I Love China

Zara at Times Square on Shanghai’s busy Huai Hai Road.

Popular Spanish clothing retailer Zara is on sale here in Shanghai and to my surprise the store at Times Square was packed with shoppers, even in the menswear department.  I was looking for some brown / tanned shoes.  I didn’t buy them in London because I was sure I could just get them here, so why bother bringing them all the way from London, but sadly it seems Zara have decided that Chinese men only need black shoes.

It was surprising to see so many guys there though.  I’ve mentioned countless times that unlike Chinese girls, the average Chinese man pays little attention to his clothes and accessories, either because he doesn’t know how to dress or he doesn’t care.  But there’s a quiet revolution going on in China and slowly but surely, Chinese young men are starting to pay attention to their appearance.  At the moment they still lack the ability to do this alone, and most were accompanied by their considerably more stylish girlfriends, determined to improve their boyfriends’ wardrobe.

I’d better watch out though, as I can see that if this trend continues, I may no longer be the best dressed man in Shanghai.  But you know what?  I think I’ve still got a couple more years before my position is at risk!

Sweet ride!

I don’t want to make light of the economic downturn that has affected the entire world. Here in England, the media are really painting a picture of doom and gloom. Many retailers have gone bust or in to administration, including Woolworths, Whittard Tea, Officer’s Club (mens clothing), MFI (furniture retailer), Zavvi (music retailer, formerly Virgin Megastore) the list goes on.

But to be honest for me, things have never been better. Firstly, the RMB has appreciated sharply against the British pound since I last visited. It was 15 rmb to the pound just a few months ago, it’s now closer to 10 rmb. On top of that, retailers usually start the sales after Christmas, but this year, due to the poor economy, almost every retailer was offering deep discounts several weeks before Christmas.  So on my very first day in London, I picked up two suits at Emporio Armani, both at half price (600 pounds down to 300 pounds).  The original price in London was already way cheaper than Shanghai, so imagine how attractive 50% off and a stronger RMB would be. And finally of course as a non-resident, I will get the value added tax refunded at the airport when I leave the UK on Sunday.

WoAi gets behind the wheel for the first time in 2008.

With all the savings, I’ve had money left over to hire this Porsche for a few days. Some people were a bit horrified when I told them how much I spent to hire a car for a few days, but then you have to bear in mind this is my total motoring expenses for the whole year. If I lived in England, I’d spend more than that just on fuel in a year, then there’s road tax, insurance and depreciation to add to that. Remember guys, I take the bus to work every day when I am in Shanghai, so don’t give me any grief about this!

Details: Car hire by Prestige Car Hire.
Car is a Porsche Cayman S (2008 model) – 225 pounds (2300 rmb) per day plus delivery and VAT.
Leather jacket 395 pounds (4000 rmb) from Emporio Armani.
Jeans 40 pounds (400 rmb) by Gap, London.

Shopgirl commented here that my glasses need changing.  She always gives great fashion advice, even when it isn’t being asked for!  So before I banish my Guess glasses to the rubbish bin and get a new pair, I thought I’d run a little poll, just to be sure.

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Fashion queen Shopgirl wears her trendsetting glasses.

Another Shopgirl glasses pic.

WoAi in his terribly unfashionable glasses.

I’ll close the poll in a couple of days and announce the results accordingly.

I’ve been getting my hair cut at Tiffany in Raffle’s for a few years now. It’s a huge salon that can handle 50 customers at one time. It’s also very cheap at 39 RMB (US$6) for a cut and blow dry (that’s 50% off using a friend’s discount / loyalty card). The main problem is that they are so successful that there’s often a long wait and they do not accept appointments in advance.

Tuesday I was desperate to get my hair cut as I’m long overdue for a cut. But there were 5 people waiting ahead of me for my usual stylist and I wasn’t prepared to sit and wait for 2 hours plus while flicking through Chinese fashion magazines. And Wednesday I had to fly to Beijing so I won’t have time till the weekend, by which time my hair would be in such a state I’ll have to start wearing a hat. So I got in a taxi and headed to Toni & Guy in the more exclusive Times Square shopping mall to see if they could help me out.

I was greeted by a very attractive receptionist who showed me their price list and asked which option I wanted to go for. Their prices started at 260 rmb (US$38) for a senior stylist and went up to 1200 rmb (US$176) for a cut and blow dry from their senior artistic director. I didn’t want to humiliate myself by going for the cheapest option so I went for the next one up which was 320 rmb (US$47) for a style director, who turned out to be a 24 year old fashionably dressed young man.

The whole experience was so much more relaxed than at Tiffany which was far more chaotic. While the style director cut my hair, his assistant stood close by with a big brush and every few seconds he would brush off hairs from my cape, which was both unnecessary and slightly annoying, but other than that, everything went smoothly. And the stylist gets extra points in my book for NOT using the hair thinning scissors at all, something which is so popular with Chinese hair stylists for some bizarre reason.

Overall, I would compare the Toni & Guy experience with flying business class. You pay 3 times the price (well closer to ten times really), you all get to the same destination, but you have a much more comfortable journey along the way. And of course, after having flown business class, it’s very difficult to go back to flying economy again.

They also take bookings, so in a few weeks, when my hair grows back, I can book my stylist Jimmy again at a time that’s convenient to me, and I will know I won’t have to sit around for 2 hours while the girl before me gets full head highlights with tints.

