Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Coolest grandfather ever? 72-year-old man models for teen-girl clothing line


A fashionably cool Chinese grandfather is the latest internet modelling sensation, all because he can rock teen-girl fashions better than most professional posers.
The photos of Liu Xianping, 72, posing in girlie outfits from his granddaughter's fashion store,Yuekou, were originally intended as a joke, but they quickly went viral — and helped boost sales significantly.
"He picked up one piece and tried to give some advice on how to mix and match," Liu's granddaughter, Ms. Lv, tells China Newsweek of how the idea for the photos originated. "We thought it was fun so we started shooting."



 Liu ended up styling so many outfits, that Ms. Lv and her associates decided to use him to model their entire collection, complete with wigs and accessories, CBC News reports.
Check out the website here.
The images of slender Liu in pink capes, over-the-knee socks and frilly scarves quickly became a viral campaign for Ms. Lv's boutique as sales increased fivefold.
Offbeat China reports that "reactions from local netizens have been overwhelmingly positive."

 tweets from around the world gushing over the unlikely fashion icon, some praising him as a better model than the professionals, and others comparing him to design icon Karl Lagerfeld.
Not only is Liu an impressively fierce fashion model, the septuagenarian has a pretty good attitude about wearing a skirt, too.
"Why unacceptable for someone like me to wear women's clothes? Modelling for the store is helping my granddaughter and I have nothing to lose," Liu tells China Newsweek. "We were very happy on the day of the shooting. I'm very old and all that I care about is to be happy."
Would you let your grandfather style your outfits? Or is that privilege better kept for your girlfriends?