Women's Fashion & Style | Asian American Poll

GOLDSEA | ASIAMS.NET | ASIAN AMERICAN POLL

ASIAN WOMEN'S FASHION & STYLE
(Updated 5/18/01 to reflect the 100 most recent valid votes)

Which of the following fashion faux pas is committed most often by Asian women?
Wearing colors that are wrong for their coloring or features | 36%
Wearing cuts that are wrong for their proportions and/or size | 22%
Dressing inappropriately for the occasion | 24%
Wearing clearly outdated styles | 18%

Which of the following colors is generally most flattering on Asian women?
Black | 86%
Other | 14%

Which of the following fashion brands is most flattering on Asian women?
Calvin Klein | 12%
DKNY | 14%
Emporio Armani | 11%
Chanel | 7%
Versace | 9%
Prada | 11%
Bebe | 9%
Other/No Response | 27%

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passe?? that WORD is "passe" --hahaha! brown is still beautiful in my book. You've just got to buy nice fabric! nothing quite as ugly as brown polyester!

Forget brown, I'm sick of seeing everyone sporting tan! Especially tan and black together.
Milly

Brown? Brown is passe. I agree it's not the best color for asian women. I try to wear more vibrant colors but it's so overwhelming at times even with one piece of clothing and hard on my eyes. I'm color sensitive. Bright colors seem so childish except when it comes to bathing suits.

Too many of us focus on price, rather than fit and quality. A namebrand makes variations and grades in their lines, so some may not be as good quality, even from the same manufacturer.
Cyn

     what is a good line for my figure type: I have a long back, and my top half is about 2 sizes smaller than my bottom half:
     about a size 12 top, size 14 bottom.
     thanks!
chinese cdn girl

Can all the Asian women please stop wearing brown?! I don't think they realize how bad any shade of brown looks on Asian women. Brown bottoms are fine, but brown tops, coats, scarfs, no more. PLEASE.
Also, black is not the BEST color for asians. Please try something new, more vibrant, better - red, purple, bright blues. NO MORE BLACK

to reduce butt size: do underwater running - go to a pool with at least waist high water, and run like hell. You look like an idiot, but it really forces you to work against all that water pressure and it works pretty well.

what can i wear to decrease the size of my butt?
AAW wit a ghetto butt

I'm a student, so I pretty much wear anything casual looking...sweatshirts, sweaters, jeans, khakis, sweatshirts t-shirts...dress up for classes once in a while :-)
Abercrombiegirl

I hate Prada
Anything Armani

     18 yr old fed up asian woman
     I just wish I made myself clearer. What I meant was that "not all" Asians shop for high end status names. I certainly agree with you that MOST Asian women are indeed obsessed with designer labels and tend to look alike but I also see some that put together those same accessories and outfits in unusually flattering ways, that's all I was saying. Yes, it is the pride and snob appeal of these labels that attract many asian women. Yes, they, especially the younger ones, do make non-conformists feel defensive by saying, "You look white, blah, blah, blah...". I could just imagine those same people reading this and accusing us of being jealous or something. Please, I could well afford designer ANYTHING. For me, I'd be lucky if I could find anything that fits. I'm a size 2 and 5'5, 31 inseam. Can't fit into petites at all!!. For me, AT suits, Banana Republic, Levis jeans and the Gap almost always fit me and are almost always flattering. If it wasn't for those stores, I'd be naked. Sure, if certain other labels fit, I'd buy those too but the quality of Bebe, Armani Exchange just sucks. Also, they're way too trendy and would be dated in one month. Department store labels never fit and just fall apart after one washing or dry cleaning. As for accessories, I also buy many, many no brand functional bags to use. Okay, I do have LV, and Gucci but not many and I don't parade them around all the time for the benefit of other asians.
     18 yr old: It's good that you don't follow the crowd. That mentality is certainly an attribute and shows that you could think for yourself. Continue to wear what you want despite peer pressure.