I know some of you were disappointed when I scraped Fashion Friday, but there’s really no need to be sad because as promised, I will continue posting fashion related posts from time to time and you won’t always have to wait till Friday either.

A month ago I mentioned that I had bought some made to measure shoes and several people have since asked how they turned out, because I never posted a follow up post. Well, firstly I’m really happy some of you are paying attention!

I picked up my new shoes a few weeks ago, but I didn’t post about it because, well frankly, they look exactly the same as the photos of the sample which I already posted, the major difference being that my shoes are the same size as my feet!

But just to prove I really have got them, here are some pictures:

WoAi’s left and right feet.

WoAi’s right foot, stealing the limelight.

Full length view of WoAi’s new shoes, modelled by a mysterious, handsome model.

Overall, I’m very happy with them.  The left one is slightly big but that’s partly my own fault for not really paying enough attention during the fitting (I was in a hurry to meet a beautiful lady) and perhaps being my first time, I was a bit too cautious, worried they’d be too tight.

The styles they have on offer at the shop are great, better than anything I’ve seen in other local shoe stores in Shanghai, and much closer to the styles I would buy in London, so I will definitely be back for a few more pairs and of course I’ll post full details right here.

James is being a bit slow with his Shoe Tuesday post this week, I personally think he’s slowing down now he’s in his 4th decade, so hopefully this post will satisfy most of you (I mean really, I don’t know why you bother looking at any other blog site) until he finally pulls his finger out and gets a post up.

During last week’s 7 day break, I stumbled upon 3 very small bespoke shoe shops along Nan Yang road, behind Plaza 66. It was a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The first store was awful, it felt like I’d walked uninvited into a Shanghainese family home. There was a middle aged woman chatting with her friends, basically ignoring me completely, and the shoes all looked very dull and lacking in any style at all. There are lots of stores like this in Shanghai. I think these people open stores not to sell anything, but just so they have a place to invite friends to come over for tea, a chat and some pumpkin seeds. I left quickly before anyone even asked if they could help me.

The second was better. There was a younger, far more attractive girl, attentive and helpful. However, as with the first shop, the shoes just didn’t look right – the colours had no shine and no punch to them, just very dull and lifeless. The book of swatches was badly laid out and they were all different sizes and shapes, some had bits cut out of them like a Hannibal Lecter victim.

My new babies – this is the style I chose for my first pair of made to measure shoes.

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I don’t know of any other country where I can go for a 10 minute walk at lunch time and come back with so much blog material.

Firstly I saw two separate couples wearing identical pairs of tee shirts. It makes me cringe when I see that, it’s just so cheesy, but what was even funnier was one couple were wearing a brand called “Vogue Girl” and seeing a MAN wearing a Vogue Girl tee shirt just made me shake my head in disapproval.

Next up, I saw another couple and the “guy” was carrying his girl’s TINY bright gold handbag. WHY? WHY? WHY? I’m all for being a gentleman, but can’t she carry her own purse, for God’s sake!

I arrive at Burger King and walk up to the counter. The guy looks straight past me like I’m invisible, his eyes locked on the drama going on behind me. There’s a middle aged Shanghainese woman throwing a fit, screaming in that piercing high pitched hysterical scream that you often hear. She’s mad about something, throwing her drink on the floor which is soaking wet and shouting at everyone while her poor husband just sits there smiling like an idiot.

We have Islamic terrorists and the collapse of the stock markets, but NOTHING is more scary than a middle aged Shanghainese woman in a rage. She just wouldn’t stop. If Osama Bin Laden was there, he’d have been running out the door in an instant.

On the way back of course there are fake bag / watch vendors approaching every white skinned person asking if they need copy watches. One chubby white guy was so fed up he shouted “BU YAO” before the poor girl even said anything.

The eventful lunch break was topped off by bumping in to Swiss James’ better half in a Starbucks as I was getting coffee for some of my staff.

There, I’ve written an entire post without mentioning Marks and Spencer once!

McDonalds in Beijing, 11th September 2008.

I think it was Jesus (Luke 23:34) who said “Forgive them father for they do not know what their tee shirts say”.

I’m lovin’ it!

(Thanks to Chas for sending the photo, taken by a friend of a friend and profound apologies to any Christians who Googled “Luke 23″ and arrived here!).

The nightgown, or nightie as we call it in England, is a garment mostly worn by women to sleep in, but can also be classified as lingerie and used to spice up a boring relationship in the bedroom. It can be full length, or knee length, but of course, the type that men are more likely to respond to is the hip length type, also known as the babydoll.

What I also like about this type of garment is that it’s usually made from see-through sheer fabric, which adds to the allure.

Of course in Shanghai, nighties are also perfect for popping out to buy some bread at the nearby department store! I actually spotted this young lady buying bread at a very upmarket department store, The Landmark, on Nanjing Road East and couldn’t believe my luck eyes. She was dressed as though she was at home in her bedroom having just come out of the shower.

Happy Olympic Friday everyone!

I’m not sure if it’s the result of global warming but hotpants are officially the garment to be seen in this summer according to The Guardian.

Here in Shanghai, the mini shorts / hotpants look is popular every summer as the mercury hovers around 40 degrees celcius, although I don’t often see the hotpants and heels look on someone quite this old.

I’m guessing she’s around late 50s, but she pulls it off quite well I must say.

Have a good weekend ya’ll. I’m off to Beijing with Swiss James and a few others for some last minute Olympic action this weekend, but don’t forget to tune in for Caturday tomorrow.