So I did go shopping and tried finding a pair of pants. But I didn’t find anything suitable–they were either too expensive or too ugly. Both of which aren’t good reasons to make a purchase. So I ended up going to the meeting in my jeans and a top. It turned out to be OK as the other ladies in the meeting were just as casual, perhaps even more so. One, in my opinion, looked like she was headed for the wet market. Enough said.
But my general observation about people in Beijing is that they dress pretty casually when it comes to work. Many of the women also don’t bother with make-up. Once, I sat in on an interview that my manager’s boss was conducting, and the candidate (a young lady of 26) came dressed in T-shirt, jeans and with no make-up on. She looked more like she was going to a lecture at a university. I was quite shocked to see her dressed like that, ‘cos in Singapore it’s a definite no-no to turn up for an interview dressed so casually. But it’s pretty cool that dressing’s so casual. Then there’s no need to spend huge amounts of money on work clothes!
So anyway, I don’t think I need to buy any pants! Yipee!