The trend in Japan for teenage girls to dye their hair blonde, overapply makeup and totter about on 5 inch platforms SUX! The worrying thing is it has been going on for ages - more than just a phase. It turns an otherwise pretty girl into a slutty looking sheep. The sooner it dies out the better.
MAW

I cannot stand seeing almost all asian girls at my school dye therr hair brown. What's wrong with plain original black?
INCOGNITO

Dress up an Asian woman from head to toe in shiny leather or rubber or vynal or plastic. Put an Asian woman into a tightly belted leather trenchcoat or a tightly belted shiny rubber trenchcoat with matching boots and skirt. Dress an Asian woman in a floor leingth thick ultra shiny patent leather trenchcoat and matching skirt and boots, hat and gloves. OH MY GOD!!!!!
sonia9614@yahoo.com

Quite frankly, I think it's hard to say what looks good on Asian women: we're all different! If we assume that all of us are 5' with black hair and 'slanted' eyes, we're as guilty of stereotyping as non-Asians.
Some of us are relatively golden-skinned, big-busted, long-legged with reddish-brown hair and big eyes: I, for instance, am 5'5", 33-23-32, with a 31" inseam. (I am of Chinese and Taiwanese aboriginal descent. )I have Chinese friends who are 5'10", and 34-27-35 with the blackest hair and whitest skin. I also know cocoa-coloured Philippino women who are 4'10" and 31-20-32. We're all beautiful in different ways and we all look good in different styles and colours. For me, it's Karen Millen and Earl jeans; for my Chinese friends, it's DKNY. We cannot be lumped together any more than a middle European, Scandinavian, and Mediterranean. Maybe white and black folks might not see the difference as clearly, but Asian women are just as varied. And we should be appreciated as such.
Asian Dominatrix

I need advice on pants (dress, stretch, chinos, jeans). I'm very thin with absolutely no butt. Any ideas on what types of pants I should stick with? Also, what type of shoes would be good for the different type of pants you suggest? I'm tired of my existing wardrobe.
clueless and unfashionable

I just gotta say that a lot of the so-called "fashionable" asian women wear the brand names clothes. it's so tacky. everything has to have a brand name plastered all over it, whether it be Bebe, armani, polo, dkny, prada, guess, etc. There is nothing wrong with that except they have no individuality. They all seem to want to look like each other. And they seem to be proud of the brand names that they can wear. i dont believe the person that said the stores carry smaller sizes. so all those girls just flock to the expensive brand name stores just because the sizes are smaller? i dont think so. its the label they carry and the pride that goes along with showing the world that you can afford these fashions. its become so commonplace that other asians that dont conform to these weird standards are made to feel unfashionable or strange. i feel that we should be able to wear anything you well please. who cares if it looks "white" or any other stupid comment like that that others are making. you make your own style and wear what is comfortable. i dont buy that dying your hair 10 differnt colors til it looks super fake and wearing 10 inch heels is comfort.
-18 yr. old fed up asian woman

Unfortunately, brand labels do play a part in status whether it be in electronics, cars, appliances or clothing/accessories, but quality is also as important. Asians in general do not want to waste their hard earned money on something that doesn't work well or last.

asian teens dress the awesomest!!
rowr

I am doing a research project on asian influences in high street fashion. I am trying to find out whether these fashionable trends represent a celebration of our multi ethnic society OR whether the use of asian influences is a form of appropriation and exploitation of cultural traditions. I would relly apreciate any comments or opinions on the subject. Birmingham University student (leighannebee@hotmail.com)
leighannebee@hotmail.com

prada looks good on any asian girl or guy!?

i can't wait for the chapatsu trend to go away. Brown/red hair on most Asians looks terrible. Especially on older women, it makes them look older. On younger women, chapatsu makes them look dirty---just my opinion.
Otherwise, I think Asian American women dress better than Japanese women from Japan. The latter often wear too many labels and outrageous trends. --also just my opinion
opinionated Japanese female

