Shanghai Fashion Week gives the world a look at creativity, China-style

The fashion world has had its eyes fixed firmly on Shanghai over the past week, hoping to catch a glimpse of what China's most creative minds picture the world wearing over the next 12 months.

China's rising band of designers are slowly forcing their way onto the global stage and Shanghai Fashion Week certainly had its share of glitz and glamour.

As the event tries to hold its head higher than the rival China International Fashion Week, held last month in the capital Beijing, a stream of international heavyweights were brought in to strut their stuff on the catwalks set up within Shanghai's ultra-cool Xintiandi district.

The "Pearl of the Orient" (as Shanghai was known back in the decadent days of the 1920s and 30s) played host to the likes of Italy's Sforza and Mazzi and the hip styles of France's agnès b - a label that has a huge following in Asia. Dior was also in town, presenting China with its 2012 spring couture show.

But it seems the 18th edition of Shanghai's fashion extravaganza - which finished Tuesday - was mostly about promoting the locals, with a collection of Chinese designers hogging the limelight - and all the headlines.

International fashion industry tracker Nadine Kam (http://fashiontribe.staradvertiserblogs.com) was particularly taken by the creations on show from the studio of China's Zix Guan, who is, as it turns out, a big fan of Hollywood icon Angelina Jolie, the woman who inspired Guan's collection "Killers."

Kam says the designer told her the collection was all about power, something Jolie possesses in spades. "Women in this country need to have power. In China, a lot of girls, women just live for their family, their love, their children; they never live for themselves. Women need power, but they still need to be sexy. This collection uses leather to make a woman feel powerful, with lace to make women more sexy," was the designer's explanation.

For those wanting a peek at what went on in Shanghai over the past week, check out videos of the major shows on http://www.shanghaifashionweek.com

MS



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