Posts Tagged ‘clothing’

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Tailor Made, Part Two

June 7, 2015

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

man in black linen Chinese tunic

We went back to the South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market to pick up DaddyBird’s new shirts. He looks very dapper in the black linen traditional Chinese tunic.

entrance to the mall

Across the street from the South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market is the Shanghai Zhongfu Soft-Spinning Material Mall. I was curious to see how they compare. So, in we went.

hallway lined with clothing shops but no customers

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the South Bund market, this was the opposite end of the spectrum. Very few customers. Much more pleasant to walk down the aisles without having your personal space violated constantly. The clothes of the first floor were quite formal – tuxes, gowns, suits, traditional Chinese dresses (qipao).

Chinese restaurant

Next, it was time to eat, so we just dropped in here.

menu showing "slobber beef"

The menu English translations were quite entertaining. So, we ordered some “slobber beef.” The Chinese characters are “mouth water beef meat.” We suspect that it was tongue or maybe it is just mouth wateringly good beef. (Also pictured – jellyfish in vinegar, fried jellyfish, a chicken goose, local guild roast duck, wine ??? little yellow croaker)

"cuts the mutton in vain"

“Cuts the mutton in vain”

"the palace explodes the shrimp ball"

“The palace explodes the shrimp ball”

"grandmother red-roasted pork"

“Grandmother red-roasted pork”

"the salty egg yolk stir fries before stewing the taro"

“The salty egg yolk stir fries before stewing the taro”

set of dishes wrapped in plastic

When we approached the restaurant I noticed that there were plastic crates of dirty dishes on the sidewalk. The dish sets come like this on the table. I assume this means that instead of washing the dishes in house, they use a service that picks up the dirty dishes and delivers clean sets all wrapped up in plastic and ready to go. We have seen this at other restaurants as well.

landscape painting of autumn forest and river

Over our table was a painting with “happy trees.”

dishes, two beer large bottles

A couple of tall beers and we are ready for the slobber beef.

plate of buns and mixed meat and vegetables

First to arrive was the “pork burgers.”

bun turned over showing the hollow underside

We are not certain how to eat this, but we decided the most likely plan of action was to fill the hollow underside of the bun with the meat and veggies. The buns are different colors due to slightly different ingredients, but the taste was not significantly different.

two dishes, one of salted egg taro and the other of beef

Then came the slobber beef and the salted egg taro. The slobber beef turned out to be wickedly spicy, so I used the rather bland taro to put out the fire on my tongue.

Posted in clothing, food, restaurant, Shanghai, Shopping | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Tailor Made

May 31, 2015

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

Yesterday’s adventure was to go to the South Bund Soft Spinning Material Market to get new shirts made for Daddybird. ( A suit was contemplated also. I checked, he isn’t running a fever.)

So we hopped on the metro and headed across town.

large red sign for the South Bund Soft Spinning Material Martket with a map

The metro exit was clearly marked and then at the top of the exit was this big red sign complete with map of how to get to the market.

pole sign topped with a sewing machine

This sign was a good clue (and cool looking), but this is actually a competing market. The one we were heading for was across the street.

Street Food

At the corner there were at least 10 food carts extending out into the intersection. Why were they not on the sidewalk?

jewelry laid out on the sidewalk

Because the sidewalk is for the jewelry vendors, it seems. Plenty of jade and other interesting things, but not exactly how I prefer to shop for jewelry.

tailor made goods on display including Christmas tree skirts

You can get just about anything custom made here, including Christmas tree skirts.

I was wearing a scarf on my head, so everywhere I went I heard “Scarf Lady!” I did eventually buy two scarves. That was an adventure in haggling. They were two single color cashmere scarves. Nothing particularly complicated or special (no embroidery, etc.). She wanted 500 yuan ($81.00) as her starting price. I said “no” to that. She came down a little, but not much. I said “no” and started to walk away. She came after me, grabbing for my arm and finally said “okay, 300.” It was still too much ($48.00), but I did want them, so I agreed. We hate negotiating SO MUCH. It is so anathema to the American psyche.

Booths selling tailor made clothes

Daddybird’s shopping mission was interesting, too. He was very specific about what he wanted – black shirt material with a design in it (black on black). He had brought his favorite shirt as an example which had a herringbone pattern to it. The shop clerks would see that and say “I have that exact thing” then pull out their fabric sample books which never had the exact thing in them. Also, Daddybird would explain that he wanted a different pattern like flowers or paisley. In three floors of shops (hundreds of shops) there was only one that actually had a fabric that matched what he was looking for.

black fabric with a pattern

Finally, something that satisfied him. So, we ordered two shirts to be made exactly like his favorite shirt, which he had to leave with them. In one week, we will see what we get for our trouble.

