can you du it? October 11, 2006 10:41 am >> In Asia, Du Juan is "pretty -- not stunning, but pretty." Lu Yan "is known, not unaffectionately, as the Ugly Duckling." Even Hye Park is "plain." The discrepancy between what is beautiful in the West and what is beautiful in the East is definitely discernable: "Western photographers look for character but with the Chinese it's different," says Angelica Cheung, editor of Chinese Vogue. And as designers expand more and more in Asia, maximizing on the spending power and trying to appeal to a new group of consumers, the face of fashion is forced to change once again. Will the designers cast two different ad campaigns -- one to appeal to the Western idea of beauty and one to appeal to the Eastern ideal? Or will they find somehow to bridge both ideals? Some say Du Juan is the first to start building that bridge. I say it's going to take a lot more effort than one person. But I do look forward to seeing the outcome -- I've always loved fashion for this reason. It's forced to be everchanging, chameleonic. Always a sense of mystery, of what's coming next, and how it will adapt.
L'Autre Chose
Esprit