China Chic [Hardcover]

Vivienne Tam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2000

East meets West in this ultimate guide to Chinese pop style - from fashion and food to architecture and decor - this lavishly illustrated book showcases one of today's hottest design trends by one of today's hottest designers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vivienne Tam was born in Canton, China, but emigrated to Hong Kong where she was three years old. She has been featured in Newsweek, People, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Town & Country, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazarre, and Instyle . Her fashions are respresented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum at F.I.T., and the Andy Warhol museum. She now lives in New York City, where she runs a thriving international fashion-based- business.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Regan Books; 1 edition (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060392681
• ISBN-13: 978-0060392680
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 10.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hong Kong and China Brilliantly Observed, December 19, 2000

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China Chic (Hardcover)

Big book with stunning and bright photo illustrations that "bleed" off the page.

Ms. Tam understands the style of Hong Kong and China (especially Shanghai) like few others; the best of that style is all here. She writes with enthusiasm and love for many essential aspects of the appeal of a culture known for its centuries-old aesthetic and for its mass-production and other mass sensibilities.

Tam's education at the Hong Kong Polytechnic gives her a unique vantage point for isolating Chinese chic. She can view Cultural Revolution paraphrenalia with the eye of a designer, collector, and artist, rather than with painful memories. In a show of global sophistication, she understands East-meets-West sensibility (her chapter on Chinglish is told with an appealing tenderness). The text comes off without a shimmer of self-consciousness or compulsion to 'be Chinese.' There is camp, sex, zen, pizzazz and beauty, exploding off of every page and augmented by Tam's tales of exploration and appreciation.

Bonus interviews with composer Tan Dun and choreographer/visionary Danny Yung are painfully short, but the reader still gets a healthy dose of young Chinese intelligensia. The text is endearingly personal, Vivienne Tam sharing with the reader what her senses take in. It's quite delightful.

Great keepsake for people who have visited Hong Kong or Shanghai!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, December 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: China Chic (Hardcover)

Unbelievable new book--from the red plastic cover (meant to mirror, and mock, the Little Red Book of Mao Tse-tung) to the great historic photos to the informative text and interviews, this is a unique creation. It's part autobiography (Tam was born in China, moved to Hong Kong at age 3, and grew up there), part fashion history, part contemporary culture, and all fun. Special chapter called "Mao Crazy," on the cult of Mao is worth the cost of the book alone.`

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China......SO CHIC!, February 17, 2001

By 

Vern Yip Fan (Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China Chic (Hardcover)

If you are interested in Chinese art, culture, clothing, and history, then this is your Bible. Chalked full of photos that pop off the page. This witty and interesting book takes you from Ming to present day China. Vivienne Tam reflects on her life, born in mainland China, raised in Hong Kong, then moving to New York. She tells charming stories about what has influenced and inspired her and her collections. Great interviews with members of China's creative community, and who can forget Mao? The book is designed like a large coffee table version of Mao's little red book! This is simply stunning.