Tailor-Made

Last time we talked I mentioned the fact that I had, after months of abstaining, finally decided to go and get measured for a tailor-made coat in the market that I'd had my eye on for some months past.  To some of you, the thought that I could be living amid a sea of readily accessible and extremely affordable tailors and NOT be running out to have suits, coats, rain jackets and dresses made to my specifications is no doubt shocking.

I know because I was one of you.

Ever since that fateful day years ago when Bill and Jessica first told me that in China you could have clothes tailor-made at the push of a button, I'd dreamed of going there. I envisioned myself walking through the rows and rows of shops brimming over with multitudes of beautiful bolts of fabric all waiting for my approving nod to be turned into the creations of my mind.

I fancied myself quite the fashion designer after Kate and I watched and re-watched "If The Shoe Fits" a really terrible 90s version of the Cinderella story where "Cinderella" was the scullery-maid equivalent of...whatever that would be in the fashion industry.  We liked to sketch our own things after that. My magnum opus was my wedding dress. It was dragon-purple (just trust me) made of raw silk with vines of embroidered flowers racing up the side. Sadly, even by the time I was engaged in 2009 the world just wasn't ready.

Or if my own imagination ran dry, I could bring in magazines--or my stash of Anthropologie catalogs--and they would copy whatever I pleased.

It seems like this never happens: the dreamed-of thing actually living up to your glistening expectations, but however unlikely that's exactly what happened when I came to China. It was all true.  I arrived here and strolled through the fabric markets, eyes wide at the realization of my dreams. There really were rows and rows of shops bursting with fabrics and tailors waiting to take your pictures and turn them into clothes. The only thing I didn't account for was...well two things.

1. Just because a tailor makes something for you doesn't mean it fits and it definitely doesn't mean it looks awesome. (Who knew, right?)

2. In China, you have to bargain for [practically] everything. Which means those affordable tailor-made clothes are only affordable if you fight for them to be.

The later is not a problem for me. I have my "walk away" perfected, so that just leaves the former: When tailor-made starts looking like homemade.  When I first got here I rushed to the market and picked the tailor that gave me the lowest price to commission myself a new coat. I waited excitedly for a week to pick it up and when the day finally came I couldn't believe my eyes. The coat looked nothing like the adorable picture I had given the tailor to copy. What I had was a lopsided man's jacket in a girl's size. One shoulder sticks out awkwardly too far to the left and the other fits correctly, which leaves the impression that I'm oddly disproportionate and always on the verge of tipping over. I've worn the coat all winter long, but let's just say it's unlikely at best that it will earn the suitcase space it would require to bring it back.

To keep myself far from repeating this sad end I took on the only mission I knew to solve it: I must find the perfect tailor.  And after weeks of research, I did.

Exhibit A

What do you think?

Empty Nesters

This morning we said goodbye to the last two visitors we will have in our little apartment in China.  Joel's brother-in-law and Uncle Bob both came to visit us for a little over a week, and we've had the best time hanging out with them and showing UB around the city. Dan used to live here and teach at the school where Joel now works, so he was able to catch up with some old friends and students and revisit all his old stomping grounds and of course eat at all his favorite restaurants.

The entire visit was like one big eating and tailoring extravaganza. There were mountains of food on every table we sat down to (Dan was usually in charge of the ordering, and he had a lot of dishes to revisit before he could go home) and a sea of fabrics to navigate at all the fabric markets.

By the end of the week everyone had caught the bug to have clothes made at the market. Even I finally went to get measured for the coat I've had my eye on since we got here.  Before we moved, I thought I would have clothes made all the time. In fact, I deliberately went light on the clothes packing in my suitcase because I fully expected to be filling my wardrobe with fabulous custom made pieces at laughably low prices the moment I stepped off the plane.

However, that was not to be my fate. Truth be told in the seven months we've called this place home I've only had one thing made since we got here, and when it didn't go exactly like I planned I had to come up with a Plan B for shopping here. Luckily they have H&M or else I'd be stuck buying everything in the largest possible size of the Chinese scale. Nothing like switching continents to give you a little body image perspective. "Oh no, you are much too fat for that. This is size like for me. Try biggest size!" Westerners, beware.

Aside from all the eating and the shopping we did one new thing that I've been dying to do since I got here: We went to the Shanghai Circus. It's called ERA, and it was amazing, truly.

