One Elle of a night

• Source: Global Times
• [10:20 July 20 2010]
• Comments

Beauty Specialist Niu Er.

For Valerie Toranian, editor of French Elle and organizer of the awards, this sense of professionalism is what characterizes the best of fashion. But she also admits it's easy for outsiders to take pot shots at an industry seemingly peopled by shallow and self-regarding amateurs.

"I have to say that before I worked in the industry, I also thought fashion was a shallow and superficial concern," she told the Global Times.

While Toranian thinks Shanghai still lags behind the world's major fashion hubs, she believes the city's current growth far outpaces similar new developments in Paris, New York and Milan. "What is still a problem is that many Chinese people think of fashion as simply the logos of famous luxury brands, without understanding the connotations and concepts behind these logos. Being stylish is more than just imitating a model in a fashion spread, or carrying a Louis Vuitton bag or being dressed in Prada," she said. But Toranian insists these attitudes are slowly changing.

"In the beginning people will naturally copy models' and rich people's fashion sense. But when they understand more about these brands, they will want to create their own unique styles. And with events like this, we hope to provide a platform to help both artists and consumers achieve this."