Customer Reviews

China Chic

5 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(1)
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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!

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.`

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.

Wonderful book. One part a unique fashion perspective, one part memoir. As much as the photographs are beautiful, I read it through because it was so compelling. Artistically and sensibly laid out.

I just decorated my entire apartment in a fusion-asian style and this book was the last item I bought - to sit on my coffee table and accentuate the living room. I look at it all the time!!

Beautiful pictures throughout. What a wonderful book!!

It is a pity that there were a couple of damaged pages in such a nice art book.