Fascinating Fascinators

 One of the stranger things about Suzhou is that certain types of shops are all grouped together in one part of town or another.  I don't know if this pattern holds true for all of China.  But in Suzhou, if you want to buy a pet then you go to pet street.  If you need to have your car repaired, then you go to car street.  If you need to buy kitchenware then you go to the street over by PanMen Gate.  If you need to buy kitchen appliances then you go to East Gan Jian street.

Near Tiger Hill is the Wedding Street.  Wedding Street, or the Wedding Market, spans about 4 or 5 blocks... including both sides of the road and all the side streets and alleyways.  Almost every single shop you will find is selling wedding dresses or wedding-related services of some kind.   How many shops, you might ask, would that be?

More than seven hundred.

That would be 700 wedding shops within a 8 to 10 square block area.  I had to spell it out, above, lest you think I fell asleep with my finger on the zero key.  If you don't believe me then come visit.  After 5 minutes walking you will think that 700 is an estimate on the low side.

According to stories on the Internet (and there is never any false information on the Internet) the Suzhou Wedding Market is the largest in China...maybe in Asia.  The availability of cheap silk and cheap labor, they say, is the reason for success.  You can buy any type of dress you want or have anything you want made for you.  The story goes that just one day after this year's royal wedding, there were knock-offs of Princess Kate's dress on display in the store windows.

 Most every young girl (and some boys, truth-be-told) likes to play dress up....imagining to be an elegant princess or bride.  I suppose that fantasy never totally dies out.  And if you like to play dress up, then Wedding Street is the ultimate toy store.  I know this because Theresa told me so.  She went there with some friends of hers.

She came home with a collection of  "fascinators".  I had never heard of a fascinator until that late point in my life.   (Hint - if you too are clueless, then look at the top photo.  That black thing on Theresa's head is not a huge Chinese insect.  It's a fascinator.)  It seems they are more of a British fashion, and one that has been making a comeback as late.   The middle photo shows some of Theresa's shopping companions.  Among them were at least one Brit and one Irish.  I think they were the instigators.  The photo below shows the selection of lace gloves and other fru-fru accessories that are required accessories for all fascinator-wearers. 

The Melbourne Cup horse race is coming up at the beginning of November.  All the fashionistas will dress up to the nines and don their fascinators for this event.  I also hear a party is being planned somewhere in Suzhou.  So, don't be surprised if you see some more fascinator photos in a couple of weeks.