Walking around May 21st

After an afternoon next to Xihu, I split apart from my classmates and wandered around a busy street. Mostly consisting of women's shops, it was my first real glace at Chinese youth fashion and it found it extremely intriguing. The focus on tiered tunics, sheer fabrics, shiny embellishments, oversized doll-like details. I popped into a couple open shops (no store front/door/windows) and at my overwhelmed state, I almost purchased an outfit for kicks.

The weather is so humid in Hangzhou, the women are smart in dressing in sheer layers. If you want to look at more styles, check out my style blog, The Curious Octopus to see local looks. The garments in these shops are usually purchased as prepackaged ensembles: tank top, sheer top, and vest are displayed on a hanger together with a picture of a model in the same outfit. and it is all only 30 RMB (around 4 USD??) Feichang pianyi!

The shoes in store are also fun to look at. I observe the shoes how I observed a childhood friend's mom's crystal animal collection. Drawn in by the sparkle, scared to touch, interested but recognizing it is/will never be something I would want. Even if I did want a pair, the largest available size is probably a 36 (I am a 39 or 40). The women in Hangzhou are especially tiny. The kitten heel slip-on sandal is pretty popular (about 1-1.5 inch heel)

Along the street, many merchants set items for sale including umbrellas, baby shoes, and these candy colored ribbon clips. As I was walking past, a woman began to lay out the clips on a towel and I stopped to sift through, soon I was literally being shoved over by other women trying to have a look at the precious accessories! I ended up snatching 5 for 20 RMB.

I gave Ma laoshi's daughter Jade 2 of the bows when they took our group out for dinner. Jade is 3 years old. oh well, I match a three-year-old.. I still think the bows are darling!