娱乐英语新闻:High fashion reaches out - Tang cafe, Armani casa, Dunhill barber

BEIJING, Feb. 12 -- High fashion is no longer limited to clothing but is becoming a multi-sensory experience in itself, with the opening of more and more restaurants and cafes, hotels, spas, florists and furniture stores by luxury fashion houses around the world.

The trend first started in Milan, where people can find Bvlgari's hotel, Dolce & Gabbana's restaurant, Roberto Cavalli's cafe and Armani's florist.

It then moved to Asia. In Tokyo, for example, there is the Chanel restaurant and the Armani spa, both located in the brands' large-scale flagship towers in Ginza. In Hong Kong, French fashion brand Agnes b operates a restaurant, a cafe and a florist in IFC, one of the most sought-after shopping destinations in the island city.

And now it has come to Shanghai. Most recently, Shanghai Tang, the leading Chinese luxury brand, launched the world's first Shanghai Tang Cafe in Xintiandi, the city's high-end lifestyle hub.

Dining area of Shanghai Tang Cafe in Xintiandi

"We have worked on the idea for three years," says Raphael le Masne de Chermont, executive chairman of Shanghai Tang. "The cafe is an extension of the brand's mission to deliver a lifestyle vision of contemporary Chinese chic."

The two-story restaurant and bar is decorated in the brand's signature vibrant colors. It features specially crafted furniture pieces as well as tableware selected from the brand's own home products line.

"I love the tableware," says Emily Zhang, a white-collar office worker, who just had a drink with her friend in the newly opened venue. "I've seen them in Shanghai Tang stores and they are quite expensive. It's exciting that now I can use all of them, from chopsticks to water glasses, right here."

The 27-year-old passed by the restaurant and bar on Huangpi Road S. by chance. She and her friend decided to check it out because both of them have been fans of Shanghai Tang's fashion pieces for years.

Nowadays, it is common for young ladies in Shanghai to own multiple luxury designer handbags. When they have had the bags, they are looking for more.

"What luxury brands create for their customers are not just products, but also a lifestyle that people dream of," says Li Baojian, deputy editorial director of fashion magazine Elle China.

"The opening of such restaurants, cafes and beauty salons gives customers a taste of the new lifestyle concept, so that they become more interested in those brands," he says.

Armani Casa, the furniture boutique adjacent to Giorgio Armani's Shanghai flagship store along the Bund, sells a complete range of home deco pieces from furniture, lighting to tableware and other household accessories.

Customers from all over the country come and splurge on these pieces designed by Armani based on his own image of ideal living environment.

"Most customers at Armani Casa are loyal customers of Giorgio Armani fashion pieces, who admire the designer's appreciation of beauty and style," says Gigi Zhang, PR of Giorgio Armani in China. "The store brings together elegance and style with a touch of Zen."

The flagship store also features a counter selling chocolates by Armani Dolci. The chocolates are imported directly from Italy on a regular basis and cost 38 yuan (US$5.60) each.

Located on Huaihai Road M., the Home of Alfred Dunhill in Shanghai includes the British fashion house's latest collections, a tailor-made shirt bar, a members-only restaurant and bar as well as a one-of-a-kind hair salon, where traditional British barber service is provided in an elegant and exclusive barber shop environment with only three chairs.

At the Barber at Alfred Dunhill, a one-hour package designed for men, including men's face care, shave and ear cleaning, costs 500 yuan. Shampoo and blow dry is 200 yuan, while head spa packages for men and women start from 450 yuan.

It is expensive, but not that expensive. Or rather, "affordably expensive."