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Anyway, Shanghai ladies once again demonstrated their buying power at the launch party for Pudong's first Gucci boutique at Huarun Times Square late last month. That night, the two-level store was packed with the Italian high-end brand's loyal fans busy checking out and purchasing its latest collection. The boutique covering 430 square meters is the fourth Gucci store in Shanghai and the 18th on the Chinese mainland. It sells a complete collection including ready-to-wear for men and women, handbags, shoes, watches and other accessories. To celebrate, actress Li Bingbing and actors Joseph Cheng and Cheung Chi Lam took the stage wearing Gucci's "Cruise" collection. Well-known local models also catwalked some highlight pieces. The "Cruise" collection, as its name suggests, exudes a cheerful, carefree holiday mood. For women, Gucci's signature juxtapositions of femininity and toughness are carried throughout the collection. The full-skirted shape prevailing in the 1950s is back this spring in various designer brands such as Gucci and Prada. "Modern, graphic, swinging and circling the body" is how Gucci reinterprets this 1950s new look. The skirts are worn with sexy tailored jackets and tops and belts at the waist, not on the hips. Both men and women's collections feature strong colors: black and white interrupted by flashes of bright, fresh hues such as orange, green, yellow and citrus. The prints include Gucci's iconic bamboo and coral, stylized leopard and seashore motifs.