Fashion is always a good indicator of a city's advancement. With the annual MTV Style Awards being staged in Shanghai for the second year in a row, it's a sure sign that this mainland city is not only being groomed to be the business centre of China, but also the fashion capital.
Explaining the reason for holding the glamorous event in Shanghai, Jessica Kam, vice-president of network communications for MTV Asia, said: 'Beijing is the capital representing high authority, so we had the MTV and CCTV Chinese Music Awards there earlier this year, while Shanghai is the capital fashion.'
The MTV Style Awards, which took place last Saturday night at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, are an event that melds music, film and fashion together. Ms Kam said that such a combination was only natural. The concept of the award was based on the VH1 and Vogue award shows in the US.
'Lots of singers and actors are in fact fashion icons. People look up to them as trendsetters,' she said.
'Models are stylish, but a lot of the audience might not recognise who they are. Whereas pop stars are the stylish faces that people actually know. We think that this can help breathe new life into fashion.'
The awards were divided into three main categories - Hong Kong and Taiwan, mainland China and pan-Asia. The panel of judges consisted of fashion professionals.