Elizabeth Peng walks into the sixth floor of the New York outpost of private members club Soho House and I immediately notice her shoes—black, canvas laceless plimsoll-brogue hybrids. “They’re Beatrix Ong’s WEN shoe,” she smiles as she mentions the name of the Chinese designer when I ask who made them. It makes sense—if anyone would be wearing not-yet-available shoes by a talented yet under-the-radar designer, it’s this girl.
Peng is one of the go-to thinkers when it comes to Chinese culture and fashion. To wit: She’s the the founder of Chinese culture site, Liuli, a Fulbright fellow and Central Saint Martins grad, a former editorial staffer at Asian luxury department store Lane Crawford, and a regular contributor to Vogue China and Style.com.
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Most recently, Peng recommended the Mainland’s most talented emerging designers to the selection committee for the prestigious LVMH prize, and moderated a panel at the Met on the influence of Chinese art on Western fashion. All this before she’s even turned 30.
It sounds super-academic, right? But one of the reasons why Peng’s East-West perspectives are so spot-on is because she’s pretty damn cool—a combination of her being young, smart, internationally savvy and the possessor of incredible taste. She has her finger on the pulse of everything Chinese, whether it’s understanding the luxury mainstays or the counterculture kids making waves.
It’s an incredibly relevant topic, as the Far East country is becoming a cultural force to be reckoned with. There’s always been this understanding of the massive shape-shifting that’s happening there, but since the opening of the China: Through the Looking Glass exhibit at the Costume Institute, the conversation stateside has exploded
As my chat with Peng progresses, it becomes clear that telling the story about what’s cool from the perspective of this insider has to be done through the lens of the mother of all social media right now: Instagram.
“Instagram itself is banned in China,” Peng says to me from across the communal table where we’re having a light dinner, leaning in as if to share a secret of national security. “But if you’re savvy, you have a virtual private network [VPN] to circumnavigate the router to show that you are actually outside the country and looking at the platform that way.”
What’s blatantly obvious while going through Chinese Instagram profiles is that what’s virally interesting to the Chinese aesthetically isn’t necessarily appealing to westerners, and vice-versa. “The Fat Jewish is completely lost on the Chinese,” Peng laughs. “In Asia, they’re more into things that are lot cuter, things that would come across as juvenile in a Western setting.”
Androgyny is also a venerated—just look at the Kendall Jenner‘s recent Vogue China cover with the actor Kris Wu, whose features and mannerisms are purposely delicate.
Social media also bonds Chinese people in a very different way than it does in other countries, interestingly because of the one-child policy that’s been the norm for what seems like forever.
“The camaraderie with peers and friends is so strong because most people don’t have siblings,” Peng says. “Friends become siblings, so staying in touch with them is incredibly important, and the only way to communicate with each other is through messaging services and platforms like Instagram”
So, who made Peng’s list of best-in-class Chinese tastemakers to know? Check out her list of Instagrammers to find out:
Best All Around: Melvin Chua (@melvin0619)
If looking to celebrate the China fashion system with all its pageantry, Chua would certainly be best all-around. His communications and events agency, Ink Pak, does it all. Serving as the point-of-entry for all brands headed Eastward into Mainland China and vice versa. His Instagram feed is always a comprehensive take on what’s happening at the nexus of East-West fashion. There’s also the occasional guest appearance by his nearest and dearest, like supermodel Naomi Campbell, model/actress Du Juan, director Baz Luhrmann, Vogue China EIC Angelica Cheung, and lots of fashion insiders and editors.
Best Fashion Without the Fluff: Lucia Liu (@lucialiustylist)
Lucia’s one of those rare fashion gems who’s remarkably cool but has a no-frills attitude. And as T magazine China’s Fashion Director (and one of China’s top celebrity and fashion stylists), she let’s her creativity speak for itself. That identity is reflected in her feed, which is ll about the creative world she inhabits, as well as the occasional street style shot.
Best Chinese Millennials: Babyghost (@babyghost_nyc)
New York-Shanghai design duo Qiaoran Huang and Josh Hupper of Babyghost win here. Their brand and feed has a swag that’s impossibly hip and representative of Millennial Chinese and global cool. They flipped the whole retail model and, like many emerging Chinese brands, started selling on Taobao (the Chinese version of eBay or Amazon). How subversive is that? Not to mention, model darling Xiaowen Ju is their best friend, even styling their Fall 2015 presentation last season in New York.
Best “This is China” account: Sara Jane Ho (@sarajaneho)
Here’s one Peng hates to love, or loves to hate. Either way, she gives mad props to Sara Jane or “Miss Manners” as the founder of Beijing-based finishing school Institute Sarita. This Harvard Business School grad teaches throngs of aspiring Mainland socialites in the rites and rituals of etiquette, and her feed is a collection of how-to’s: like arranging Bernardaud plates, learning about caviar, caring for horses and hostessing when not playing around with 40-carat, Asscher-cut diamonds. It’s excessive flourish can only be explained as: “TIC” or “This is China.
Best in Contemporary Art: Phil Tinari (@philiptinari)
Interested in what’s happening in the world of contemporary Chinese art? Then look no further than Phil, the director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. He’s a bit of a Chinese art world OG from his days researching as a China Fulbright fellow, and when he’s not putting on shows in L.A. for artists like Alex Israel, Sterling Ruby or Ryan Trecartin, he’s hanging with Chinese art doyens like Xu Bing, Liu Wei, or Ai Weiwei, while offering glimpses into the collectors and institutions within and outside of China with humor and wit.
Best Model: Sayo Akasaka (@sayoakasaka)
Japanese-born, Shanghai-based model Sayo embodies this androgynous aesthetic that resonates within China. Her edgy look and boyish charm—think cornrows, pixies, and undercuts—not to mention her gang of hipster besties (like Vice China producer Wang Yibing) makes her a must-follow. Fun fact: she made her NYFW debut attending Tory Burch’s Fall ’15 show.
Best East-West Glamour Girl: Veronica Chou (@veronicaisnowmrsk)
Formerly of Iconix China, Veronica’s East-West embrace of the glamorous highs (i.e. insights into the Met Gala which her father, Silas, was honorary chair) and lows (i.e. binging on kitschy ‘only in Asia’ snacks) makes her feed one to watch. Somewhat of a regular fixture in the global fashion circuit, she navigates within this incredible layer of influence but manages to make it seem refreshingly candid and accessible. She’s also pregnant with twin boys which is incredibly useful because … how to dress?!
Best Chinese Cultural Mash-Up: Liuli (@liulinow)
A shameless plug for Peng’s Liuli because it’s well-deserved. Where else does one find such a motley cast of characters who are in their own respective ways, contributing meaningfully to the global Chinese creative class? Liuli achieves the result of transforming others’ perceptions of what it means to be both creative and Chinese (or non-Chinese) through style, art and culture in one place.
