About Modern Chinese Clothing

Chinese clothing is not only externally elegant but it also symbolizes culture and communicates its own vitality. Archeological remains from the Shantingtung culture unearthed objects like bone sewing needles, stone beads and shells with holes in them clearly pointing out the use of ornamentation and sewing in that age. Clothing associated with colors was prevalent; red was the color for summer, green for spring, black for winters and white represented of autumns.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - October 23, 2010 at 11:09 pm

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Ancient Chinese Clothing – History of Fashion in China

The ancient Chinese people had very distinctive social classes. Each of these has specific styles and significance of dressing. Varied symbols are used on the clothing to distinguish between various strata of society. The ancient Chinese clothing has varied greatly throughout different periods of time. Each social or historical period brought about a new style. During the Pre-Qing Dynasty (also known as the Manchu Dynasty was the last ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912.); the prevalent ancient Chinese clothing was broadly referred to as hanfu with many variations such as traditional Chinese academic dress. Every individual stratum displayed a different fashion. In fact the military was totally distinctive in its appearance. Chinese civil or military officials had an assortment of motifs to depict their rank and position. Hat knobs were used as an icon of their rank. There were nine types of color coded hat knobs that represented the nine distinctive ranks. Another popular insignia was the Mandarin square or rank badge. The Chinese clothing known as the Hanfu (also referred to as guzhuang meaning “ancient clothing”), was the traditional dress of the Han Chinese folk. The term Hanfu has its organ in the Book of Han, which says, “then many came to the Court to pay homage and were delighted at the clothing style of the Han [Chinese].” It was fascinating for these visitors to see the characteristic outfit – like a kimono and sandals made out of rice reed. As you can see, the Hanfu has a colorful history dating back 3000 years and more. In fact the dress was even worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. It was popular since long before the Qing Dynasty came into power in the mid seventeenth century. Since the material of this ancient Chinese clothing was always silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu, the Hanfu was also called ‘silk robes’. The Hanfu now is worn only at special occasions which are mostly historical reenactment, hobby, coming of age/rite of passage ceremonies, ceremonial clothing worn by religious priests, or cultural exercise. However, there are attempts on to try and make it a part of more day to day wear or at least during Chinese celebrations and festivals especially in China as well as among the non resident community. The Ancient Chinese clothing in its most traditional best can be explained as different parts of specific cloth that are draped in a special style. It would be totally different from the traditional garment of other ethnic groups in China like the Manchurian qipao. There is a great difference between the Han way of dressing and the Manchurian influence. It is as yet an unsolved problem which of the two would be the correct traditional costume of the ancient Chinese. Some costumes commonly thought of as typically Chinese, such as the qipao, are the result of influence by brutal laws (Queue Order) imposed by Manchurian rulers of the Qing Dynasty, and are regarded by some advocates as not being “traditionally” Han.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - October 23, 2010 at 11:44 pm

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Silk Kung Fu Suit on EastStore.com

Cool Double Happiness Silk Kung Fu Suit SKU:  KF-507292 Braveness and brightness abound in this Cool Double Happiness Silk Kung Fu Suit.Blaze a trail with this Bruce Lee Kung Fu Silk Suit?This handsome suit has matching pants and scarf included and is made from silk with a double lining. Mandarin collar. Frog button. The Kung Fu Jacket is reversible design. Matching pants included with elastic waist. Matching scarf included (Measurement: 13.5″*67″). Double happiness pattern. Fabric: 100% Pure Silk. Wash/Iron: Dry clean only. Color available: Black/Yellow. **This item is well handmade by professional chinese tailors.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - October 24, 2010 at 8:58 am

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Oriental blouses,Chinese Shirt Information articles

