The Beijinger Blog - Shopping

Dior Show Review

thebeijinger — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:05:54 +0800

I won't lie I’m not big on Dior. Prior to visiting the Dior show at Ullens my experience with the brand was limited to a bright orange knock-off t-shirt I bought on the street that had a black power fist on it and happened to read, “Dior Not War.”

Being a human who lacks the ability to match clothing, I did not expect to understand or appreciate the Dior show, so I was surprised to find that it impressed me greatly. The show mixes original Dior dresses from the 1940s up to present, some of them so old they are falling apart, together with works of art inspired by Dior done by 22 different Chinese artists.

Just For Kicks: Skating to Tian'anmen

thebeijinger — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:00:49 +0800

Beijing has had its very own Olympics, it's got its very own cuisine so what else could it possibly need? The people over at Nike thought they had the answer to that conundrum when they commissioned the city’s very own sneaker. You heard right, Beijing has got it’s very own Nike shoe to confirm its place on the world map.

North Korean Film Screening and Koryo Tours Christmas Sale

thebeijinger — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:00:10 +0800

Fans of all things North Korean will delight in the North Korean Film
Festival, which is due to kick off this Sunday at around 6.30pm at Yugong Yishan. It starts with the charming football documentary, The Game of Their Lives, which tells the true story of the 1966 World Cup underdogs North Korea ousting the Italian favorites. Then at about 9pm there follows a screening of The Schoolgirl's Diary which shows the influx of Westernization through the eyes of a young North Korean girl. The night wraps up with a late screening of monster movie Pulgasari at about 11pm.

DIY Halloween Costumes

thebeijinger — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:00:02 +0800

This Friday is Halloween meaning you only have four days to get to work on a costume that could win you thousands of kuai and other great prizes at the huge range of Halloween-themed parties going on around town next weekend. China is a wonderland for those with a fetish for dressing up. If you’re feeling creative, any market and RMB 50 should suffice. If you need a bit more direction, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best places to go shopping for that prize-winning costume:

Alien Street Market
Laofanjie Shichang, Yabao Lu (south of Fulllink Plaza), Chaoyang District.
老番街市场, 朝阳区雅宝路

Beijing Wantong Market
2 Fuchengmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. (6804 6283)
北京万通批发市场地址：阜成门外大街2号

Dirty Scenes at the “Dirty Thirty” Diesel Jeans Launch

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:00:52 +0800

Astonishing scenes at Shin Kong Place this morning: Whilst the rest of the mall was as eerily quiet and empty as ever, those who made it up to the third floor were greeted with rows of security staff, frantic Shin Kong Place personnel, and perhaps the hippest-clad rabble imaginable, who were screaming, shouting, and at some points, throwing punches at the security staff.

They were all there trying to get their hands on a pair of Diesel’s limited and special edition “Dirty Thirty” jeans. Perhaps it was the extremely limited run of the jeans that caused panic (a mere 30,000 pairs have been released worldwide). Maybe it was the hyper-trendy style that everyone wanted a piece of. We’re putting our money, however, on the fact that these jeans were being sold at RMB 390 – the low price tag is apparently a gesture to thank Diesel’s fans for their loyalty over the past 30 years.

Kate Moss Top Shop coming to Beijing

thebeijinger — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:41:02 +0800

We almost choked on our gongbao jiding when we heard this one, but believe it or not, you'll soon be able to buy clothing from Top Shop in Beijing. And not just any old rags either. We're happy to announce that the Kate Moss for Top Shop collection will soon be sold in the Beijing branch of Lane Crawford. Kate Moss' collections have been doing frightfully well back in Blighty, and will probably sell out in seconds here also. Sharpen those elbows, girls, it'll probably get nasty. For details of how to get to Lane Crawford, see the listing in our online directories.

Other excitement, for fans of posh clothing ... French brand Mushi is having a 50-80% off sale. They're trying to clear out the older stock in order to create some space for the new autumn/winter collection. We can't wait! For details of how to get to the Beijing branch of Mushi, see the listing in our online directories.

Yueshow (the poor man's Yashow) is soon to snog the wrecking ball. Rumour has it that it's going to make way for a Dazhong electronics store. Either way, it'll be chai'd fairly soon. The good news here is that the stall holders are desperately trying to flog whatever stock they've got before time is called, and now is your chance to get the bargain of the century. We've heard rumours of less-than-genuine Crocs being sold for RMB 5 per pair, which some might argue still represents something of a rip off, but there we are. Buy now, or forever hold your peace.

