Have you recently read that UBS gave their corporate dress code a makeover? Honestly, I think this is great because first impressions count and when you go to work you are representing not only yourself but also your company.The article published by efinancial news on January 18, 2011, indicated that UBS is rolling out this makeover program to five pilot branches as a test following a recent advertising campaign aimed at re-establishing confidence in the bank’s brand while mending relationship with their clients.So what does this mean to you? Rightly or wrongly, on first impressions you will most likely be judged on:- How credible and professional you come across- How likable you are- Whether a person considers you attractive- How confident you seem to be

As a relatively new person in Shanghai, I have recently discovered the Fabric Market and I wanted to share my experience in this site as an addition to the great article that Sue wrote a couple of months back (if you haven’t read the article yet, make sure you check it out is full of very good info).Visiting the Fabric Market can be an exhilarating experience; no matter you are a tourist just passing through or a resident of Shanghai, visiting this place will always be a fun experience. If you are one of those people who prefer to shop their clothes of the rack, probably you won’t go back for a second time, on the other hand if you are one of those people who loves designing your clothes or that you always wish that the clothes were a little bit more or less... (like me), I promise you will be going back.

Not so long ago while chatting with Rebecca, who was the first Doll to recommend me different stalls in the market, mentioned to me that she goes there every other week. I personally thought that it was too often (yeah!!!), that was before I got the ‘flavor’ of the Fabric Market, now I know better and I have been going there more often that I care to admit.

What I really love about the Fabric Market is the opportunity of play ‘fashion designer’ for the day on a safe way, after all you won’t be doing the clothes and if they can’t do it, they will tell you.

As women, we all know the important role that shoes play in a lady’s life. Shanghai can definitely be a heaven for shoes shoppers IF you got little Cinderella feet.

I’m a 1.77 meter tall girl with US10 size shoes and soon after arriving to Shanghai I discovered that buying shoes was not going to be an easy task for me. My first encounter with the ‘shoes problem’ was in a little shoe store in Shaanxi Rd., where before even asking an employee looked at me and said: ‘No, we don’t have size 40’. The response got repeated over and over again in Parksons Mall: ‘No we don’t have that size’.

I cannot tell you how discouraged and inadequate I felt that day. Obviously there is always the solution of ordering shoes from the US, but this option didn’t attracted me that much not only because I will end up paying a lot in shipping, plus the waiting time plus the fact that you should try your shoes before buying them because they can ‘seriously hurt’.

I was committed to get my shoes and I decided to not give up, so after doing some research in different expat sites in the net, I discovered about the ‘custom made’ shoes option.

Coming from the US, a highly industrialized country, getting ‘custom made’ shoes has never been an option for a ‘working girl’ like me because of the extremely high price tag. In Shanghai the story is quite different and getting ‘custom made’ shoes although not an extremely cheap solution is definitely in the ‘affordable’ section.

I think it would be pretty fair to say that most of us have something about our bodies that we don’t like.  Perhaps we think our bottom is too round or too flat, our boobs too big or too small.  When it comes to dressing, it is not your size that is important, it is your shape.  By knowing what your shape is and how to dress it, you can flaunt the bits that you love and hide the bits you don’t.  Summer is coming and we all want to look our best and so many of us are hitting the gyms or trying a new diet.  The thing to remember is, even when we loose weight our body shape stays the same, it will just be a slimmer version of our former selves.  Our body shape depends on what our mamas and papas gave us in our genes and so no amount of dieting or exercising will reward you with an hourglass figure if you didn’t have one before.Although all of us have a slightly different and unique body shape they can still be broken down into 5 main groups. These are, the hourglass, pear or triangle, inverted triangle, round (apple) and rectangle.  Each group also has a slender or fuller category, for example you could be a slender hourglass or a fuller hourglass.

This past weekend I picked up a few items I had made--it was my first time to order things from the fabric market. I put forth the caveat that I haven't done much before, and I also speak Chinese so I don't usually deal with the shop owners in English. I'll just give general price estimates. If I overpaid, well....damn. It's a learning process. What I learned from shopping:

1. If you're getting something copied, DEFINITELY have them re-measure you anyway and tell them to copy the style/details of the piece you brought, not the fit. The fabrics of the old piece and the new copy probably won't be the same, so they will hang on your body differently and you will need different measurements. Also, the owners may have suggestions on how to alter the copies to fit even better (raising the seat of your pants, shortening seams for the leg, etc). 2. Leave a contact phone number, even if they don't ask. Tell them to call you if there are any problems. That way, you don't wait till your next trip to find out they couldn't finish your dress on time, or they ran out of fabric, etc. And of course, make sure to get their card with your receipt!

3. Do haggle some. You won't get 50% off, but you can knock 40-60 kuai off usually, sometimes more. Try to get a deeper discount by doing multiple versions at one store (buy two shirts, two dresses, etc)

4. Look for shops that have one or two specialties. They are likely to do one thing and do it well, and they are more likely to have a large amount of samples to choose from. The shops that sell a little of everything may not be as specialized.

5. Don't shop by any shops close to the doors or escalators. They see the most foot traffic, and they're much less willing to lower their prices than some shop stuck in a far-off corner!

