told me that many go to wedding studios, put on the fancy clothes and pose even when there are no nuptials in sight. I think the act of wedding-style photography as a recreational activity sounds like a crazy (fun) way to spend an afternoon. One thing I noticed, however, was the apparent lack of traditional clothing available at such studios. While the customary Chinese gown is still used by a majority of brides, it does not always make an appearance in these highly stylized portraits. This ritual centers on giving the youth of China the equipment necessary to appropriate a stereotypically western custom. It follows a special set of parameters. After a while I began to wonder...
Do most people in America still take their wedding photographs on the day of the actual ceremony? Is it always customary to have your picture taken at the site of the ceremony and the reception, or are people going to studios these days? If you choose a studio, would you wear your own dress or would you play around with each and every dress and backdrop that appeals to you? I hope somebody is working on adding a dressing room montage music video to one of these portrait packages. No matter what country she's from, I'm pretty sure any girl on Earth would spring for one of those.
Monday, November 9, 2009
To market in the Middle Kingdom
Most afternoons, Jake and I come from work and go straight to one store to pick up ingredients for dinner. Prior to our extended stay in China, I don't think either of us appreciated the extent to which we had been spoiled by the convenience and variety of our local supermarket. We had anticipated challenges, of course, but finding cool produce and refrigerated food was not one of them. Apart from some major shopping complexes in the bigger cities, most
We quickly realized that most people were buying their fresh food from stands and green grocers on the sidewalk, their (still unrefrigerated) meat from butchers on the corner. While it was easy enough to buy curbside bananas, we never quite got used to the lukewarm soda and water. Another thing we learned about the Chinese way of food shopping was that it incorporated a great deal of dry goods. There were dozens of shops (below, on the street in Hong Kong) stocked with dehydrated ingredients in every city and small town we visited. The most easily identifiable items were mushrooms, nuts, fruits and spices. Shark's fin (picture above right, in a soup from Tao Tao Ju, Guangzhou ), a regional delicacy, was also in abundant supply.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Krazy Kit Kat No. 14: Houjicha
Tea is everywhere in Asia. We certainly drink more of it now than we did before and have come to appreciate its healthy, healing qualities. Unfortunately, as with the jasmine version, we found that it does not necessarily make the best Kit Kat. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. Also, no photo of the actual bar was necessary since it looked (disappointingly) like a normal Kit Kat. It did, however, deliver the flavor as promised.
Topics
Krazy Kit Kats,
sweets,
tabemono/Japanese food
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Thursday, November 5, 2009
The doldrums of deer
"deer food". All right, not many people really talk about "deer food" these days, but honestly, did the city of Nara even consult them before phoning in an order for a million boring biscuits? Even if the animals could be provided with top-shelf cookies, wouldn't it make more sense to give them some form of plant life instead? Of course, I suppose if they weren't so tragically lethargic, they would never get close enough to pet.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A nice day in Nara
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
A call for more transparency
In accessories, not politics, of course. We all know the latter is a pipe dream. Anyway, upon our arrival in Japan, one of the first things I gushed about was my odd fascination with the Monday, November 2, 2009
Basket case
Maybe this happens elsewhere, but I had never noticed it before I came to Japan. In acknowledgment of the tremendous amount of baggage many Japanese women lug around on a daily basis, a lot of restaurants will have a little basket beside your table in which to deposit your belongings. As you can see above, Japanese women are not the only ones who need to take a load off. Due to a special appearance at the gym, I was in pack mule mode on this particular night. These baskets are also very conveniently placed in dressing rooms at many stores. This encourages commerce because having a nice storage spot allows you to forget how much you have already purchased. When contents are awkwardly spilling out of your shopping bags and onto the floor, you might rethink that extra coat, sweater, or stuffed pumpkin.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Spotted on the subway
Topics
fuku/clothes in Japan,
Japanese culture,
kimono,
style,
Tokyo
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Friday, October 30, 2009
Hello Kitty coffins
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
A very Japanese "just to show you care" package
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Five Foot Eater
Topics
tabemono/Japanese food,
Tokyo,
tomodachi/friends
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Beijing bellies
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