Many shops in the Wudaokou area offer the most stylish and fashionable clothes and accessories, making this shopping venue very popular among young urban people.

A little two-story shop, Wayne, has become a new shopping destination for men’s clothes. Its target customers are the students of the nearby universities, so the most attractive feature at Wayne’s is that it sells big brands at very reasonable prices.

For example, you can get collared Esprit shirts for RMB 98, and Diesel jeans at RMB 198.

The shop assistants speak a basic English, Korean and Japanese, so they can help you around.

What I appreciate

An Esprit shirt

What customers appreciate

Big brands at reasonable prices

As I walked along the North 3rd Ring Road, I stumbled upon a women's apparel shop with a strange name, Blur. Curious about the shop's name, I decided to take a look inside.

According to the shop assistant, Blur Apparel owns many chain outlets in Beijing. She says that the Blur’s business philosophy is to design Chinese apparel mixed with modern elements. So people cannot categorize them as either traditional or modern style.

New arrivals were displayed on the walls, while older styles hung on the racks at 20% discount. As I looked around, I saw that most patrons prefered bright hues with intricate designs. The shop assistant recommended a Chinese style ladies' jacket with a deep white hue and green bamboo designs on the front. The sale price was RMB 228 after a 20% discount.

Customers may request unique apparels made to order. It takes about one month, and there is just a little surcharge. Unfortunately, the shop assistant does not speak English.

What I appreciated:

The traditional Chinese winter jackets in white

What customers appreciate:

Low prices, high quality

The 2nd floor of Cuiwei Shopping Plaza features numerous brands of women's wear. One brand that caught my eye during my visit was Lavinia from Italy.

Lavinia is quite popular in Beijing, as evidenced by its name showing up at just about every mall and department store in the capital. According to the shop assistant, all apparels are designed in Italy, while their clothes are made in both Shenzhen in south China and Italy.

The shop assistant showed me some of their new arrivals. I took a close look at a beautiful dark coffee-colored one-piece dress (RMB 578). This sleeveless dress featured a simple yet exquisite design, with a crown leather strap decorated in the middle. Its materials included cotton, terylene, and urethane elastic fiber.

Generally, the apparels come in two levels of prices: RMB 500 to RMB 1000, and over RMB 1000.

What I appreciated:

One piece dress in coffee hue, simple design

What customers appreciate:

High quality, reasonable price

Who says sporting clothes can’t be chic? Y-3, a recent addition to the China World Shopping Mall, started as a collaboration between Japanese-born designer Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas in 2002. And has since become its own style.

Although originally conceived as a sportswear line, Y-3 is actually more like a fashion brand, perfectly combining athletic and fashion elements in its design. Its collection features a minimal color palette of black, white and red, nicely in harmony with the store's black-and-white decor.

The collections include mini dresses, leather pants, blazers, shoes, and belts. A prime example of their style is their line of black suits with Swarovski crystal-encrusted shoulder stripes (RMB 3270). This chic suit will certainly provide a nice upgrade from those normal uninspired office wears.

The prices for the casual clothes range from RMB 800 to RMB 4,000; while, the shoes will cost you between RMB 2,000 and RMB 3,000. The shop assistants speak basic English, so simple conversation is not a problem.

What I appreciate

The men's black jacket

What customers appreciate

Full range of chic sportswear

A recent craze with Chinese youngsters is the "Lovers' Shirts", two shirts with matching designs made for couples. One such shop that caters to these young lovers is Manshina. I visited their shop in the Zhongguancun Walking Street Plaza, conveniently located near several major Universities, where their main customer base lies.

As I stepped into the shop, I saw matching shirts displayed in pairs on every wall. The shop assistant told me that the shirts are manufactured in Shanghai. I took a close look at one of the shirts. It featured a crew-neck, a soft yet thick feel, and made from 100% cotton.

As for the designs, you have quite a few to choose from. First, there are your traditional Chinese designs, like paper-cut pictures, various animals, and ancient Chinese calligraphy. Then, there are western patterns, such as a fitting Santa Claus design for a ho-ho-ho Christmas in Beijing!

The price is uniform for all designs: RMB 136 for a set of 2 T-shirts and RMB 176 for a set of 2 long-sleeved shirts. These prices are not negotiable.

