Talking about fashion weeks conjures up images of flashing lights, celebrities, supermodels and different trendy looks.

It is easy to become so obsessed with the beauty itself that we forget to think about the possible meanings behind each season's change. Clothes people wear and how they wear them are profound reflections of our lives, suggesting an encouraged lifestyle or social value. In the end, fashion is like a snapshot of our times.

The 2013 autumn/winter season China Fashion Week held in Beijing March 24-30 may not be as "crazy busy" as the top four fashion weeks around the world, but it still has all the key components that its better-known counterparts shared in February.

More wearable and realistic

The styles shown this season turned out to be pluralistic with a simpler look. Most designers have abandoned sophisticated layers and lines, returning to a more straightforward design with an emphasis on silhouette. Geometric patterns, laces and reflective metallic fabrics are popular elements for late 2013, creating an image of an elegant and feminine woman with certain masculine qualities.

Meanwhile, there is a preference for a more easygoing lifestyle and deeper thoughts on humanity in general, searching for comfort and peace of mind.

Taking this idea to its logical conclusion, Simon Gao's 2013-14 Autumn/Winter Collection and Jefen Xie Feng's Collection-Samsara both had religious implications.

Xie told the Global Times in a phone interview Tuesday that after years of quick consumption, people were beginning to think about the environment and the way we live. Thus, creating fashion with philosophical concepts and a ceremonial sensibility is also a trend.

Xie also emphasized that this idea does not contradict the overall trend of designing clothes that are easygoing and wearable.

"Fashion needs to build connections with life and be suitable for the modern lifestyle. A criterion that can tell if a designer is really mature and talented is not only having a fabulous look on stage but also the fact that people want to wear his or her clothing," he said.

The general impression of this season for Hu Nan, editor-in-chief of Fashion China Magazine, is that most Chinese brands are more commercial and realistic.

For Hu, all designs need to find a customer. "Designs that are too cutting-edge will not be very popular. Also, the international trend is for more practical clothing."

Eco-friendly fabric is also trendy. The top winner of the Hempel Award 21st China International Young Fashion Designers Contest, Wang Zhixian, caught a lot of attention from the media. With the given theme "boundary," Wang used bamboo chips as her main fabric and created several very visionary white looks.

"It is perfectly made. It's Chinese but also international. Knowing that it's bamboo, she had to win," said Beatrice Ferrant, a French fashion designer as well as a panel member for the Hampel Award.

"Creativity is not limited to visual images. All the details and use of material can be the source of creativity. That's the meaning of her win," said Hu.

Vintage with a twist

Vintage style has been popular for so many years now that it has almost come to the point that people wonder if designers are all running out of creativity. For most of them, it is obvious that they are drawing inspiration from the old to make it new. In 2013, the vintage wave is still with us but in a different form.

In past seasons, designers usually attributed their inspiration to a particular decade. But this year is different: The vintage aspect is driven from various eras to mix the signature design features (shoulders, hemlines, and so on) from the past, as a new source of creation.

Chinese designers are also trying to mix historical elements, both ancient and post-modern, and bring them to the new century. Zeng Fengfei Men's Collection, for example, puts Chinese aesthetic elements into his designs.

"How to apply what our ancestors left us to modern design in an international language is a big question for everyone. International designers from top brands are also seeking the answer, but what they end up with is only symbolic and superficial. If anyone could solve the problem, it would be epochal," said Hu.

Organizing the fashion week

China Fashion Week is now in its 16th year, and according to Hu it has the ability to produce shows comparable to those in Milan, New York, London or Paris. In fact, she finds that Chinese designers, in general, pay more attention to stage design than their counterparts from the US and Europe. Much of it serves only to distract from the garments, so she encourages domestic designers to have more confidence in their products and allow the audience to concentrate on the clothes.

Ferrant, on the other hand, finds this issue more of a matter of choice. "In Europe, we also do shows more than fashion... Now the trend is to invite musicians on stage… It's also an option."

For the organizers, the question extends beyond each designer's individual show and on to the whole business operation. Finding long-term sponsors for all the relevant fashion week support services, including catering, hair-dressing, makeup and so on, will be the direction for future development.

Autumn/winter season in China Fashion Week usually presents fewer shows than the spring/summer season. March shows also feature more ready-to-wear brands and few haute couture designer lines. And many brands do not yet have the resources to offer two shows a year.

China International Clothing and Accessories Fair is also held in March. Most brands like to hold their press conferences during this time, but designers often don't participate. "This is another aspect that we need to improve on. Designers should have consistent seasonal shows," said Hu.

Moreover, although this season's collections from Italy and South Korea are an important part in the fashion week, the spotlights mainly focus on Chinese designers.

As China Fashion Week matures, the question for organizers will be how to make it a more globally inclusive affair.

Source: Global Times