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"I like its simplicity, it makes me feel elegant," said Zhang, who works as a manager at an electric power company in the south China's Guangzhou City. "France for me is elegance: good fashion and wines." Western couture houses such as Hermes are now tapping into the discreet tastes of the super-rich. "The Chinese mainland market is still very accessories-oriented but we believe that will change," said Alex Bolen, chief executive of New York-based couture house Oscar de la Renta, whose sleek cocktail dresses retail for up to US$10,000, while its evening gowns approach double that. "There's definitely a market for the cocktail dress. But what has surprised us, pleasantly, is how rapidly the customer has also adopted our day wear." Leading the charge is upmarket Hong Kong department store Lane Crawford, which is bringing cutting-edge Western designers to the mainland. The opening of Lane Crawford's first store in Beijing last October has expanded the mainland presence of British designers such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and heralded the arrival of more niche designers, including Dries Van Noten, Hussein Chalayan and Rick Owens. Meanwhile, Chinese fashion editors, headed by Vogue China, have become an influential presence on the European fashion scene. People's purchasing power and the growing sophistication of wealthy clientele is creating a very diverse market for fashion, says Angelica Cheung, editor of Vogue China.