Filled with custom dresses, suits, accessories, hats, and purses, the Shanghai fabric market is the perfect space for any fancy occasion or person in need of custom designs, and for this homecoming, I knew it was the perfect place.
Coming to Fiona is a unique experience. The old Shanghai fabric market is a historic location that has always focused on foreign customers’ need for suits and other clothing options. As a child, my father would take me to this very same market primarily to order custom Halloween costumes, so when I told him I was searching for a new suit for my senior homecoming, I immediately knew where to bring it up first.
In order to get to the market from my house, we took our separate motorcycles out for over half an hour to reach our destination. The fabric market, like most foreign-focused markets in China, is highly competitive, and it is commonplace to be followed and pleaded at for the minimum amount of time that you’ll just stand in their store. Fiona was the first that stood apart from the rest since the owner wasn’t following us around in an almost desperate move to sell a suit. It is run by a kind pair of sisters who are capable of speaking some English, which my father always appreciates.
After giving a general description of my dream suit, the lady aiding my search quickly put together various colors, styles, and fabrics that matched my requests. As I tried on the suits, my father, always the negotiator, haggled prices from what was already a fairly decent price to an almost unbelievably low cost; all the while, the owners did not disregard us but instead worked to find as fair of a deal as possible which was quickly met at 1808.12 yuan or only 250 dollars.
Once I finalized my decision on the suit I wanted, I carefully checked for my measurements and was informed my suit would arrive at our apartment in a rapid two days’ time. We thanked the sisters for their help, and then headed home. While not just being a good customer experience, that day was also the last time this summer that I was able to go out with just my father and me. The whole experience was pleasant, and I will not soon forget it.
Your donation will support the student journalists of One School of the Arts. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
