Beijing Style

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Natalie here---I have a few words on Chinese hospitality. It is incredible! Not only were we treated like royalty by our new friends, but I was lucky enough to have a traditional Chinese dress made for me. Now, I have been to tailors before, but those experiences don't even compare to the one I had in Beijing. Our friends picked us up in the morning and drove us to "the best tailor shop in Beijing" which has been in the same hutong shop for 100 years. Just getting to the shop was something, as we had to navigate our way through construction workers desperately trying to finish the refurbishment before the Olympics. Once inside the shop I was greeted with a huge catalog of choices. "Do you want a long formal Chinese gown or a short one? What season do you want to wear it? Sleeves or no sleeves?" Oh my. I could not decide. Luckily I had my two new friends, Susie and Lily (aka Bessie), to act as my stylists. They jumped right in and helped me make a decision---traditional with fabric appropriate to wear in autumn. Then it was on to fabric selection. The tailor led us to the back of the shop which opened up into a HUGE room with thousands of fabric styles to select from. I was overwhelmed. Of course my friends/stylists jumped right in to help me decide. They grabbed swatch after swatch to hold up to me, stepping back to decide whether the fabric complemented my skin, size, etc. I have not had this much attention since shopping for a wedding gown! Finally, we found a beautiful traditional fabric style--black satin with red/pink cherry blossoms. After taking all my measurements the tailor told me to come back the next day for another fitting. How would I find this shop again through the labyrinth? Not to worry though, as Mason promised to arrange for Mr. Fu to take us the following day. Of course, they already had it all worked out. The dress turned out to be absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to wear it out when I get home! Thank you Beijing friends!

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