Posts tagged ‘shoes’

All about the Loafers this fall.

I’m going to call this look the Coy Nerd. It’s not quite Nerd Chic, which would probably entail some dark-rimmed glasses and a coat or scarf, but it’s definitely still cute while being bookish. If you know where to find those loafers, then pray ye tell, for I crave them and their tasselesque charm.

It’s hard to pull off the cropped pants with socks; believe me, I’ve tried and failed. I think what we see here, though, is a success. Bravo! Huzzah! Etc.

Cris and I were just discussing how things are improving, slowly but surely, in the Shanghai fashion scene. In baby steps. We’ve started to notice that women are wearing less patches of glued on faux diamond shimmers, less floral on top of lace on top of velvet ruching. Unfortunately, the shoes and accessories never quite fit the look they are going for. Some locals are starting to have an eye for a more classic, simple, flattering dress that can be worn decades later, equipping their attire with whatever accessories they currently own, not knowing the strength and hold good accessories have over an outfit.

The most common problem seen in Shanghai are the mismatched shoes. This lady’s dress is adorable, but I would not only change her shiny copper shoes with white bow ties with nude or off white pumps or flats, I would also change the glasses and hair. You can’t really tell, but she is also wearing those funny little ankle stockings so common in Shanghai, when women wear flats or high heels. It is super disturbing and I wake up in a cold sweat, in the morning, thinking about laundry and those ankle stockings. Ask the husband.

Maybe this is just all part of the mystery to the Chinese consumer.

Locally-based, but international powerhouse, Alison Mary Ching Yeung took time out from her busy life designing beautiful shoes and co-founding the Shanghai Fashion Map – which you can download here – to talk to us about her creative beginnings, a secret house of shoes, multicultural background, inspiration, building a creative community and designing for the two sides of her Gemini spirt. At Vainlane, we’ve long admired her luxury shoes and have fallen for her quirky sense of humor and the sweet little pug in the Spiderman ensemble, Mr. Dim Sum.

How did you get started in fashion?
Well, I think it was instinctive and from a very young age actually, I’ve always wanted to do fashion and I’ve always had a passion for it. My mother was always teaching me how to sew and knit and smock. From the age of I think about 12, I knew I wanted to be a designer.  I didn’t know that I wanted to be a shoe designer per se, but I definitely knew I wanted to be an artist or a designer. I think that art and design are very much the same.

But I do remember one story which might…makes sense. I remember my grandmother – they lived in a trailer on a farm – and they had this old house that they kind of let grow…literally the plants took over the house, they just let it kind of disintegrate since they moved to another house, but they never locked it down. No, but seriously there were just roots and trees. I mean my grandfather used to use it on the farm for breakfast, but all the rooms were just kind of left and all the beds and boxes and cupboards. And I remember as a child of about ten or twelve and it was this old house that you could go in and play. I would go into the cupboards and pull out all these old shoes of my grandmothers. I remember trying them on and they were all high heels and I remember thinking, “wow this is so cool.” I remember taking them back to New York, which is where we lived at the time and my mother asking me where I got them. So maybe instinctively, I always knew it was going to be shoes.

What are you inspired by this season?
This season I had a bit of fun playing on the slogan: I am not a fake and combining Chinese aesthetics with British humor. You often get these fun slogans from the UK and this season I played on “I’m not a fake” because there is this association that China is just being copies and not being original and unique and then obviously I used our signature materials like feathers and snakeskin.

Who is your favorite shoe designer?
Oh, there is a designer from the end of the sixties, I think it’s Perron or maybe Perrion, but he did really kind of humorous shoes with like lipsticks and lips; it’s a French designer. I think that the futuristic shoe designers – I think that it’s interesting when they combine architecture and shoe design. It’s not necessarily functional, but it’s quite fun to challenge borders. I wouldn’t say that I am conceptual, but I definitely appreciate it.

What makes you more interesting that other designers?
Here in Shanghai? (interviewer nodded yes) Well, I think that it’s probably a combination of being Eurasian (half English, half Chinese) and I’ve been educated abroad and come back to my roots so I have an international sense of perspective. I think that gives me an added advantage because I’m not just thinking about Shanghai, you know I’m thinking about an international customer, I’m think about trends around the world rather than just here. My advantage is that fusion: east meets west and that tension of a women being sexy but fragile, independent but vulnerable. I think these are all elements of women that are important.

Hmm… good question! Well, I think as well that we are currently the only one doing a designer brand. You know Angelica Cheung once said to me, “Keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re the only one doing it.” That’s also a reflection of the time and the opportunity. I really believe that luxury Chinese brands are the future. We’re going to see more and more of this group.That’s actually the reason that I did the fashion map as a cofounder. I think that Shanghai doesn’t really offer a sense of community. There’s a fashion week but it’s really segregated and competitive and designers don’t really talk to one another. I just thought it’s really nice to start creating communities and we can only support each other and try to grow together rather than compete against each other. In the UK you have support structures like the British Council and there’s a lot more awards and teams and nurturing and community. That was my intent to bring some designers together. Like I said, I think we’re going to be rising. There’s a lot of interest in China and there’s a lot of talent here, but it’s still in an immature stage, it’s growing.

