EVENING gowns and wedding dresses were staple items of Shanghai Fashion Week which ended on Wednesday. Established local designers such as Ji Cheng, Judy Hua and Zhai Yanxin all launched their haute couture lines, or rather custom-made couture lines during the one-week event.

"It is a decision (introducing the custom-made couture line) I made after a long time thinking," said designer Hua. "I think it is a way out that fits me better (compared with a ready-to-wear line), through which I could express myself more freely and precisely."

Perhaps it is also a way out for local designers to compete with international fashion brands. As more of them enter the Chinese market, independent designers can't help but feel the stress.

Hua has closed her ready-to-wear business and all the stores, keeping only her studio at M50 -- an artist hub -- for custom-made orders. Meanwhile, designer Ji has also cut to two the number of stores selling her ready-to-wear brand "La Vie," while opening a studio dedicated to tailored wedding gowns in Shanghai.

Their target customers are the same: well-educated, wealthy young ladies who look for their own, one-of-a-kind dresses for that vital event in life. However, they may not be wealthy enough to afford "real" haute couture pieces from luxury houses such as Chanel and Christian Dior. It's a niche market.

"My gowns can't compete with those by Chanel in terms of techniques and materials, but the price difference is also considerable," Hua pointed out.

"What you pay for a ready-to-wear piece from those international luxury brands, which you can also find elsewhere in the world, is enough to cover the cost to make a very unique dress of your own in my studio. So why not?"

Prices for Hua's custom-made evening gowns start from 3,000 yuan (US$440) and wedding gowns from 10,000 yuan, and Ji's wedding gowns start from 15,000 yuan.

On Sunday, Hua launched her 2010 couture collection "Hua Jian Ji" in Fuxing Park, where a big white tent was set up for this year's fashion week, at which in seven days more than 20 designers from home and abroad presented their latest works.

Inspired by the "Peach Blossom" series by renowned Chinese contemporary artist Zhou Chunya, the collection featured long gowns in a round, loose silhouette as well as sexy mini dresses, most of which were adorned with exquisite petal details. The dresses come in a palette defined by fuchsia and crystal white, with flashes of mustard and dark green. Some of them carry floral patterns inspired by Zhou's original works.

In her "Double Happiness Banquet" collection, designer Ji uses predominantly silk, satin and laces to enhance a woman's beauty and femininity. The 37 pieces on display were divided into two categories -- the all-white collection for Western-style weddings and the all-red collection for Chinese-style.

Compared with her ready-to-wear line, the designer didn't incorporate as many Chinese elements into the wedding gowns but there were still some hints, such as the "double happiness" Chinese character on the model's back and a piece of blue-and-white porcelain on the shoulder. Apart from that, she also used a lot of Swarovski crystals and traditional Chinese embroidery to highlight the details of the gowns.

"I want to create memorable pieces, dresses that would arouse people's attention and leave an impression when they see the bride wearing it in the wedding," Ji explained.

Qinyi, the country's leading Chinese-style clothing brand, experimented with new possibilities of traditional qipao by collaborating with Hungarian apparel brand Katti Zoob. The two brands held a fashion show called "Fusion," at which each presented exotic collections inspired by the two countries' culture and history.

Designer Li Jianqin for Qinyi has created a collection ideal for formal occasions in a palette of black, white, grey with splashes of green and red, featuring details such as hand-made silk buttons, beads and sequins.

One thing in common between the two collections is that they both featured ultra feminine, body-hugging silhouettes. Highlights included the black, white and grey chiffon dresses worn with traditional Chinese "yao feng" (waist cover) inspired wild belts, and satin gowns featuring peony flowers and butterfly patterns made of hard metal on the back.

For less glamorous occasions, local fashion brand Backstage offered a variety of fashionable choices. Its latest collection features an unusual all-black palette for spring/summer. Designer Zou Hailan has integrated almost all the trendy elements of today's fashion world, from rivets and laces to sequins and exaggerated accessories, into asymmetrical dresses, glittering leggings, jackets with big shoulders and big full skirts.

American Chinese designer Jane Zhu adapted the traditional qipao to make it more casual and appropriate for daytime wear. By doing this she used unconventional materials such as cashmere, wool and knitwear to create girly, chic pieces ideal for winter time. Some qipao style knitwear had delicate crochet flowers spanning all over, while others featured tiny pearl beads and big satin knots on the back.

Young designer Jiang Ling presented a men's collection of asymmetrical, lightweight designs, featuring over-the-knee shirts, voluminous trench coats and edgy knitwear pieces.

Also for the first time, three Thai designers held a joint show at Shanghai Fashion Week. Chai Jeam-amornrat of "Chai Red Label" created various styles of short and long dresses with an air of sweet femininity. Silk was used as the main fabric to introduce a perfect harmony between a smart silhouette and a sleek draping technique.

Patsarun Sriluansoi, the designer behind the label "Real," drew inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's women to come up with evening dresses in a retro style with sharp silhouettes.

However, made of silk, jersey, tulle and taffeta, they were so thin and airy at the same time.

And Jirat Subpisankul of "Sanshai" dedicated his whole collection to reflect the elegance of a lady, introducing dresses in a balanced proportion, enhanced by tassels, sequins and origami inspired details.