Li Wan Square, Guangzhou, China!

As you know, if only from the post on the subject in the archives below, Li Wan Square is South China's attempt to become the new Ginza.

Li Wan Square

And Ginza, as you probably already know too, is the Fashion Capital of Japan; an area where high-concept Fashionistas go to be seen. It's wonderful and I highly recommend, when you're next in Tokyo, you spend an afternoon and evening or two sitting in the long windows at any McDonald's in this Tokyo suburb and watch all the Gorgeous People strutting their latest. Seriously cool! Like, absolutely the coolest of Seriously-Cool anyplace EVER!

So Li Wan Square is Guangdong's attempt at ...

Putting it out there!

... and it's terrific to see, and I'm intending to go there often to watch the progress!

In the meantime, I may have given you the wrong impression of the place in my previous post on the subject because I took photographs on a Monday morning when it was only marginally busy.

Monday morning

But here it is on a Saturday afternoon:

Seriously popular?

However, although I planned to again go up to sit in the windows and watch, the McDonalds on the eastern side seems to be refitting the windows ...

Refitting the McWindows.

... although I saw nothing wrong with the set-up of the old ones ...

Three weeks ago

... I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the new ones Ginza-to-the-Max. Or maybe the Communist Party ordered them to shut it down. They're wet-blanket-y enough to do that. I'll have to go back to find out.

Anyway, last week's HK Magazine was on Guangzhou and had an article on Li Wan Square and, although I have the greatest respect for HK Mag, I didn't recognise the place from what was said:

Cover story!
Li Wan Square fashionistas?
I think not!

Reading all this, I found it difficult to believe it had Ginza-ed so seriously in only three weeks, so I went to check it out again ... and here's what I found instead:

Sweetness and Light!
(I think these two look
gorgeous however)

More Sweetness and Light!

Even More Sweetness and Light!


Literally dripping with
Sweetness and Light.

Although I think, as a style, it looks gorgeous, it's not intended to be ironic. They mean this! They really are all sweetness and light! For teenage statement dressing, it lacks a certain something, wouldn't you say? Like, what this says to me is "I do my homework, eat my greens and help old ladies cross the road." Look, I'm a high school teacher so naturally I have no objection to teenagers being like that in reality, but surely they shouldn't dress to display it.

I think teenage fashion isn't something that should make your mother feel proud. If you're getting it right, it should be all "You're not going out dressed in that, young lady!"

Like this girl almost gets it right! Although I think her tights should be much darker, she's got a really nice grunge thing happening here. It almost makes a "this is who I am" statement.

Close, but no cigar!

But these two just nail it! Gosh, I can see parental screeching behind these outfits!

That's a nice teenage-rebellion thing they've got happening there. They're saying "I'm dark and difficult and think for myself! And you should really check out my art work" Of course, maybe they just copied it from the latest issue of Japan's "Nonno" or "With" but it still is worthy of kudos. Like, the guys in the photo way above just wear it on their T-shirts, but these two gorgeous kiddies actually DO "Creativity and Innovation"

So there you go. Li Wan Square last weekend. And, as you can see, it isn't quite sino-Ginza yet, but well on the way.