Apparently reps from Cirque de Soliel came to train the acrobats and performers for this show, and you could tell by the magical mark they'd left. The whole thing had that other worldly vibe to it mixed with act after act of mind bending (and often body bending) wonders.

They had an act of four contortionist girls in trompe l'oeil leotards stacking themselves into mystefying shapes while a spotlight framed beautiful shadows of their silohouettes on a back panel that gave the impression you were watching moving drawings instead of real people. It was incredible.

Then there was a man who could spin huge vases all over his body- down one arm and up the other, throwing it into the air and catching it on the back of his neck. The he spun it on his head and flipped it from one rim to another, although the pot was clearly about five times the size of his head. I knew it was going to crush him any minute, but it didn't.

Next was my favorite act. It was a pairs routine.  A couple flew through the air dangling in each others arms secured only by the fabric sheets that one of them would have twisted around a wrist or an ankle. They tumbled up and down the fabric and spun in large arcs over the crowd. I think that's the closest you can come to flying. It was beautiful and terrifying. I loved it.

They had so many other wonders. Seven motorcycles flying at death defying speeds in a tiny cage. Tumblers having a show down by jumping through all kinds of hoops. A giant rotating metal wheel that nearly killed one of the performers when he tried to run over it blindfolded and lost his footing.

It is a little disconcerting going to the circus in Shanghai. In the back of my mind I can't shake the sneaking suspicion that the tricks and the profits are valued more highly than the lives of the performers. I hope I'm wrong about that, but it doesn't change the fact that when you're sitting in that seat watching the show that American feeling of "I know it looks like they could die, but there's no way the company would let that happen" doesn't ring as true.

After the circus we Whisked for the second time that week and went home to watch Sharktopus, the horrific tale of what happens when a half Shark-half octopus biomedically engineered by the government goes rogue.  It was worth every penny of the forty five cents we paid. This morning we waved goodbye to their taxis and came back upstairs to our empty nest. It's quiet, and I'm thinking it might just be a stay in your pajamas kind of day.

New Friends: Taking the Plunge

I'll figure out how to post those tiger cub videos to my blog eventually, but until then here's what's been going on in Shanghai.

I'll just come out and say it. I'm in a book club. Some of you already knew this about me, but to some of you this may come as a surprise. A book club? Is she that desperate for social interaction? Is she that big of a nerd? Well, my answers are yes and yes, but give me a break, I'm in China for goodness sakes.

I must hasten to say that it's way cooler than you might originally think. To start with, it's really more of a glorified girls night than anything else: a chance to make appetizers and fondue and hang out on a weeknight. The book just gives us a foundation for the evening's conversation. I really enjoy the meetings even if I don't always enjoy the books. The three (sometimes four) other girls that meet together for our bookclub have quickly become some of my best friends in Shanghai.

This past weekend we decided to make our bond official in the form of a trip, so I took the plunge and signed up for the weekend outing crossing my fingers all would go well.

Don't worry, it did.  We went to a little water town that is technically a part of Shanghai even though it's an hour and a half away. (They just decided to claim it I guess.  Like Memphis did to Cordova). We walked around the Old Town for all of ten minutes before we'd had enough. There wasn't anything we needed to see badly enough to justify being smushed shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of Chinese people to squish through the tight alley ways.

We had lunch here.

Then we made our way to the super awesome five star hotel executive suite room that was reserved for us. The instigator of this outing was Pam, and since she had a big birthday she wanted to celebrate in style. We did not object as this meant we would be luxuriating in the suite also.

What I was not expecting about the weekend was the silly picture showdown/extravaganza! (you can't say extravaganza without and exclamation afterward) that unfolded the moment we checked in.  It was a little junior high, certainly, but what can I say? A challenge presented itself, and I had to accept.

This is certainly not the best picture we took, or even a good picture, however, I was pleased to discover I can still do a cartwheel. This is proof of that fact.

Afterwards we had a night of movies, Cranium, Nerts and more movies. And delicious snacks. The following morning we had a fantastic buffet breakfast with real french press coffee- it was marvelous. Then, just like that, it was time to check out and our weekend of fun was over.

I would have been sad, but I have the excitement of guests coming this week to look forward to! This Friday we're welcoming Dan and Uncle Bob into our apartment to spend ten days with us. We can't wait!