'Fashion 911' responds to wardrobe crises in the dead of the night

Do people actually shop for clothes in the dead of night at say, 2 am?

Wu Yilei, who has built a reputation for being a fashion paramedic who can respond to wardrobe emergencies in the wee hours of the morning, certainly knows of many who do so.

Today, when the city's most well-dressed and well-off women find themselves without a dress after receiving an unexpected invitation to a function the next day, they turn to Wu, who runs clothing boutique Xinlelu.com.

In 2011, Wu co-founded the company with a British-born-Chinese friend who is also an independent local-based fashion designer. The business has an e-commerce site and a brick-and-mortar store, and the duo works with some 50 local and international fashion designers to stock their shelves with trendy daily wear, evening dresses, accessories and bags.

Before the introduction of her late night wardrobe services, the store, like thousands of other independent boutiques in the city, only operated from 12 pm to 8 pm. The idea to start such a service was born while she was jogging, said Wu, who once studied at London Fashion College.

Having realized that she was often "harassed" in the middle of night by her close friends and regular customers about fashion problems, Wu thought that having such a service could prove popular.

"They were all asking me if I have this or that in my shop that they could wear the next day. There is a Chinese saying that the dress every woman wants to wear the next day is always found anywhere other than in her own wardrobe," laughed Wu, who added that she has never had to work past 3 am before.