I just read some of these poll comments and I'm thinking WHAT THE HELL? Asians can dress whatever they please! Asians can dress whatever blacks, whites, latinos, etc dress. When people design clothes, they do not say "hmmm, this shirt is made to fit brazilians only. and ah, these pants would look great on japanese." NO! Asians can wear anything they want. If they want to wear flare jeans, ok! Besides, thats "in" right now. White girls wear flares, black girls wear flares, mexican girls wear flares, hell, I WEAR Flares! Who cares?!?! And If they want to wear brand names, ok!!! Just like any other race. I think this clothes issue is made too big a deal.
Oh yeah, if an asian likes to wear black clothes, thats fine with her! If it makes her look good and feels good, thats all that matters!
17 year old asian female (lizdestiny@hotmail.com)

I don't necessarily think Asian women are buying name brand and designer clothing just for the status. It just so happens that the upper tier clothing lines and stores carry smaller sizes. Also, Asians like quality whether they're shopping for clothing, electronics, etc.
Other less expensive brands are also popular with Asians particularly, Japanese and Chinese. I noticed they flock to Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and Benetton, even the Gap. These clothes just fit better and they carry smaller misses and petite sizes. As for the comments that Asian women tend to look and dress alike. Not true. I see a vast amount of indiviuality and fashion sense in pulling an outfit together. Asians know how to dress.

I agree with that Japanese dude. Asian Americans are too conformist. We should dress in various ways. Hip Hop is cool, and so is the skater look. But as a guy forges full steam ahead into his 20s and 30s, he needs a more refined style for the weekends. Sophomoric, juvenile hip hop pants, gold chains, and Vans skate shoes just don't cut it anymore.
Personally, I like the hybrid 70s/90s hipster look. You can tone it up or down to suit the occaision. That means a port/red/tan/brown leather jacket with a long/short sleeve geometric pattern collar shirt. Black/khaki pants optional. Depending on where you live, you should also alternate between thongs (sandals) and Casual sneaker (Puma, Diesel, adidas -- NOT Nike basketball shoes). With a shiny vintage style leather jacket, you can never go wrong. Just wear a sweater for a refined look, or a simple shirt with a funky logo on the chest for a laid back look. That's my style -- simple, subtle at times, vibrant at times. Always makes a statement. No black jackets please. Very dull, very boring.
Mr. Style watch.

I hate black clothes. I'm really pale and my style is funky so I like wearing bright colors with plain blue jeans or khakis. I like brightly colored skirts and dresses. I'm short and thin so I like wearing fitted but NOT TIGHT clothes. Tight clothes are gross! esp on skinny or really fat people!
eurasian girl

What the hell us up with asians and their damn black peacoats?!?!
Chinese female with a black peacoat

Man! I hate it when Asian girls where flare pants that cover their whole 5-inch shoes and has dirt stuck on em!
td

Some Asian women are too hung up over brand names clothes, in my opinion, individuality and the sense of style are more important. Many times it doesn't take any brand name clothes to make one stands out among all.
P.S. A great attitude is always the best accessory a woman can have.

why are there no asian designers listed here?
Yohji Yamaoto, Yeolee, Issey Miyake, Vera Wang, to name a few. And may I add that no one looks good in Versace.
nycfashionista

as a asian, i think that asian women and men clothes are very fashionable and trendy, shops nowadays now specialise in casual, evening and partywear and the asian community are becoming more like the west which improves the quality of the clothes as they know what to sell.
Ayesha TALL(5:7), slim , friendly, outgoing, bubbly. I've got average length hair which is silky

I'm a Japanese guy from Japan, and I noticed a lot of Asian American girls wear flare jeans along with polo sport bag. What's up with that? And bunch of Prada bags. It seems they are choosing stuff based on name, and not knowing what really look great on them. You don't have to buy expensive stuff to look good. It's just you have to know the right stuff. Quit shopping at franchized stores that make everybody look the same, but rather go to thrift shops and find vintage treasure out of garbage. And avoid black clothes that Asian Americans end up choosing.
And also, I think a lot of US fashion industry is advertising stuff that can't be worn in every day life.

how about a simple salwar kameez with a long duppatta? that would be very asian. don't you think?
Rummanah my email add: m_rummanah@hotmail.com

To the 18 year old Asian Female who quoted, "I don't want to sound vain or conceited or anything. But I look good in everything I wear."
Are you kidding me?
23 Asian Female