Style and Fashion in Chinese Cities

[Toag]

In general, how do women dress in cities such as Shanghai or Beijing? A friend told me very cutesy-- like a plethora of bows and colors-- but I don't want to make any assumptions. In addition, if someone can tell me current trends, I would appreciate it.

[Demonic_Duck]

Some women dress "cutesy" as you say, occasionally to the point of being ridiculous (I saw a girl the other day who honestly looked like she was dressed as little bow peep. She can't have been younger than 15). Others dress fairly normally. Some have a very tasteful sense of fashion. Some have no sense of fashion whatsoever.

[roddy]

Here you go

[ChTTay]

It varies, like anywhere. There is definitely more of a trend toward "cutesy" with some women but not all. I like when you see 50 year old women in pink tracksuits with some slogan on their ass. Maybe "like" isn't the word I needed there...

Some Chinese girls I know associate "smartly dressed" with looking old... So just dress in that kind of cutesy fashion so no one mistakes them for a middle aged woman. Even though, in fact, they could be 16 looking at them.

More and more shops like H&M, Gap have been in China for a while too, so fashion is increasingly the same globally. At least on one level

[Ruben von Zwack]

I like when you see 50 year old women in pink tracksuits with some slogan on their ass. Maybe "like" isn't the word I needed there...

I noticed quite a few Korean tourist ladies, 50+, to who that description would fit in Germany these days, must be a pan-Asian trend

[HusbandOfWuhan]

It depends on what kinds of women you are talking about. It depends on the social group you are going to hang around. Some women simply do not care or have time for such matters. Others really do care because they have the time and money to.

You could search online: Beijing Shanghai fashion for women. And see what appears.

[tooironic]

Compared to local, fashion-conscious Melburnians who generally wear dark, deep colours and relatively simple outfits, average young Chinese women here (especially the so-called "fresh off the boat" [FOB] Chinese) are a bit more adventurous when putting outfits together - you tend to see big shiny jackets, ugg (pronounced U-G-G of course) boots, mobile phone bling, glasses with no lens, etc. When you say "cutesy" I certainly know what you mean.

[Ruben von Zwack]

Is that a common expression? A friend told me when she was in Australia to holiday, she was called "fob" or some other word alike, I don't recall exactly but with a similar meaning, and she took it as an insult.

[tooironic]

It has become pretty common in my circles here in multicultural Melbourne, yes. But I'm sure many have never heard of it.

[Lu]

I think it's a word in the US as well, insulting as it implies someone who doesn't speak English, doesn't understand the local society, is uneducated, etc.

[abcdefg]

For Shanghai.

For Kunming.

[luoshan]

The kind of women's winter fashion I saw in Beijing this year appeared to be the same as a young girl might wear, but on a twenty-something woman. Especially the fluffy pink/rainbow/sparkly (or all 3) hats/ugg boots/gloves. Obviously not everyone dresses this way, but if you're looking to buy clothes from non-international stores, this 'cutsey/girlish' stuff will be a large part of the market.

If you're thinking about dressing to fit in, unless you are of chinese heritage your physical differences will probably stand out no matter what you wear.

Following tooironic's post, in Australia 'FOB' can be used in an insulting way. But it can sometimes just be used as a description (in the same vein as 'Australian Born Chinese' ABC). Depends on context, and in my experience is not too common a term amongst the general population.

[triunfo]

"FOB" is definitely a derogatory term used to describe Asians who don't "integrate" into the host country's cultural norms and such. I've noticed Californian Asians tend to use this more often than others, but I may be wrong.

That said, young Chinese girls and guys more often wear flashy/colorful clothing articles and accessories, and quirky designs. If walking around the streets of Boston VS streets of HK, for example, you will definitely see differences.

Check out this site: http://accidentalchinesehipsters.tumblr.com

[tooironic]

But like any derogatory term, you can hear people using it casually, jokingly or as a term of empowerment. Believe or not, in Australia even the C-word is not immune to this trend.

That reminds me, there's a Nelly Furtado song called "Fresh off the Boat", I wonder if she was meaning to be derogatory when she wrote it. (Not being sarcastic, I'm genuinely curious.)

Edit: Just discovered that in the Wikipedia talk page for "Fresh off the boat" another Australia commented: "As an Australian I've heard the word "FOB" be used many times by "FOB"s, white Australians, and Australian born Asians. I have never once heard the term being used in a derogatory fashion. Although the phrase may have once been used as an insult, I think that time has passed." So I guess it could be a regional difference.

[Ruben von Zwack]

To clarify, cause I was the one who asked, it was my Singaporean (Chinese 2nd generation) friend, she holidayed in Australia, but told me she felt very unwelcome, like when she wanted to buy something expensive, people went "oh you have money? We thought you were a FOB".

Why I asked was because it struck me as curious to hear (see) such term casually used in a forum that is dedicated to a foreign country.

[Demonic_Duck]

But like any derogatory term, you can hear people using it casually, jokingly or as a term of empowerment. Believe or not, in Australia even the C-word is not immune to this trend.

The same's true in Britain, although Americans often seem surprised when I tell them that.