Meijia S is just one of the fashion bloggers who attended the greatest closet swap ever. The one I missed because I’m too dumb to remember that you lose a day  in the air coming from Los Angeles to Shanghai. I’ve done it enough times. Jeez, but I digress.

As Kate has mentioned a couple of times, pleated skirts are the bizness and this one wins for several reasons:

1. Alternating panels of big and small print polka dots

2. It’s vintage.

3. Zero “wonkiness” as seen in this previous Vainlane post.

The American Apparel grey shirt is a great fit and I heart the fact that she’s rolled the sleeves. It reminds me of my Catholic school girl days where we spent hours trying to figure out how to make our uniforms look different than the other girls by folding our socks special top secret ways. She knows her grey t-shirt looks cooler than your untucked unrolled sloth-like interpretation.

That skinny orange belt (courtesy of H&M’s awesome accessories department)  is the cherry on top of her  polka dot dream sundae; simultaneously adding a pop of color and tying the whole look together.

Additionals:

• Mejia’s self-appraisal of this outfit.
• Vintage pleated skirts at marketpublique.com
• Vintage inspired skirts by Marc Jacobs, ALC, and Trina Turk.
• Similar belt at GAP also comes in neon yellow.

Also, love her espadrilles and tiny brown belt.

• American Apparel on Huaihai Lu
• This is actually one of the less offensive things that Dov Charney has done
• Pretty great flat espadrilles at Target (if I find any in China I’ll update)

On one of the last warm fall days in Shanghai, we came across this beaut. Anne Disch is in transit by way of Amsterdam — temporarily residing in Shanghai for 4 months — and thankfully she brought her style with her.  Her body hanger displays dominating chandelier earrings, strappy metallic ankle boots, and an oversized LA style shirt that is great for throwing a cardigan or leather jacket over, depending on who you’re trying to impress.  The tailored harlem pants, aka dropped crotch pants, originated from Philip Lim 3.1, Balenciaga and/or Stella McCartney, and are a comfy choice on a lazy sunday afternoon.

• earrings: H&M
• shirt: Zara
• strapless top from Wolford
• pants by Mage Paris
• Zara shoes
• knock-off Marc Jacobs from the People’s Square market

photo by Natalie Wang

The chic, basic, white dress with mini-cap sleeves is the must have this fall.  A mother that sews is a bonus in any season.  Paired with a dark opaque pair of nylon stockings and knee high leather riding boots, the resulting outfit is a perfect look at almost any age. Promise.  This young lady added some color to her outfit by wearing a red-strapped messenger bag to go with the sporty theme of her outfit, and she did what I often do, which is wrap a knit sweater around the bag strap for more style and easy access.

• Dress by Mom
• H&M leggings; similar Hue cotton black tights
• original Ralph Lauren “Stara” boots
• shoulder bag by Caprisa – unavailable online
• Free People Jacket

Ciga’s blog

Print or brightly-colored, high-waisted skirts are popular right now, and in Shanghai comfortable shoes are a must; classic sneakers like white Vans or Converse go well with most outfits.

With this outfit you often see a high-waisted, elastic belt.  The elastic belt is overdone.  As another option, I prefer a thin, leather belt that wraps around the waist a few times.

• H&M skirt
• shirt from Avivi Wang
• H&M necklace
• wrist flair partially from taobao
• find your own dog
• kicks by Converse
• suggested Garnet Hill Skinny Double-Wrap Belt