Wearing a beautiful fragrant cloud organza (香云纱) costume designed by herself, Kathrin von Rechenberg chatted with neighbors in a “hutong” or traditional alley, in the Qianmen area of central Beijing, where she runs a clothing studio. Born in Munich, Germany, Rechenberg was so attracted by this delicate, classic Chinese silk at first sight and touch that in 1999 she came to China in search of it.

In order to learn more about this silk and seek design inspiration, she paid several visits to a dyeing (草木染) plant in Guangdong’s Shunde. “The production of fragrant cloud organza involves more than 30 times of dyeing and natural drying at each interval. After the dyeing, the organza needs to stand for years before the entire process is completed and it can be used, making the silk precious.”

Rechenberg has always insisted on sticking to originality in her designs. She draws inspiration from geometric (几何) lines and architectural shapes and reduces unnecessary tailoring to preserve the original art design as much as possible. “Western costume designers are used to presenting beauty through complex design and tailoring, but I just follow the lines and fabric (织物的) colors,” Rechenberg said.

Rechenberg was awarded the title of friendship ambassador of China’s textile intangible cultural heritage in 2020. Meanwhile, her own brand, Rechenberg Art Couture, has become increasingly popular. “I have gained a better understanding of the traditional Chinese culture over the past two decades in China and learned to pursue harmony with nature. I will continue to study Chinese culture and history,” she said.

Every year around August, millions of teens take their parents to stores to buy new clothes for the start of the school year. Not every parent can afford this, and some teens are forced to go to school in the same clothes they wore last year. The obvious differences in clothes cause differences among students. There is a simple solution to this problem; school uniforms (校服).

I know from personal experience and surveys that wearing uniforms creates a sense of equality among peers (同龄人).

From sixth grade until I graduated from senior high school, I attended a school that required students to wear uniforms. The uniform was very simple: dark brown shoes, green-brown pants, and a white shirt. The uniform left little room for any kind of self-expression, especially through clothes.

However, I learned how to stand out by expressing myself through my personality, art, and sports. I did not know I could draw until the sixth grade. I also would never have learned of my musical abilities if it hadn’t been for my desire to find ways to express myself. Uniforms taught me that I was myself, except what I wore.

Uniforms also contribute to a much safer learning environment. I remember a particular event that happened in my junior high school. A man ran away from prison and wanted to hide in the gym of our school. Luckily, cameras all over the school quickly found the stranger before any danger could ever happen as he was out of place. School officials kept the man locked inside our gym until the police came to take him back to prison.

Uniforms help provide a better educational experience for all students no matter what race, culture, or economic class (经济阶层). In closing, wearing uniforms is good for both schools and students.

Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe—the business tribe.

You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who     used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a          professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take   seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.

“Ties offer a point of indifference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. “They give a chance to say something about their own personality.”

So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there is a good chance that he is the office joker. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks.

Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new bread of   entrepreneurs(企业家) in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people—but not the people wearing ties.

Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business   uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．