Sichuan Street Style - Throwback Hanfu Fashion

My Dad is traveling around the Sichuan province of China this month. He sent back a few photos of the Chinese street style trend he was surprised to see. Young students everywhere were donning silky robes in the style of historical Hanfu.
While most vintage fashion lovers rarely wear clothing dating back more than the last century, the Hanfu styles of this trend have not been worn in 400 years. The fashion fans are not wearing ancient ancestors garb, many are shopping for updated versions readily available online. They are not wearing them like cosplay. I initially thought perhaps they were emulating historical soap operas.
According to students interviewed in the South China Morning Post, Hanfu fans wear this trend as a way to connect with their roots and past. It is a sense of pride in their identity.
It is hard to imagine Americans dressing up as pilgrims on the street, heading to class or office. That doesn't stop designers from trying to send pilgrim fashion and prairie style down the runway every few years though.
Whether you are knowledgable about the Han people or Chinese history, the style of the Hanfu fashion is quite pretty. Flowing robes and embroidery look elegant and comfortable as far as style trends go. I also like the idea that students are wearing these outfits as a way to identify with their past and ancestors. With the way the United States is divided right now, I am wondering how fashion influencers here would incorporate patriotism and history into their street style, and whether that is possible without controversy?
What do you think of wearing traditional dress as your go-to work outfit? Could you pull off a vintage style that is four centuries old?
I can't wait to see what other trends emerge after Hanfu fashion for Sichuan street style.

photos by David TW Leung

This article - "Sichuan Street Style and Hanfu Fashion" - was featured on Links à la Mode fashion roundup by Independent Fashion Bloggers.
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Paris Street Style 2016 -Haute Couture Week

Shooting Haute Couture was a dream come true for me. The rest of the week was spent enjoying the real life personal style of the Parisian fashion crowd. Catching street style in the shows, outside of the fashion shows, backstage and at parties was a glimpse of how the fashion crowd dresses on this side of the ocean. I found that there was a relaxed vibe to most Paris citizens with a bit of rock n' roll. Skinny jeans and pants were often paired with long draped jackets and shawls for the ladies.

Two musts for Paris street style. The first, you MUST have a long scarf. The skills to artfully drape it around your neck is essential. This wasn't just around Paris fashion week, this was for all of Paris, as my husband observed. Second was the jacket worn as a cape. I saw this with any jacket. It could be the oversized topper, the moto jacket, the blazer or any Haute Couture creation encrusted with 20 000 manual labor hours of beading. To be fair, the jacket and scarf could be due to the uncharacteristically cold summer that Paris has been having. The chic identifiers were supremely practical.

Again, it could just be that it was cold this week, but fur accessories were a key element in Paris Fashion Week looks. Fur wraps, collars, keychains, handbags were all there. How warm they actually kept you could be debated. I suspect it was more for psychological warmth.

Prints, more prints, head-to-toe, a graphic dance all over the streets of Paris. While this look dominates photographer's street style shots of women, it has made its way into menswear street style as well. The big patterned statement jacket, pants or even jumpsuit have been spotted on the gents near Paris Fashion Week

The moto jacket is still huge in Paris. The difference is there were very tailored or sculpted silhouette styles or crazy color combinations because they were likely to be high-end designer renditions of them. Often, they were paired with a super feminine dress or designer skirt as a way to add some edge to a classically beautiful outfit.

So there you have it, my top Haute Couture Paris street style trends. They are all easy to incorporate into your own wardrobe. Get shopping!

Check out PFW Haute Trend Roundup

by Ms. Fabulous at Mode

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Irina Shabayeva Spring 2016

Taking to the streets. Irina Shabayeva, season 6 winner of Project Runway showed an edgy street wear collection for NY Fashion Week. As we are used to seeing sweeping ballgowns and dramatic silhouettes, this paired down casual collection was out of the comfort zone.

We last covered Georgian designer Shabayeva's bridal collection with the gigantic skirts. When her girl strolling the sidewalks instead of the aisle, she is wearing cute, body conscious mini-dresses in vegan leather or winged prints with an asymmetrical hem. As outerwear, spring/summer 2016 includes extra long hoodies with extended hems.

The shoes included cage booties and fringed boots in pale vegan suede from Machi Footwear.

The designer is also expanding into intimate apparel. She recently debuted a collection of lace lingerie that includes vintage silhouettes with dramatic kimono sleeve robes that she presented at Midtown restaurant Sushi Roxx. The crazy pop-tech Japanese themed venue was the perfect backdrop to her sexy pieces.

Runway photos by Mariana Leung, Lingerie photo by Charles Farrah

Check out Project Runway All-Stars: What Are They Working on Now?
by Ms. Fabulous at Mode

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The 8 Characters You Meet at NYC's Easter Parade

Happy Easter my peeps. The most stylish place in New York City will always be the Easter Parade along Fifth Avenue. The procession is a NYC tradition that dates back for over a century. Celebrities often participate casually. Ordinary folk who rock an amazing bonnet can become a celebrity for the day. You can find me and a bunch of other photographers staked out on the avenue.

There are distinct styles that emerge at every NYC Easter Parade

1. Arts & Crafts
These folks always look like they drove in from the suburbs and spent all night with a glue gun. They mostly use Easter paraphernalia like plastic rabbits, raffia, easter grass and construction paper, though marshmallow peeps were very popular this year. Some look like gallery-worthy sculptures while some are not nearly as successful, (AKA a hot mess). The artsy craftsy type is also a category where parents like to pimp out their kids and their latest art project to the photographers. You'll recognize these by the smug Mom and Dad standing next to them.

