Lessons from the stylish: Bao Bao Wan, jewellery designer

As the granddaughter of Wan Li, the former Chairman of the National People's Congress of China, Bao Bao Wan is accustomed to luxury hotels. But even she underestimated the sumptuousness of the beds at the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge. She has requested to do our interview in the bedroom of the top-floor suite, away from the noise of hotel staff setting up tea, but she is so pixie-tiny that the bed threatens to swallow her up.

"After I stayed here I fell in love with the hotel," she says, grabbing a plump pillow both to anchor her sinking frame and to protect her modesty (a Balmain mini dress is no match for the king-size). "I'm actually very good friends with the house. This is the fine-jewellery brand that I respect the most." Fittingly, she is decked out in diamonds, pearls and 18-carat white-gold earrings the shape of traditional Chinese fans - but they are of her own conception, rather than the Italian jewellers'. "I don't really want to put on jewellery so that people just look at that. I passed that stage. It just has to be part of my life," she says.

Luckily, Wan's life accommodates diamonds at breakfast. She splits her time between four cities, each with its own dress code. Beijing, for one month of the year to see her family, is "very casual, not fashionable at all", calling for leggings from American Apparel. Hong Kong is where she goes hiking, requiring Lululemon gym clothes and Nike trainers. London is a professional zone, where she dons dresses from Balmain, Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham - "always tight-fitting; dresses that make you feel you can't mess up" - while Paris means front-row seats at fashion shows. This requires sartorial diplomacy. "You can't go to Dior wearing Chanel," she says. "And you have to be in the correct season." Then there's the gala dinners and the red carpet. "I always wear floor-length, and I always show the curves," she says. "I'm not tall, like Cate Blanchett - I can't play with hemlines. You have to go easy, dress for your body shape."

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Such a honed formula is the result of years of experimentation. Wan grew up in conservative Beijing, where her parents still reside, in a household that frequently played host to communist officials. She's reluctant to discuss her childhood or her life in China - her family's influence combined with her love of a good party have rendered her tabloid fodder - but she is happy to talk teenage rebellion. "I moved to New York when I was 16 and had a punk stage. I went to Sarah Lawrence College, which is very much a hippy school, so I had piercings, black eyeliner, I was cutting up T-shirts, cutting up socks to wear on my arms…" she laughs. It's a great laugh - like that of Dick Dastardly's sidekick Muttley. "I actually really appreciate those years," she sighs, catching her breath.

Wan's jewellery line, launched in 2007, treads a similarly fine line between tradition and transition. Her designs take Chinese symbols and present them in rich, luxurious combinations. There are gold and diamond earrings in the shape of pagodas; a panda pendant in black and white diamonds; and a sparkling pair of vase-shaped diamond pavé earrings, inspired by Buddhist urns of wisdom. Her favourite gem, though, is a tiny diamond worn just inside her ear. "It's not expensive; my mother gave it to me a long time ago and I have never taken it off. I've seen a lot of huge diamonds in my life but this is the only thing I wear every day." She pauses. "There are a lot of young fashion victims in Asia, who want to look on season, on trend. But my mother keeps me grounded."

One vestige of the punk period still stands: her multicoloured hair. "I got bored. I thought, 'Let's trash it!' I have bleached it six times. At the moment it's pink, blue, purple, red, green… and now it matches my dress perfectly!"

Q & A:

On keeping warm
Winter in Beijing is like London, relatively cold. I wear a lot of cashmere, and down coats from Pucci. Lots of people think Pucci is a summer brand, but they do very well-made coats in beautiful patterns.

How to walk the red carpet like a pro
If you have a correct posture, you will always look good. I take ballet, yoga and Pilates classes to keep my posture good. Regular stretching also helps.

On dressing for your shape
If you are tiny, like me, you cannot wear big, square things that don't flatter the body. Céline a couple of seasons ago made me look like a wall. You have to be very tall to carry off that look. Stick to amazing geometric patterns and form-flattering cuts that don't kill your style. Also carry a small handbag; I like this one by Moschino (left). But the best way to keep yourself stylish is to not follow fashion.

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