All Grown Up: Wudaokou Shop Expands to Sanlitun

If there’s one thing Queena Qiao excels at, it is understanding her audience. Her first namesake boutique Queena, catering to Wudakou’s thrifty student population, specializes in trendy yet affordable clothing from Korea. Now two years later she has opened the more sophisticated Qiao, better suited for the fancier (and wealthier) folks of Sanlitun.

And what do Wudaokou and Sanlitun denizens have in common? They are both down to party. The same skimpy dresses (RMB 300-700) we saw at Queena turn up here, but are now displayed alongside classic leather tote bags, cocktail gowns and secondhand steals by Alexander Wang and Ralph Lauren.

Menswear, albeit limited to one rack, have also been added into the mix. Expat boys will happily pounce on the vintage-style tees (RMB 300), or eye the delicate charm bracelets (RMB 100-200) and costume jewelry (RMB 300-600) as gifts for girlfriends.

While more grown-up, Qiao sticks to Queena’s original recipe of relying on her own taste – that is to say, anything you see in the shop, you can imagine the owner wearing, whether it’s a floral blouse or sequined skirt. Luckily, we can see ourselves wearing them, too.

Also try: Queena, Jan & Iti

Qiao
Noon-8pm. Unit 2, Bldg 28 (in residential compound west of Yashow Market), 28 Sanlitun Nanjie, Chaoyang District (6416 9822)
朝阳区三里屯南街28号2单元（雅秀西侧小区）

Directions: Enter the residential compound west of Yashow Market, walk about 30m and you'll see Qiao on your right.

Photos: Tiffany Wang