Beer and Baubles: Shop Designer Fashion in Fangjia...With a Drink

When I see a hotdog-patterned button-down shirt hanging in a shop window, I stop. When I see a “Beer and Drink” sign on the front stoop, I go inside. Little White & Big White has both of these. A RMB 3 can of Yanjing while I shop for carnival snack-themed clothing? Don't mind if I do.

One step into the charming hutong shop, formerly Dragon House Vintage, and I'm face-to-face with a bunch of mood-lifting bananas.

“Peeling good.”

It's a slogan on owner Mao Mao's handmade, banana-laden button down that perfectly illustrates the quirky and nonchalant manner of her and her tattooed business partner, Zhao Daye, who kicks it back in a Jeff Gordon, number 48, Nascar racing lawn chair. He's just an arms' length away from a fridge of ice cold beers and beverages in what is an otherwise mod-DIY room.

After all, as with most Beijing boutiques, anything goes. World War II and apocalypse-themed tees hang next to pressed shirts covered in hotdogs, while a framed illustration of a man who appears to be morphing into a cat hovers over breezy, black and white, cotton and silk blend blouses.

The pep and genuine enthusiasm with which Mao Mao describes her products, most of which are part of a collaboration between her and local artists, is like a mother showing off her child's school project. It's all enough to excuse the bouts of dollar store hoisery and potleaf-shaped car air fresheners that clutter one corner of the room.

Scattered among these accessories are Zhao's handmade leather wallets, etched with his own illustrations inside each of the money slots. He'll even do custom drawings upon request. Last time I went by the shop, Mao Mao showed off a clear, acrylic handbag, which made to look like a UFO, by a Shanghai designer.

A wide range of funky table lamps are what make Little White & Big White really worth a stop though: Ranging from RMB 298 to 788, the sleek, geometric shades and stands designed by Mao Mao's friend could put any IKEA find to shame.

Little White & Big White

Daily 3-11pm. 76 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng District. 139 1061 2451

Photos: Jessica Rapp