Shoppers on your mark!

thebeijinger — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:53:28 +0800

Olympic fever is in full swing, and for those who prefer to give their credit cards a workout, there’s ample opportunity to spend, spend, spend. Many new stores have surfaced in time for the Games, and of these we recommend checking out the following:

Shanghai Tang

This upscale brand has long pushed the hackneyed vision of Chinese design that foreign tourists (particularly moneyed ones) know and love, making the timing for this opening particularly apt. However, the brand has been evolving, and now offers more than dragon-embellished silk qipao and mandarin collar pajamas, which does make the positioning of the new store somewhat disappointing. The stunning Fall/Winter collection isn’t on sale yet, but the gorgeous leather and jade bags (from RMB 4,500) are most certainly worth snapping up, especially given the 30 percent summer discount on selected lines. This is a label to watch, and this larger second store is worth checking out. But if you must insist upon sporting attire, Shanghai Tang has released a “charming” take on a basketball shirt (complete with Chinesey embroidery).

Daily 10am-10pm. 1-2, 1/F, Ritz-Carlton Beijing, 83A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (5908 8048) Visit the website for more Beijing locations.
潮阳区建国路甲83号丽思卡尔顿酒店大堂层1-2铺

Solana's Tsingtao Beer Palace

thebeijinger — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:30:14 +0800

About two weeks ago, one of the interns who's working with our Immersion Guides team went and took a look around the recently opened Solana Mall or as they prefer to call it, the Solana Lifestyle Shopping Center. Located across the road and just to the south of the odd mixture of restaurants that, along with White Rabbit, make up the Lucky Street strip, the mall is nestled between the scented waters of the Liangma River and the vast expanse of Chaoyang Park. He reported back that, despite the attempts too create a Venetian Plaza feel, the mall was "more Malibu than Middle Kingdom" and it reminded him of the suburbian strip malls that dot the LA landscape. Similar comments can be found in this article and over at this thread on the Beijinger forum.

The place is indeed huge, and although not all the stores are open yet, can easily provide a whole afternoon's worth of distraction. In terms of what has already opened, Solana is home to Beijing's third Zara store, Sephora and Esprit; new branches of some of Beijing's most popular restaurants including Maxim's (opened last Sunday), Banana Leaf, Feiteng Yuxiang, 1001 Nights; as well as some new arrivals such as Todai and Latin Grill. Last weekend, Solana wrapped up a series of regular weekend activities (you can take a look at the program here), and also unveiled their new bar strip, although the reportedly "international" club Crobar is still yet to reveal itself. In terms of other diversions, the indoor ice-skating rink has already opened its doors and the cinema is set to open by the end of the month.

World's largest adidas store to open in Sanlitun at midnight tonight

thebeijinger — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:30:03 +0800

Until recently, the local front in the Nike versus adidas war has been played out on the billboards lining Wangfujing and Xidan. The two global brands are also struggling to be the providers of whatever sporting apparel athletes choose, or are instructed, to wear at the Beijing Olympics. The competition between the two brands in the Chinese market heats up with the opening of adidas' flagship store at Sanlitun's village tonight. The Beijinger's Fashion and Beauty Editor Halla Mohieddeen got a chance to take a sneak peek at the store yesterday and gives us her take below. Images by Simon Lim

adidas Brand Center
Daily 10am-10pm. Bldg 11, South Area, Sanlitun Village, 19 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District.
朝阳区三里屯南路19号11幢

Designed to create a village within a city, the striking development in the heart of Sanlitun is slowly taking shape. The boards have come down, and we're now starting to see more of the eclectic mix of structures that will make up the shopping and entertainment district. The first store to throw open its doors is the new adidas Brand Center, adidas' global flagship store.

Boasting 3,170 sqm of floor space, this new store will be adidas’ largest worldwide. What's more, it brings together all the brand's concept lines under one roof, another first for the brand. This means that whether you want shoes, kids clothing, accessories and apparel, or lines such as Y-3 or adidas by Stella McCartney, it's now all available under one roof.

Beijing's Beer Wars

thebeijinger — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:30:22 +0800

Competition is starting to warm up in the Beijing beer market as the dominant, but reportedly cash-strapped, Yanjing (they control 85% of the Beijing market) and their arch rival Tsingtao are in the process of being surrounded by two beer producing giants: Snow (backed by China Resources) and Budweiser. The recent completion of Snow's new RMB 600 million factory in neighboring Hebei's Sanhe City, which is capable of producing 600,000 kilo liters of beer per year, was swiftly followed by Budweiser's announcement of a RMB 350 million investment in nearby Tangshan. Executives from both companies are openly stating that they're making a move on the lucrative North Eastern China market that’s centered on Beijing.

Tsingtao, who have been trying to make inroads into the Beijing market for a long time now, are also trying to take advantage of an Olympic spike and increase their market presence before the big beer groups arrive. They're working on a "Taste of Beijing" beer developing a more "Beijing style" approach and have invested RMB 20 million in setting up a large "Beer Culture Area" in Chaoyang Park during the Olympics.

Hopefully all the competition, which consumers will recognize by the presence of Hapi (Harbin Beer – owned by Budweiser) and a new Snow product called "Snow Beishuang" in stores, will put pressure on Yanjing to, despite the rise in the price of raw materials, stop raising their prices.