I couldn't resist to share the theatrical trailer of Sex and the City 2 which is supposed to hit the cinemas in May 2010. Like with all sequels, “SATC 2″ has certainly upped the action! But when it comes to Carrie and the girls, that doesn’t mean more explosions, it means crazier fashion and a trip to Abu Dhabi. And Camels! OK, so the plot is borderline ridiculous. But do we really care?  It's also not surprising that "The Empire State of Mind" by Alycia Keys and JayZ was chosen as a soundtrack to this movie.

Sex and the City 2 promises a jewel-encrusted extravaganza to rival this summer's catwalk-approved minimalism. Jewels are basically everywhere and it's no wonder, because Swarovski has partnered with "SATC 2" on jewelry and accessories. Carrie's closet is bedecked with a crystal chandelier, the characters wear crystal studded minaudieres and Kim Catrall and Miley Cyrus, who makes a cameo, stand in front of a Swarovski logo-ed "step and repeat" at an event that takes place in the movie.

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French actress Marion Cotillard continues to star in Christian Dior's high-drama ads. This Spring, the chase continues, where Cotillard is caught with a secret agent, Shanghai Pearl Tower and WFC serving as the fantastical background. Steven Klein shot the scene, titled Lady Blue.Marion will follow the “Lady Blue” campaign photos with a twelve-minute film directed by David Lynch shot in Shanghai last December. The film will debut on May 15 at Ladydior.com. This is also the day John Galliano will show Dior's cruise collection in Shanghai.Galliano explains, “In the David Lynch film, Marion is reciting a poem that he wrote, and was inspired by the Pearl Tower itself. The words and building fuse in the picture he paints on-screen. Shanghai is such a vibrant and inspiring city.”

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As children, we loved escaping down the long rabbit hole of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and falling into a whimsical fairytale full of possibilities. And as adults, we are still in love with the peculiar characters that overtake our dreams.Today Tim Burton's 3-D film Alice in Wonderland hits Shanghai cinemas. One thing about the movie that everyone is talking about is the fashion. Last weekend, I saw a sneak peek of the new Alice in Wonderland and I loved it! Especially the cool fashion and outrageous makeup. Thanks to Tim Burton Alice mania is in full force.  Today I want to bring  you Alice-inspired jewelry and beauty products. in my next post I will cover some Alice like fashion trends.Movie-related merchandise is usually more scary than stylish, but Disney has upped the ante by asking the jeweler Tom Binns to create special designs inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Each one is based on an event or character, including the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) and Binns’s favorite, the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).

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After lingerie line, Sonia Rykiel, presents knitwear collection for H&M, which will hit the stores on February 20. Rykiel, known for her knits, brings adorable sweaters and accessories from her French boutiques to the public with this collection, her second with the Swedish retailer.I had a look at the collection on the official website and I doubt it will become “must have” item for me.. Expect to see the signature stripes, a mass of knitwear and cutesy shaped skirts and accessories. The collection is very cute but in a mature way, but the best thing about these collaborations is the price! We can pick up a piece of designer wear for a cheap and affordable price, maybe not 100% cashmere treatment, but we have the style, colors, shapes and the label on it!The ultimate accessory from the collection is the UNICEF bag by Sonia Rykiel pour H&M, which shows the commitment of H&M, Rykiel and customers to helping children in the cotton producing areas of India. Thirty per cent of the proceeds from the bag will go to the project.

What fashion lover doesn’t love shoes? I’ve compiled the strangest shoes in fashion today that even the biggest fashionista may or may not love. These shoes are innovative, funny, and some are even disturbing. Be prepared, any preconceived notions you have about shoes are about to change!

1. The Mojito is one of the weirdest shoes you’ll ever see.  The shoe was designed by British architect Julian Hakes and is made of carbon fiber for strength and elasticity along with a rubber bottom and leather. You can tell it was designed by a architect and not a shoe designer because it doesn’t appear that it can even stay on your foot for more than a step and even if it did, it looks very uncomfortable.

Being from Australia “hate” is not a strong enough word for what I feel about Shanghai winters!  I absolutely despise being cold and cannot understand how or why people seem to rejoice when winter finally arrives in this awesome city!  I am forever striving for different ways to keep myself warm and comfortable and in my quest for this I made a great discovery of a tiny little hole-in-the-wall shop that I can only imagine in four months time will be empty of what is going on in there now and will start selling watermelons or other summer goodies that will make someone a quick buck! 

The current owners, or renters, of this shop are making puffer jackets in all shapes, sizes, colours and styles.  All of these jackets are made to measure and great quality and the price is also nothing to complain about.  There were three Shanghai Dolls buying at the same time, which I think helped with the price and the fact that I also told the woman that I know a lot of expat women in Shanghai.  One of the many great things about getting one of these jackets made to order is not only that they fit you very well, but that you can also choose your own stuffing.  We ended up choosing the middle price one, which is so warm that I quite often find myself sweating and needing to wear way less layers from place to place.

Just read about the interesting move from Hermes in China. This spring our favourite "orange" brand plans to launch a new brand especially for the Chinese market, which will be called Shang Xia. Shang Xia translates roughly as 'topsy-turvy' or 'upside down' and it’s the first time in Hermès' history that they have launched a luxury brand from grassroots level.

Shang Xia will include ready-to-wear and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. These are to be made using Chinese raw materials and artisanal know-how.The objective of this move is to offer cheaper products, as well as capitalising on the growth of the luxury market in the country in 2010.