Actor Wang Yangming attends the Alexander Wang x H&M event in Shanghai on November 4. Photo: CFP

Celebrities and models wearing Alexander Wang x H&M selections Photo: CFP

The minute Alexander Wang x H&M hit the shelves in Chinese stores on November 6, it soon became a fashion sensation. Trendsetters rushed into stores to snatch up these crossover clothes as soon as they could. The sports chic style of Alexander Wang and relatively lower price of H&M made the clothing line like a great buy for anyone, but let's face it, not everyone looks good in them.

Many celebrities posted pictures of themselves wearing Alexander Wang x H&M in support of the clothing line's debut. Beautiful actresses such as Fan Binging, who projected an aura of sexy and cool, and singer Li Yuchun, with her tall, thin and tomboyish figure, were perfect for this new series.

For average people like myself, however, while we imagine that we can be incredibly cool like them, the reality is a bitter to swallow. Lacking the tall and thin figures of models or actresses, the short scuba top and huge loose jacket makes us look like short fat dwarves wearing a thick quilt wrapped around us. 

To prove this point, German magazine Stern took photographs of several ordinary people wearing Alexander Wang x H&M in the same style as promotional photos using professional models. These people struck all the same poses, yet the effect was totally different.

Fashion really isn't something that everyone can handle.

Even among celebrities and fashion icons, choosing the wrong outfit can turn something stylish into a total disaster. Rihanna is a fashion icon that photographers love to chase. My impression of her is that she is sexy, stylish and possesses a great figure. Proof of her fame and influence in the fashion world came when she received the new Alexander Wang x H&M in advance, a month before the release date.

But the skin-tight waist-length jacquard-knit top and sports legging made her bottom and legs look enormous, and not in a good way. The outfit looked just like what people in China call qiuyi and qiuku, the underwear top and bottom you wear during the winter to keep you warm.

It's a fact: Just because something is trendy doesn't mean it can make anyone look good.

Know oneself

Like many people, whenever the newest, hottest fashion arrives in clothing stores I can't help but buy a few items. But after years of failed shopping experiences, a pile of clothes that don't suit me at all sits ignored in my closet. 

Oversized coats are the trend for this winter. Almost all designer labels have been promoting their winter selections with long oversized woolen coats and more than a few fashion magazines are suggesting we all have on of these coats on hand in our closets.

However, when I try these one at the retail store, I just look like a walking loaf of bread.

Customers on Chinese shopping sites such as Taobao are having similar experiences. 

One function on Taobao enables people who have purchased clothing to comment and upload pictures that other potential buyers can use as a reference. Looking at the many uploaded pictures of these famous fashion brands, the general consensus seems to be that these clothes are nothing like the promotional pictures.

Even something as simple as a T-shirt or a long dress can look totally different on a model versus your average person. A slightly chubby woman's belly can turn a tiger patter on a T-shirt into a 3D experience. This fact has caused some sellers to pay buyers to remove these types of photos from their site.

Of course this doesn't mean that ordinary citizens like us can't be fashionable. We just need to be fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of our own body types and find a style that suits us, instead of blindly chasing the trends that fashion giants keep pushing on us.