If you saw what I am wearing right now, you would probably
laugh. It is currently 12:09 a.m. in Zhongshan, China, and I am wearing a pink
nightgown with a giant yellow kitten head on it. At the top, it says the words,
“Intelligent of CAT,” and down at the bottom, the carefully thought out words
read, “tears since rou gloe me erera ther tou are tad.” It goes on like that
for a good five lines.
Chinese fashion is obviously different from American
fashion. You will find LOTS of interesting clothes if you go shopping here,
some adorably cute, others… not so much. Here are some of the things I’ve
noticed about Chinese fashion from living here for the past four months.
1.) The younger looking, the better
In China, I have often seen someone with a cute outfit on
and thought, “That’s so cute! I want that!” Then I think of wearing it in the
U.S, and I automatically decide against it. I would look like a
fourteen-year-old.
In one word, Chinese fashion is “young.” More than once, while
walking down the sidewalk by the mall, I have seen someone from behind wearing
a short, frilly dress that flares out at the bottom. Automatically, I think,
“This person must be a teenager or young adult. It looks like they are going to
a tea party.” Then I walk past them and catch a glimpse of their face. It is
definitely NOT the face of a teenager or even of a young adult. It is an older
woman at least in her 40’s.
EVERYONE in China dresses like they are younger than they
are. (Well, most everyone. There are some old men and women who stick to their
floral button-ups.) I have seen men in their 50’s wearing graphic t-shirts, old
women wearing frilly “tea time” dresses, and men and women in their later years
sporting t-shirts with bad English translations. And the little girls
definitely dress like little girls. They have the cutest fancy dresses you have
ever seen.
I have gotten a couple of Chinese shirts and dresses, and I
have never felt so young-looking in my life. Sometimes, I feel like I look like
a sugar plumb fairy with all the frilly, flowy material. It is all very girly
and very little girly. If you want to
fit in with the fashion in China, dress at least a decade below your actual
age.
2.) Leggings are a staple
In the United States, a pair of dark skinny jeans are the
wardrobe staple as far as pants go. Here in China, leggings are the fashion
statement. During the colder months, you wear leggings with EVERYTHING. Your
mini skirt, your extra-long shirt with the ruffles, and even your pair of plaid
short shorts.
People mostly wear black or white leggings and then mix and
match brighter colors with them like pink, yellow, or blue. You can get thicker
leggings for about 25 yuan or you can opt for the thin ones for only 8 yuan.
(25 yuan=about $4.16 in the United States. The conversion rate is six yuan for
every one U.S. dollar. It makes for great, cheap shopping!)
3.) Shirts with English words are in style… Even when they make no sense
I guess English is just that cool. Everyone wears shirts
with English words printed on the front—even if they make absolutely no sense
at all.
I figure that it’s kind of like us buying a shirt with Chinese
writing on it. We think, “Oh, that looks cool!” but we have no idea what it
actually says. I think that’s the same idea here.
To give you an idea of what I mean, here are some firsthand
examples of shirts that make absolutely no sense at all that are for sale in
the mall.
4.) Miniskirts are fashionable
Japanese cartoons wear miniskirts all the time, right? Well,
so do Chinese girls. With or without leggings. When I bought black leggings a
few months ago, the saleslady tried selling me a black mini skirt to go with
them. “Nope! I just want the leggings! Thanks!”
Here are just a few examples.
5.) Pink, pink, and more pink
Chinese people seem to like pastel colors a little bit more,
so you often will see light, springtime colors. Pink is definitely a color you
see frequently. You will see it on shirts, (for men and women) dresses, skirts,
shoes… there is a lot of pink.
6.) Do you have high heels and platforms?
High heels and platforms are fashionable because Chinese
people are generally short, and I guess they like to be taller. The girls seem
to have no problem being taller than their boyfriend or husband if it means
they get to wear a fashionable pair of heels.
7.) Stripes are everywhere
If you were to line up everyone in China, just about every other person would be wearing something striped. No joke. Stripes are everywhere!
Fortunately, I like stripes, so I got this dress for 70
yuan! (That’s a little over $11 U.S. dollars. Woot woot!)
Here are some other examples.
8.) Don’t be surprised to see sheer skirts and shirts
In my mind, it kind of defeats the purpose to wear something
that you can see straight through, but people in China seem to think it’s a
fashion statement. Lots of girls wear these long skirts that are made from
see-through material over a pair of shorts or a mini skirt.
9.) Clothing with cats is not just for old ladies
Lots of times while I’m shopping, I’ll see a shirt on the
rack and think, “Oh, that looks cute.” But then I turn it around to find this
silver bedazzled cat head looking back at me.
Cats are on a lot of things. And not just because Hello
Kitty is big here. Cats are just popular, I guess. I don’t even like cats
generally, and yet, here I am with a giant yellow cat head smiling at me on my
pajamas. I guess the Chinese fashion is getting to me.
10.) Bling bling!
Everything in China sparkles, and it’s not from cleanliness.
It’s from all the bedazzled blitz on all the shoes, shirts, pants, and… well,
everything.
Everything here is blinged out. There are jewels, sparkles,
and glitter on all of the products. Even the shirts for guys have blue sparkles
on them. It gets really annoying sometimes because I don’t really like glitzy
things. It’s definitely a fashionable thing here though, and it’s not shameful
in the least to be an adult wearing a pair of shoes with pink jewels and frilly
bows.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, I will form a fashionable Chinese
outfit for you.
First, get a t-shirt with silver jewels lining the neck. The
shirt should also include English words that are spelt incorrectly and make no
sense at all. Make sure that the words are all printed in a non-serif font with
blue sparkles behind them. If you want to add another shirt underneath that has
frills on the bottom, feel free to do so.
Next, find a bright pink miniskirt. If it looks like an
Easter color, great. You will then want to find a pair of black leggings to go
with the miniskirt. Last, but not least, you will want to find a pair of
sparkly high heels. Any color will be great. Or, if you want to go for a punk
look, get a pair of Converse. (I forgot to mention that.) Feeling athletic?
Wear a pair of New Balance tennis shoes! (I forgot to mention that too.)
And there you have it! Chinese fashion.
But on a more serious note, the clothes in China can be both really cute and really hideous, just like anywhere else in the world. There are so many different kinds of people and because of that, there are so many different styles, just like in America! If you came to China and went shopping, you would find things you liked and for a GREAT deal. The best thing about Chinese fashion is probably the prices. I love how inexpensive all the clothes here are! It's a dream come true! Sandals that look like Chacos for less than $10? A pair of Toms for $3.50? Shopping in China is amazing!
And even though the fashion can throw me for a loop sometimes, I have to admit, it has grown on me.
Zaijien!
