Chinese fashion is a lot to take in. When I first arrived, I saw so many bright purple and gold Dolce and Gabana shirts on men, that I thought either the town had painted itself in my alma maters colors in expectation of my arrival or that Western fashion designers were playing a huge joke on the Asian consumers.
Because they seemed absolutely unaware of this being misconstrued in any way. I've sense learned that the fashion minds of the Chinese care little about stereotypes and taboos of the Western world. They just want the name in English (Italian, French, German) plastered across their chest. That's what they call fashion. Add a Mickey Mouse, and you must have spent more than 30 kuai on it because it's totally rockin'!
It's hard to shop for anything that resembles "tasteful" or "subdued" here. Everything is overdone with glitter, sequins, and the occasional cartoon character. And no one seems to know what they're clothes are screaming at the world when written in English.
In other words, seeing a girl walking around wearing a shirt that says "Read between the tan lines" or "Boys and Balls" is completely normal. The epitomy of the catwalks.
I've grown accustomed to the excessive make-up, crazy hairstyles, and interesting mottos on clothing. But today I was reminded of my shock when I first arrived.
Standing behind a middle aged man waiting to get on the subway, I noticed the back of his jacket had a label written in tiny English letters. At first I thought it was "Levi's" or "Nike" and ignored it. But something caused me to lean in a little to see what message it truly was sending out.
In bold, but small, letters it read, "Classic in Homo Design". It was not a misprinted label that had been sold on the black market for a fraction of the cost. It was not worn away to read something completely different from what was intended. It was simply making a statement. And the man wearing it has no idea.
