We often hit a wall when it comes to new places to shop, but this girl's got it all figured out. Let's call her sales lady by day (and for Vogue too, no less), and market / boutique queen by night. "It's not that I don't like shopping in big malls like Plaza 66 (1266 Nanjing Xi Lu) or Shanghai Times Square (99 Huaihai Zhong Lu)," she tells me, "I'd be more than happy to do that–but my credit cards wouldn't." So, she heads off to popular shopping destinations like Nanchang Lu, where she bought this flapper-inspired layered dress, or to TFT (Huaihai Lu near Maoming Nan Lu), where this Asian Cinderella found her perfect slippers. Daring and confident, this Shanghai native knows what this city has to offer: "Shanghai is a stylish place, mixing history with modernity. There are some really stylish people here and they know how to express themselves with the right pieces [of clothing]." Despite finding her showpiece, the dress, on one of the many shopping strips that now line the city, Kate's first love, besides hanging out at LOgO and Amokka Café, is markets. To accesorize, she heads to places such as Qipu Lu, where she picked up these wardrobe-staple tights. "I feel more freedom when shopping in markets," she says. "Besides the cheap prices, I also have more room to mix and match and [find pieces that reflect] my creativity." When at the markets, she advises that it's best to pay special attention to the quality of the fabrics and to bargain the price by half of what is offered. "It's always a double blessing [to shop in markets]," she says. But fun and style aside, don't forget the wise words of this fashionista: "Fashion is not about the dress you wear, it's about your attitude and confidence."

Name: Kate Lu
Occupation: Sales
Nationality: Chinese
Fashionista by Emily Chu
Photographer: Mao Dou
Studio: Ringier Studio