What’s your design process?
I suppose it starts with inspiration and I quite often get inspired by art. I love going to art fairs like Miami Basel; even Shanghai’s quite good for art. Then I suppose I think about my customers and myself. There’s two types of designers: those who design whimsical and those to do reality. I’m probably more on the reality side. I think about what women want, how does it feel, what do I wear, what occasions do we go to. I think of the lifestyle of some of my clients and what they need. I think I’ve got two clients. One is a very fashionista trendsetter who wants to be empowered by feeling sexy and tall and fashion. And then I’ve got another woman that’s indulgent and wants to treat herself and be comfortable at home but still fashionable. I’m a Gemini so I think that it’s a reflection of these two personalities. In my look book, you’ve got these kind of organic, provocative images that are pushing boundaries and then you’ve got these humorous fun ones.

What’s the worst shoe ever designed?
Oh. I don’t know, well I should probably say the Croc, but I think that every design has function and there are enough people in the world for everything to go around. We can’t all be creative, we can’t all be ambitious, we can’t all like high heels and we can’t all like flats. There’s a shoe that fits all. I should say there’s a Prince Charming for everyone.

If you could only own three pairs of shoes, what would they be?
Mary Ching, Mary Ching and Mary Ching.

Which styles?
I would need one pair of slippers, one pair of flats and one pair of high heels. Very practical then.

What do you never leave the house without?
Mr. Dim Sum

Aww, Mr. Dim Sum is very cute.
Also known as Spider Dim.

How would you describe your personal style?
I suppose it’s easiest to describe as to how people describe me: eccentric and eclectic. Very often my friends say to me, “only you could leave the house looking like that.” When I’m happy, I like to be colorful. I like clashing colors, I think its kind of fun and I like clashing prints. That’s reflected in my shoes. I like mixing materials. I don’t do it in such an extreme form because it needs to be wearable. I like to use lace and snakeskin with jacquard. I like the combinations and I try to incorporate it in my shoes, but my personal style is the more colorful the better.

A lot of people complain about shopping in Shanghai? What are the shops you would recommend?
Excited waving of fashion map
Thank you very much! The fashion map is your answer.

Oh, William the Beekeeper’s in here. How did you choose which designers to include?
Originally, I wanted to make it only Chinese designers but we also felt that there are some cool boutiques owned by westerners, so we shouldn’t limit it. So, it’s really just fashion design in Shanghai, but a cross. You can find a bit of street wear, couture, fashion, something for everyone. It’s an ability to explore the city at the same time.

Do you have a style icon?
I want to say Minnie Mouse. No, actually I really like Betty Boop and Jessica Rabbit.

I love that you said two cartoons. What’s your favorite city in the world?
That’s also a difficult one. There’s no one city because you always discover new ones. Obviously I love Shanghai and London and Paris. I love exploring cities in Asia like Seoul and Japan. I am definitely an urban girl.

How do I love thee, brogues, let me count the ways:

1. The mere addition of them makes a neutral dress look way more fashiony (p.s. I don’t care if that’s a real word).

2. The panels lend themselves to a wealth of two-toned options.

3. Flexibility: they look great with ankle socks, knee socks, without socks, with tights. (Hint: let your pins be your guide)

4. The more beat up they get the cooler they look.

5. Cute ankles look even cuter in them and let’s face it, cankles always look bad, so that’s not a fair reason to blame the shoes.

6. Alexa Chung wears them.

7. Seasonless appeal

8. More arch support and shock absorption than ballet flats, perfect for a long day of bargaining.

Additionals:

Please wear me, me or, if you are independently wealthy, me with brogues

Brogue options for the tightwad and wad-blower alike

I think it’s pretty common knowledge among the fashion-savvy and possibly also the not-fashion-savvy that your handbag says a lot about you.  I recently read an article in which some stylists, including Rachel Zoe, wax lyrical about how the purse can be the most exciting and telling part of the outfit, largely because it has nothing to do with your body type so there are fewer restrictions in what you choose to sling across your shoulder or hang in the crook of your arm.

I think shoes fall in a similar category.  Of course there are some limiting factors in footwear – dress codes and weather being among them – but footwear is a great place to splash out a bit and show your true colors.  Like cobalt blue.  The rest of the outfit may be a bit staid, but the shoes catch your eye and send a flutter of excitement from your lashes to your tummy.  They compliment the neutral pallette and houndstooth jacket quite nicely, and if they were about 2 inches higher, I might be in shoe envy mode.  The bag’s not bad, either.

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 read more…