(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-10 11:42

"Most of them can be easily dressed up or dressed down," Lembye explains. "For example, a neon-colored cotton dress is nice for a shopping day if you wear it with a pair of flat sandals, while it is also a perfect cocktail dress when matched with a pair of high heels."

As a Western woman in Shanghai, Lembye often finds it difficult to find suitable clothes because most are made to fit petit Asian women.

With her friends, she frequently shops at Zara and H&M, and she found that sometimes they chose similar or even exactly the same styles.

At CPH, each style is available in limited numbers, one or two pieces only for one size. "I want to offer my clients some unique stuff," continues the single woman. "But at the same time, they should be confident enough to be able to cope with attention when they wear it."

The prices are similar to Zara and H&M. The most expensive piece in the shop is a 1,050-yuan (US$150) silk dress bearing Lembye's own label. Tops start from 200 yuan while pouches and hand-made earrings are sold at about 300 yuan.

The store also features private manicure and waxing areas on the second floor, where women can relax in cozy surroundings fitted with Danish-designed furniture. The area provides customers with free drinks, ranging from diet coke to wine, a plasma TV to watch DVDs while having their nails done and new magazines in both English and Chinese.

"I want to create a place where people can do everything - find the dresses they like and have their nails done with the same color at the same time," she explains.

The prices are also quite competitive - a manicure is 95 yuan and a pedicure 150 yuan.

Before opening her own fashion store, Lembye held a senior position in a Danish shipping company.

She relocated to Shanghai 18 months ago and is fascinated by "the size of everything and how quickly everything is moving" in the city.

"I have met a lot of people, not only from Denmark but from different countries, who are starting their own business here," she says. "Everybody has a good idea and they are not afraid of taking a chance. That's what I did, I took a chance and I hope it will turn out to be a good one.

"In the US they talk about the 'American dream,' and for me, I am living my 'China dream'," she declares with a smile.

CPH
Address: 136 Taikang Road, Shanghai.
Tel: 021-6467 3955

   1 2   

   1 2