Fashion Scout China…
... of last minute trips and such
During the course of the week, we came across a post that there was a fashion show by Fashion Scout in China, but it was not in Shanghai. We did a little research and realized that it wasn’t too far from us. It was in Changshu, and as on brand, we made the last-minute decision that one of us would go, and one would have to endure the billion messages, pictures and videos they would receive via wechat. As far as we are concerned, this is how relationships prosper!
前几天我们偶然惊喜地发现伦敦时装周Fashion Scout将在中国举办，但是不在上海，不过还好在离我们不远的城市——常熟。我们不能错过这场举办在身边的国际时尚大秀，于是我们做了一个临时的决定，我们其中一人将亲自探望时装周，收集数千张照片和视频，亲自体验这场大秀！
As last-minute plans go, nails had to be done, hair needed a miracle and, gosh what to wear, very Cinderella-ish! The fairygodmother, our fashion designer and stylist friend with the brand Paparusso came through with what to wear. There was a pair of pants from her SS21 Capsule n°10, and a body top. The pictures can speak for themselves! We can go on about her collection, but that is a blog post for another day; she deserves her own! Outfit was sorted, packed a little handbag and was off to Changshu.
临时决定去看秀，意味着需要像灰姑娘变魔术一样瞬间从指甲到头发都变得完美，当然穿什么是最头痛的问题！还好我们的神仙朋友出面——时尚设计师品牌Paparusso的主理人帮忙搭配了一套来自她SS21 Capsule n°10的新品。终于准备好一身配得上看秀的行头，拿上精致的小手包赶往常熟。
On arrival at the Changshu International Exhibition Center, the show had not started so the next best thing was to go check out the showroom. There were so many booths, but a few stood out for us! The first one that’s definitely worth mentioning was Saitopia. Their collection had a lot of black and white, similar pattern on all the pieces. Absolutely loved the puff sleaves on some of the pieces.
来到常熟国际博览中心时装秀还没开始，于是我去展厅逛了逛，数十个展台间为数不多的几个吸引了我的眼球。其中一定要提到的品牌——Saitopia，他们的系列用了很多黑白元素和相似的图案。尤其爱上很多泡泡袖的设计。
Another favourite was 盖娅致裳/ Gaia Z-sense. The presentation of the booth was amazing! The lady who was at the booth was so welcoming. She took the time to show their different pieces and explain the ideas behind them. If not mistaken, the inspiration from the clothing pieces is from the Miao nationality. All pieces seemed to embody a personality of their own. The embroidery, some of it including wings, dragons, the moon, stars, and the sea, was out of this world.
另一个很喜爱的品牌是盖娅致裳/ Gaia Z-sense。他们展台的设计很有特色，一位女士很热情的为我解释他们不同设计背后所传达的理念。如果没理解错的话，他们很多设计灵感来自于传统苗族文化。翅膀，龙， 星月和海洋的刺绣仿佛来自另外一个世界，每件设计都张扬着他们想表达的个性。
Vincent Li is also another one worth mentioning. So much creativity must have gone into that collection! The black color, it was though they were meant to convey specific emotions. Very moody, including some of the patterns on there. The textures of the pieces were ranging from wool, satin, silk, linen, and crepe. It would be interesting to actually meet this designer and find out a bit more about the thought process of his designs. It’s quite something.
另外一位值得分享的设计师Vincent Li， 他的作品充满创意。他用到大面积的黑色和图案结合来传达特殊的情绪。材质也非常大胆, 包括羊毛，绸缎,亚麻和绉纱。如果能有机会和设计师聊一聊，听听他设计这些时的思路一定非常有意思。
For presentation alone, before we even get into the brand itself, 内联升has to take the cup. The sign on the wall would have drawn you from a mile away, even if you didn’t want to. So, this was a handmade shoe booth. The people who were manning the booth were so bubbly and warm and took the time to give a brief history of their brand. Apparently, this brand has had a long history of morethan 150 years, established in the third year of Xianfeng’s Reign in Qing dynasty. Based in Beijing, this brand makes traditional Chinese footwear, with styles varying. You can easily get a pair of shoes for yourself, your mum, your brother, or grandmother. They have something for everyone. The best part of this booth was that they had someone there making the shoes! So wholesome!
论最博眼球的展示陈列来说，品牌内联升必须得名！墙上书法大内联升老远就吸引你前来的步伐。展位的工作人员很热情的为我介绍了品牌的历史，内联升是个传统的中华老字号手工布鞋品牌，有超过150年的历史，创立于清朝咸豐三年，专为皇室贵族朝廷官员制作鞋靴，至今仍保留传统手工布鞋的工艺。你可以轻松为你的妈妈，兄弟甚至奶奶选一双合适的布鞋。最棒的是展位上有人正在制作鞋子！你可以看到全过程。
After exploring in the showroom, it was now time to head to the fashion show. The first collection was from LYFY, and the second was Nomoretouch… which we only discovered later that they were from the same designer. The collection had different variations, some pinks, some stripes, checks, different types of textures altogether. It was so mesmerising to watch. One can’t help but admire the creativity behind these pieces. We cannot think of pieces we wouldn’t wear from this collection. His collection took a life of its own, like a fashion revolution. What’s even more amazing is that the designer was such a delight to speak with. Although conversation with him did not get into what inspired his collection, you could tell that he is something special. We cannot wait to see what else he has in the coming seasons! Although there were still 2 more shows for the day, Shanghai was calling and the trip had to be made back! We look forward to other fashion scenes in the near future.
逛完了展厅，是时候去看走秀了。第一个出场的品牌是本土品牌LYFY，第二个同样是来自本土的新晋设计师品牌Nomoretouch，后来我们才发现他们都出自同一位设计师之手。这两个品牌各有特色，鲜亮的热粉色，条纹，不同的肌理充斥在一起，无法想象背后的创作才华，完全是一场视觉盛宴，我们每件衣服都想收入囊中。很棒的是有机会和设计师本人进行了愉快的对话，虽然没有谈到关于他设计背后的灵感，但是能感受到他关于时尚非常特别的理念。我们等不急看到他下一季的新品！虽然还有两个品牌的走秀没看，遗憾的是上海的工作在召唤我回去…我们期待在不远的将来有更多的时尚活动在我们身边举办。
*we do not own the rights to these images