There were several shops with classic Chinese style shirts on display, so we asked at the shop on the main floor under the escalator for a price on having one made for him out of black linen. (I didn’t take a picture, but it is a simple shirt with a band collar, frogs* instead of buttons, and two pockets near the waistline. Not very complicated.) Her starting price was 500 yuan. (This may be a popular starting price for simple things when dealing with foreigners.) So, $81.00 USD for a simple linen shirt, not even silk or brocade. We left that stall and decided to shop around for a better price instead of having to do the negotiation thing. As a seamstress, I find it amusing when their arguments for the high price are that the frogs* or pockets require more fabric. Not 80 bucks worth.

There were three floors and we had been to all three before starting to look for the classic shirt. I had noticed that there were fewer customers on the third floor, so thought we might get a better price up there due to the lack of customers. So, up we went and sure enough we found a shop with linen classic items and their starting price for the same black linen shirt with frogs and two pockets was 350 yuan. Daddybird talked him down to 300 ($48.00), still a bit high, but it is custom made to fit.

In one week, we will see just how well our choices worked out.

food cart serving egg and cheese wrap

Back out on the street, we stopped for some of that street food. At this cart, we got a flat bread, with fried egg, a slice of cheese and a leaf of lettuce. The price was outrageous – 15 yuan ($2.42). We did not buy a second. It was delicious, but not 15 yuan worth of delicious.

flat bread wrap with egg, cheese, and lettuce

So, we went elsewhere to get dinner. The food cart prices outside a popular market/tourist attraction are too high.

*In case you do not know what a “frog” is, it is a fastener made out of corded fabric with a loop and a knot.

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Christmas is in the Air

December 11, 2012

Posted by Kanga.

blue sky with fluffy clouds above rugged hills

December is here and the weather is beautiful. Here’s what the weather stats are like.

weather prediction statistics

It is Christmas at the malls. Every year the decorations are new. I wonder where the old ones go.

huge Christmas balls huge in the shopping mall atrium

Christmas trees in the mall covered in lights

Nice, subtle decorations.

more Christmas trees covered in lights

With the “cold” weather comes the winter wear. These are not just meant for wearing in Ski Dubai. People wear them outdoors.

store window with manikins dressed in winter clothes

I took the picture below just for the little, understated number in the middle.

store window manikins

Once again it seems that the manikins have been partying too hard.

store window with manikins that have lampshades on their heads

Posted in Christmas, Dubai, malls, Shopping | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Random Words on T-Shirts

December 6, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

We haven’t posted crazy t-shirts in a while and found a few gems while shopping this evening, so here’s a fresh batch:

yellow t-shirt

“Chan meal love best beateliful things mahe thin feel good” – If you say so.

pink t-shirt with sewn on black bra and fringe

This is for that layered look that never gets old or tacky.

grey t-shirt picturing a bicycle built for two

This one says “Employd women wieh infane children face, dilemma of whether tokeep” The best I can make out of that is “employed women with infant children face a dilemma of whether to keep.” Why would anyone want such a depressing message on their shirt? What are they deciding to keep/not keep – the children or the job?

playboy bunny images over the words 'playboy'

I never cease to be amazed at the amount of Playboy imagery there is here.

red t-shirt with Pluto the dog

Apparently, the young Pluto started out with Shopmark before he was picked up by Disney.

Posted in clothing, oddities | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Kandora Chic

December 1, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

man in a black kandora

The kandoras we ordered on Saturday were ready for pick up today. So, nothing would do, but a quick trip to Dubai to pick them up.

man in a blue kandora

The white really shows off DaddyBird’s beard, don’t you think?

man in white kandora

Oliver got under the black kandora, playing hide and seek, but the white one freaked him out. Maybe he doesn’t like the competition.

Posted in clothing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments »

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Kandora Shopping

November 28, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

man in front of a tailor shop

With the help of an Emirati friend, DaddyBird went kandora shopping.

shelves full of fabric

tailor taking measurements

First, a few measurements were taken and decisions were made on length and features.

fabric swatches

Next, the fabric and colors were chosen. He ordered two black, one blue, and one white. After a bit of negotiation, a 50% deposit was paid. The total cost came to approximately $60.00 each.

When the finished product is ready, perhaps we’ll have a little fashion show.

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