What I appreciated:

Santa design for the holiday season

What customers appreciate:

Lots of designs, good quality

Combining the traditions of London's Savile Row with modern design concepts, Trarls Gledon aims to provide the ultimate high-end suit tailoring service in Beijing. After visiting its shopin Kunlun Hui Shopping mall, I came away quite impressed.

The key to their service is their strong emphasis on the customer. First, they profile your whole body, analyzing everything from exact measurements to skin tone. The next stage is to build the garment itself; customers can choose from 4,000-5,000 designs, including the latest fashions from Europe each season.

The tailors at Trarls Gledon take pride in working solely with top-end suppliers, including premium Italian cashmere merchant Loro Piana and Switzerland’s Alumo, who produce the finest in Egyptian cotton for shirts. Attention to detail also extends to the tailoring process itself. Without using glue, each suit will require over 3,000 hand stitches, involving 375 different procedures, to ensure that the suit keeps its shape after dry cleaning.

The entire process takes between four and six weeks, and price range from RMB 8,000 to RMB 100,000. The shop assistants speak basic English, and can forward any ideas or concerns to your tailor

What I appreciate

Various European designs

What customers appreciate

High-end suit tailoring and various European designs

With an outlet near the Central University for Nationalities, ReZeXX caters to the younger generation with stylish casual apparels. The designs come from Hong Kong, but products are made in GuangDong.

The store is plainly decorated, but gave me a sense of fashion. Inside, I found that the majority of the merchandise focuses on young men, including jeans, T-shirts, and long sleeve shirts. Of course, they also have plenty of women's apparel, such as crew-neck T-shirts and turn-down collared shirts. I took a close look at a white male sportswear (RMB 400). It felt thick but soft, good for exercising in Beijing's colder months.

The shop assistant showed me an orange ladies sweater (RMB 319), featuring a large crew-neck, extra long sleeves, and stencil flowers design. It looked absolutely perfect for indoor comfort during the winter.  

Prices range from RMB 100 to RMB 600. When the customers buy matching clothes, such as a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, the shop offers a free T-shirt.

What I appreciated:

Orange sweater

What customers appreciate:

Good quality, reasonable prices

Felissimo is a Japanese chain with four branches in Beijing now. Their newly opened China World Shopping Mall branch carries a variety of everyday life knickknacks like ceramic utensils, green-tea-filled pillows, chemistry set-inspired vases, and many other unique ideas for home decor.

They also have a line of stylish casual clothing line, including hooded wool sweaters (RMB 529), wool-knitted skirts (RMB 529), and warm winter jackets with faux wool lining (RMB 729). These stylish items not only look good, but also very practical for Beijing’s cold winter. The designs tend to be unisex, and come in sizes for all ages.

The prices range from RMB 9 for a business card holder, going up to RMB 1,199 for a men's jacket. The assistants speak basic English and good Japanese, so simple conversation is not a problem.

What I appreciate

The men's jacket

What customers appreciate

Nice line of clothes and strange accessories

A You's women's wear is renowned for its unique design and strong Chinese ethnic style. Located at XieJieKou North Street, you will find a range of trendy clothes for women designed by top local designers. Founded in 1996, the 20 square-meters shop has been regarded as the first choice for women's wear among the young ladies in Beijing.

The shop assistant told me that the best seller is the gracious tee dress. It is a beautiful short length dress with hand-embellished sequins and copper domes. This eye-catching dress, priced at RMB 388, is the face of A You’s winter collection.

The prices range from RMB 168 to RMB 358 for summer clothes and from RMB 180 to RMB 520 for winter clothes. Shop assistants speak basic English, so simple conversation is no problem.

What I appreciate

Chinese ethnic style

What customers appreciate

Trendy women's clothes and reasonable prices

With an outlet on the 2nd floor of Huatang Plaza, Bossini offers modern fashion for young ladies and teenagers in the capital. This Hong Kong brand, which uses designs from both China and the west, is popular in many Asian countries. 

As I examined the clothes inside the store, I found the main hues used are white, orange, black, and pink. The new arrivals were displayed neatly on the racks by the entrance. While towards the back, I found a clearance on offseason clothes at 60% off.

The shop assistant recommended me a white casual shirt made of cotton, terelyne, and sticky fiber. This shirt, with a black tie in the front, looked simple but fashionable (RMB 300).

On the discount rack I found a strap in red and black. After the 60% discount, it’s only RMB 35.

The shop assistants could speak a little English with foreign customers.

What I appreciated:

The white casual shirt

What customers appreciate:

Good quality, reasonable prices