2. The Florists
This group raids their florist or backyards to put together intricate botanical arrangements on their head. They can be plastic or silk flowers, but you get extra credit for using fresh blooms in your look. Floral hats are the most popular category with photographers because the designers and artists build them with height and bright colors. Unlike other categories, almost every bonnet that I saw was a success.
Bravo garden style.

3. Eccentrics 
The eccentric characters at the parade are a broad group. You have the quirky older ladies with sculptural hats and a love of style. They are the women that collect art had affairs with Hemingway and goes on long trips to India. They always have a wildly inventive chapeau on their head that betrays the wild woman you can't see. Rosemary Ponzo is their patron saint.

On the other end of the spectrum are the lifetime "artists" who might be homeless, crazy or just incredibly fun. They might have an odd pet or wacky art piece they are dragging through the parade. Parents aren't sure whether to have their kids pose with them or hide them away.

4. Dandy Dogs
In the last few years, I have seen more and more dogs at the parade. They don't look like they are having nearly as good a time as the owners who are basking in the validation of photographer's attention. I am personally not a fan of dogs smaller than my cat tarted-up in plastic flowers and ribbons, but everyone else seems to love it.

5. Drag Queens 
If you are fabulous and the entire world should know it, why wait for the Pride parade or Halloween parade? St. Patrick's Cathedral is the perfect place to wear your Sunday best to honor Ressurection Day, no matter what size dress, or what you have to tuck to wear it.

6. Wannabe Designers
There are always the social workers/bank tellers who moonlight as designers at home in the basement. Those are easy to spot with a group of church ladies wearing crazy hats carrying huge signs advertising their friend's fashion business. They usually squat on a stationary spot on 5th avenue and pose to gain as much exposure for the "designer" as they can.

The variation on the wannabe designer is the wannabe model. Channeling Sylvia from the film La Dolce Vita, the wannabe model will be dancing or posing wildly on 5th avenue hoping for as many photographers clicks as possible. The exaggerated movements are to ensure ample space around her so photographers get a clear shot.

7. Goths
This is an unexpected category during a holiday known for its pastels. Nonetheless, they bring fully accessorized outfits and great hats to the event, but mostly in black. The reputation of Goths being anti-social or unfriendly is not true here. I always find them as happy to pose as everyone else.

8. Vintage Fashionistas
This group is popular for both men and women. They dress for a head to toe look. Choosing chic and elegant over garish and gargantuan. The fashion industry crowd, boutique owners, theater types and literary fans are usually found in this group.

As you can see, this is where I fit in when I dress for the parade. I just don't have the balance skills for a flower pot on my head and my fingers have already seen too many glue gun burns to make a big sculpture. I made the fascinator and added the vintage fur collar to a Holt Renfrew cape my mother gave me.

So there, you have it. All the fashionable, crafty, furry fans of the NYC Easter Parade. Now, which one are you?

All photos by Mariana Leung

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Street Style Meets Street Art in NYC

I came to New York to go to design school.The city offers endless inspiration with its NYC street art making everything around you an urban gallery. The colors and textures of the murals act as a frame for the style and fashion on the sidewalks.  When Perrier asked me to share the work that I love, I jumped at the chance.

My favorite mural in the city has to be the Eduardo Kobra work in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. I love strolling south along the elevated Highline Park and seeing the bright colors of his second story window unveiled through the trees. It is a romantic piece, his rendition of the famous Times Square photograph of the VJ Day kiss. 

In a city of such great work, the walls act as a frame for the pavement runway. The galleries in Chelsea continuously churn out fashionable people who stride from side to side to admire the next artistic genius. I wanted to pay tribute to the psychedelic color palette of this Brazilian artist when I climbed down off the Highline to pose in front of the street level mural of vintage cars and pedestrians. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but Kobra was one of the artists chosen by Perrier to redesign their bottle and label. He helped bring the spirit of graffiti and a Technicolor touch to their new campaign. Perrier was clearly as inspired by his work as I was. 

I see how the super bright colors of Eduardo Kobra art merge seamlessly into the dark industrial edges of New York. The fashion industry is often chided for our love of the color black as a uniform.  Seeing Kobra’s work showed me how to style the most exaggerated of hues with my staple noir wardrobe.  In this world, everything else is the new black.

This post is sponsored by Perrier® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water in celebration of its new limited Street Art® edition. This limited edition packaging is a collaboration between Perrier and three of the world’s influential street artists: JonOne, Sasu and Kobra. To see the full line of collectible designs and learn more about this exciting debut, visit www.SocietePerrier.com/StreetArtbyPerrier  and join the conversation with #StreetArtByPerrier

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Perrier via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Perrier.

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Accessories Report - Miami Fashion Week Edition

I hope you're enjoying our runway reports of all the shows from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. The bikinis were hot, but the accessories of South Beach were stars on and off the catwalk.  When I wasn't shooting from the photographer's pit, I did my style hunting with my phone on Instagram.

South Florida fashionistas are all about color. The sun is bright on the beach and the women are no wallflowers. Statement necklaces are more of a declaration on the runways of Mara Hoffman and Red Carter. A bunch of guests even had a chance to DIY their baubles at an event under the tents of the Raleigh Hotel.

Shoes were bold, following trends of color blocking and big floral embellishments. Handbags in Miami were far from demure. I spotted a flashy metallic envelope clutch and a neon trimmed woven rattan purse.  The Caffe Swimwear fashion show had a parade of big, brightly colored straw beach bags with over-sized tassels and wrapped handles.

One popular accessory unique to the South Beach fashion crowd is the updated turban. Maybe it's the heat, but I haven't seen that look too often in the Northeast. Variations includes luxe designer scarves, retro bows and wild prints.

Until next time SoBe!

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Intel via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Intel.

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