THOUGH fashion's tides are a most elusive phenomenon, they do coincide with the general feelings and psyche of the eras when we take a look back.

　　A recent fashion show in the second China Brand Clothing Fair provided a vivid demonstration of this hypothesis.

　　The show, entitled In Search of Menolia, led the audience through the years, in a symbolic way, from the time Shenzhen was first established through its growth, prosperity and frustrations to its present-day maturity.

　　With striped, elastic-knit materials wrapped around the body and white semi-transparent voile draping to the heels, the garment shown in the first scene mimics the joyful birth of a new life from a pupa. It brings to mind the elastic pants that clearly outlined the female legs and the bat-wing sleeves that were a hit in the early 1980s.

　　Then the tide of light, colorful materials and the leisurely look of loosely fitting dresses, or long swirling skirts, expressed the bustling hope and energy of the early migrants in the mid '80s.

　　At the beginning of the '90s, adornments like embedded stones, printed flower patterns and hand-painted images coincided with the struggles for a distinct individuality set against the fast changing economic environment. A brilliant green dress, adorned with white feathers slanting across the shoulders, depicts the typical looks of that time.

　　The next few years saw the bull and bear in turn in the stock market, with inflation followed by a slowdown in the economic boom. Garments of this period represented a strong cosmopolitan impact, visual contrast and a psychological tension that was with everyone. Jeans, net materials, beads and paillette decorations naturally took the lead. 

　　Towards the end of the '90s, popular colors among urban girls were brown, beige, metallic and ivory in combination with embroidery, engraved patterns, and eyelets implying a new appeal for elegance, delicacy and understated luxury.

　　People have come to harbor new dreams for the new millennium and, correspondingly, we find more brilliant colors and miscellaneous styles. Also light materials are making a comeback, appealing to the light-hearted, young generation which has grown up in the free and affluent years.