Fashion, as we true enthusiasts know, is universal. It crosses seemingly impenetrable boundaries.
Likewise, here at Notre Dame, we are lucky enough to belong to a student body with representatives from every part of the international scene.
With this spirit in mind, how can we not combine the forces of fashion and student perspective for a greater good?
I interviewed our first fashion ambassador YitongZheng, a senior and a proud young Chinese woman.
Commenting on the differences between American and Chinese fashion, and sharing style notes, Yitong opens our eyes to the cool Chinese fashion aesthetic and the global fashion forces at work on our very own campus.
FbyF: So, Yitong, what were your style influences growing up in China?
YZ: Well, high school is generally when you start developing your own style. At boarding school for five days a week you hang out with your friends, read a lot of fashion magazines and start to cultivate that "daredevil" sense of young fashion.
You move away from the more conservative generation of your parents' style, and in China there's a lot of Western style influence, so we definitely adapt that as well.
FbyF: What do you think is unique to Chinese Fashion?
YZ: There's a huge sense of "dressing neutral," and androgyny in Chinese fashion. Men have a more feminine aesthetic, girls dress very boyish. This is definitely not something, especially for men, that you would see here on campus and in the States.
Likewise, there is a "cuteness," meaning absorbing different influences from all over Asia into a young anime, naive and happy aesthetic.
You can see this in the many colorful and character-driven accessories that a range of Chinese women embrace, from teenagers to early 30-year-olds.
Also, the use of parasols is indicative of a different sense of beauty. Here in the States, tan means beautiful, in China, a lighter, paler skin tone is the most desirable.
FbyF: What was the most surprising fashion impression you had when you arrived at Notre Dame for your freshman year?
YZ: I was so surprised by how casually people dress to go to class, and then how dressed up they would get to go out to evening events, almost as if they were changing into a different person.
In China, you never wear sweatpants out of the house. After a 16 hour flight back to China the summer after my freshman year, I got off the plane in sweatpants and my mother asked me how I could wear those in public.
The private and public spheres are much more delineated. In China, students get more dressed up for class, but they dress down for evening events.
FbyF: So have you changed your overall Fashion since being at Notre Dame?
YZ: Yes, I'm more concerned about my formal wear when I'm in China. And I'm more casual to go to class at Notre Dame and overall. Also, before, I would wear much more anime items like in China, but now I wear them less.
FbyF: Have you noticed a general change in the dress of other students from China?
YZ: Yes, I think overall the fashion is more Americanized, but we still bring the animated, fun quality of China style into our everyday aesthetic.
Contact Felicia Caponigri at
fcaponig@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
