Right on Q: Shop High End Vintage in Pingod

Shuangjing’s Pingod is now home to a Narnia of vintage designer clothing. Handpicked during more than seven years of Shao Qing’s travels to France, Italy, and the US, a sparkling closet of flowing gowns, stunning prints, and kickin’ shoes have transformed an unsuspecting living room.

Just three years ago, Qing was styling shoots for some of China’s leading local designers including White Collar and Ricostru. It’s this that refined her talent for taste and selectivity, so that she has fostered a collection of truly standout pieces dating back as early as the 1930s.

Take the heavy, hand-sequined, plum maxi dress by Palm Beach, probably donned on a US nightclub stage sometime in the 1950s. There’s the Gianni Versace signature heart skirt, recognizable from a 1994 couture collection advertisement, the era during which Versace famously recruited supermodels like Cindy Crawford for his campaigns.

It’s minute details like tweaks in the designer’s logos and the quality of the garment’s lining that help Qing determine the authenticity of clothing when she peruses high-end shops and auctions, and she’ll stand by the validity of her pieces. One can even find recreations of her originals, like Jimmy Choo’s acrylic “candy” clutch, an almost-copy of her red, Italian handbag from the 1950s which she sells alongside other chic accessories for RMB 2,000.

In a scene where shoppers are increasingly itching for apparel made with the same care as luxury designer wear, but featuring exclusive touches, Qing’s shop, along with the few others like it in Beijing, is settling in nicely. Stars like Fan Bingbing and Zhang Ziyi have been sporting vintage on the red carpet, so it’s only a matter of time before Qing’s more unusual, elaborate dresses debut at high-profile events. Her collection goes for between RMB 700 and RMB 15,000.

Qing has been making rounds at Beijing’s pop-up events, markets and exhibitions. Follow her on WeChat (shqaoing1234) to see where she’ll be next. You may even get a taste of her second passion: making killer Italian food. Not that all those trips to scout clothes in Italy had any influence on her skills; it’s with unabashed firmness the normally humble Qing reveals, “I taught myself.”

Q Apartment
Daily 11am-8pm. 2606, Bldg 6B, Pingod, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District (186 1033 0793)
朝阳区百子湾路32号苹果社区6B楼2606

Also try: Trash 'n' Diamond, Delia

Photos: Sui