Hong Kong is, as anyone living here will know, the place where the term "fashion" has a wide definition. Mostly this involves every single one of this season's fashions occuring all at once on one person. Only in HK can one see, as I did at the weekend, a girl wearing those odd ankle boot things designed to look like trainers but with high heels, with black leggings, a puffball skirt and an off the shoulder baggy top. This subject has been covered at length by my good friend LottieP in her blog so I shall not go into more detail other than to set the scene.
While you at least have to admire the creativity, if not sense, of your average 16 year old Hong Konger in her attempt to be up to date, your average pregnant woman in Hong Kong sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. No yummy mummies for you here, it seems that almost every pregnant woman in Hong Kong decides to don a large, cheap, cotton, smock-type dress as soon as she shows a bump. Prior to coming to HK the only person I had seen wear such a garment was Homer Simpson in the episode where he decided to become clinically obsese to get benefits. Sexy and gorgeous they are not.
Which confuses me even more. The women who, overnight, try to turn themselves into a pale pink or pale blue scout campsite are in the main gorgeous. Your average Hong Kong woman is stunning, so why they seem so keen to adopt these hideous afronts to fashion is beyond me.
I am most certainly not looking at my best at the moment. Although Greenpeace have yet to come to repatriate this particular beached whale back into the sea, it is only a matter of time. But even I, in my largesse, can't see why I would want to look like something you would erect in your back garden for a wedding (although the rapidly increasing size of bump means I am available to hire should you be looking).
There are exceptions. S, who I work with and is due in 4 weeks, has adopted a series of lovely tight tops and sexy trousers and looks amazing whenever she comes to work. P turned up at a ball, 8 months pregnant in a gorgeous silk pleated number showing her toned curves and lushious bump - and proceeded to boogie with her husband until the wee small hours. However, these are the exceptions and you will still see the majority of pregnant women of any nationality in this city adopting this shapeless, unappealing, almost unisex, uniform.
And of course, they are always wearing flat shoes.
How did that happen?
3 years ago
1 comment:
Homer's garment was called a muumuu. He teamed it with an attractive flat cap (known as a "bunnet" in Scotland), of course, which made him look all the more fetching.
Chinese women traditionally don't wear two-pieces when they're pregnant as the belief is that it constricts the baby. Hence the preponderance of voluminous smocks which, even in size bird, can make any woman look like a walking circus tent.
The only thing to be said for the empire line, smock-tastic items in the shops in the last couple of seasons is that if you're pregnant, you can still look like everyone else this season.
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