The best street-style looks from Shanghai Fashion Week

Photo: Ian Kumamoto

New York, London, Paris, Shanghai. China's largest city has been undergoing a fashion boom over the past few years, with young creatives sprouting out of the ground almost as fast as the city's rapidly developing skyline.

Fashion Week opened in Shanghai last week. Eager to see how this renaissance in Shanghai fashion would translate onto the streets, we hit Xintiandi to seek out the style-savvy, snap up the cream of the crop, and steal a couple of pointers along the way. 

This all black look and military jacket paints a picture of the American West that is hard to ignore, but Vincent – a Shanghai local and makeup blogger tells us he's keeping it casual. 'I just like to throw on whatever feels right. I enjoy a look that feels more artistic: that's why I normally shop around Xintiandi or at the K11 Art Mall; I think the vibe reflects my style. I also often find good stuff at Raffles Square'.

Jinmei is a sucker for mixing and matching street style looks with bigger brand fashion. 'They make great match,' he tells us. 'There is an awesome selection shop in Shanghai called DOE where I get a lot of my stuff. The owner and founder of the shop used to be a buyer and also the editor of a fashion magazine. So there's a great selection of pieces from both China and abroad.'

Whoever said 'fashion hurts' clearly never met Thuli Lange, because if this ESL teacher doesn't feel comfortable, she's not wearing it. 'Comfort means the world to me and I while I do not really identify as a fashionista, many of my looks do draw a lot of inspiration from African prints and regalia. Some of my favourite brands are Sowerto and Ntozinhle, both of which are South African brands.'

This tangerine-entrenched fashionista only had time for a quick snap before ducking quickly into a nearby tent with her entourage.

Liang Ge was doing a live video for Fashion Week outside the main tent, but we think he would look more at home at the bar at Speak Low. 'I'm largely influenced by Japanese fashion. I don’t really have a go to place to get it. My main haunts are West Nanjing Road, Xintiandi, and Huaihai.'

Ahnyi, Yajing and self-defined 'Goodgirl' Li Dadan are suckers for a boutique, 'Our favourite in Shanghai is a selection store called Dongliang, which has a great selection of designers.'

Mengya's oversized sleeves and casual hemline are pretty tightly in tow with Shanghai trends over the last couple of seasons. 'My favourite brand is I LOVE PRETTY by local Shanghai designer Yang Juan.'

It's not clear if ponchos are back again this season, if this one that local fashion blogger Mu is anything to go by, it's a bandwagon we'll be more than happy to jump on. The keyring bag is reportedly by independent designer 'Zhigui' who we haven't been able to track down.

But others didn't need to go into so much detail. 'My mood today is just purple.' Enough said. 

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