The Chanel of China.docVIP

The Chanel of China 　　If Grace Chen had not watched Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’60s as a schoolgirl， her life could have turned out differently. But it was as if fate took a hand in propelling her to become a fashion designer， with her father， a college teacher who was deeply interested in art， encouraging his two daughters to explore all creative channels. 　　“I started doing calligraphy when I was 4，”the 45-year-old said， keeping the conversation going while posing for photographers at an event in Beijing. “We explored a lot of art and movies， especially Hollywood， and I was mesmerized by the beautifully dressed leading ladies like Leigh and Taylor. So from a very early age， I decided I wanted to be someone who could create those sorts of women. I never changed in what I wanted to do.” 　　 Unorthodox step 　　As a schoolgirl Chen drew a lot， sketching wardrobes with fantastic outfits. After finishing school， she decided to study fashion designing and， despite the times when such career choices were regarded as unorthodox， her parents welcomed her decision. So after a stint in Beijing， she was off to the premier Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City， a long way from Anhui Province of east China， where she came from. “It was in the early ’90s and I was the first student from the Chinese mainland，” she recalled. “It was a groundbreaking experience.” 　　After working and living in New York City and Los Angeles for 15 years， where she mostly created evening wear for international houses like Tadashi Shoji， the America-based Japanese designing house， she saw her outfits bought by celebrities like Hollywood diva Helen Mirren and Oprah Winfrey and she thought the time was ripe to return home and establish her own label. 　　“I wanted to design for Chinese women， to create a brand that is from China but successful internationally，” she said. “I have lived and worked in Beijing， New York， Los Angeles and Shanghai. I c