Chinese blouses A Chinese blouse is, like a China dress, an integral part of the wardrobe of every woman. Some women prefer to wear an elegant Chinese inspired blouse rather than a huipile. Chinese silk blouses are heavily embroidered using beautiful lace, beads and colorful patterns. They are available in a wide variety, in terms of length, width and elaboration. The term Asian blouse is often utilized when referring to a women’s shirt. An old definition that I found is as follows: a long loose over garment that resembles a shirt or smock and is worn especially by workmen, artists, and peasants; a usually loose-fitting garment that covers the body from the neck to the waist and is worn especially by women. In every China fashion wardrobe, there should be at least one Oriental silk blouse/collared shirt or whatever else you call them. They are essential for work or interviews when you need to dress up and look formal and professional. They are great for casual and works with absolutely any other Asian clothes. Chinese silk blouses This season, the trend for the sexy Chinese silk blouse is to be tucked in, loose, feminine and colorful. Traditionally, girls wear long prom dresses that are ankle length or maybe a little longer to prom. Asian style silk blouses are back on the fashion radar of Asian style clothing. Not the nasty shiny sort, but styles that are distinctly non-utilitarian. Think frills, fancy buttons, dainty pin-tucks, billowing sleeves and plunging necklines in wispy chiffons and you get the picture. These days that trend has started to fade. Chinese style blouses The short China style blouse is now accepted as a stylish choice for the prom. Oriental blouses could be stitched perfectly only when the body measurements are taken accurately. It will seem more or less engineering perfection with which we take measurements to get perfect fitting blouses for a young beautiful woman together with some sexy Asian gown. The chest or upper body has peculiar body shape and structures with intricate measurement details. It may seem to be simple for wearing a knitted T-shirt on the woman’s body as it adjusts and embraces the body line in curves. Such a tight sexy Chinese inspired blouse fitting is however covered appealingly by a free flowing skirt on the chest. It adds much grace to the breasts as it naturally embraces the body line on its contours. To make it possible a high-quality tailor can stitch a good elegant sexy Asian silk blouse for adorning. But, the shocking news is that a good traditional blouse fitting is possible only if the body measurements are taken correctly; and suitable free allowances are given for making the Chinese style blouse. And then you should combine it together with a Chinese silk suit and a Chinese silk shawl. Chinese shirts There are as many different types of Chinese shirts as there are hours in the day; and with summer fast approaching, the latest styles and fashions of that long time staple of menswear – the Asian shirt – are sure to cause a buzz in the fashion scene all over the country and across the globe. Women’s inspirational sexy Chinese style shirts are a great way to display how you feel about keeping a positive outlook on life. Displaying proudly encouraging words for others to see portrays an upbeat image that will attract other positive people into your life. And I’m sure that it’ll match with many sexy Asian dresses and other kinds of Asian fashion. Whilst the American usage of the term “Oriental silk shirt” generally refers to any garment other than a jacket worn on the top half of the body, in Britain the term normally refers to a garment with buttons up the middle and on the collar, and long-sleeves with full cuffs – an item of clothing known as a sexy elegant Chinese silk shirt in America. Whilst more formal men’s shirts are often associated with special occasions and restrictive job-wear, young men in particular should not make the mistake of overlooking the fashionable men’s shirt! Chinese style shirts Chinese inspired shirts are also a great way to give a gift to that special woman in your life. She will be reminded every time she wears it and the positive message will keep her thoughts on the outlook that the Asian style shirt carries. The variety of garments that this definition can provide stretches is both wide and far-reaching. At one end of the spectrum, you’ll find the extremely informal white sleeveless Chinese inspired shirt which has long been popular in punk and alternative fashions; while at the other end of the scale, people will find the only Asian silk shirt that was officially recognised in mainland China for many years – the double breasted shirt with four pockets known officially as the ‘Zhongshan suit’, but long referred to as the ‘Mao suit.’ Long sleeved Chinese traditional shirts are also changing to keep up with the times. Oriental style shirts with deliberately pre-rolled up sleeves are proving to be popular, with long vertical stripes and a comfortable but fitted look winning through. Let’s not forget as well updates to the classic smart Asian style shirt – and of course the ties to go with them! Chinese skirts The short Chinese skirt is a Chinese fashion trend that seems to have some degree of popularity. It is a fun and flirty fashion, like Chinese pants for example. This short Asian silk skirt is worn on the hips and barely covers the backside, it looks quite crazy and funky but still very interesting and stylish. Wearing a mini Chinese silk skirt is perfect for a fun night out on the town, it is very nature a very feminine piece of apparel. An essential piece of fabric, Chinese style skirts have had their hold on women (and men) till date. Feminine, flirty, corporate or sexy, it is just the matter of finding the right silhouette to flatter your body type. Wear it layered, tapered, flowing or simply with a slit on the side, this fashion piece is bound to make a statement without you, ever saying a word. When you think of a peasant Asian style skirt, you may think about the past when there was only one kind of clothes that women were allowed to wear all the time. That is because the Oriental style skirt was the only thing that they were permitted to wear but today there are more women purchasing peasant skirt for their own wardrobe. That is because of the advantages of the Chinese inspired skirt may have. If you think about it when you are wearing a Asian inspired silk skirt you will not need to worry about it raising up too high that you are feeling a little uncomfortable with where you are because your Chinese silk skirt is not where you want it to be. Mini skirts The short or mini Chinese sexy skirt comes in many different styles and fabrics making it as fashionable today as it was 20 years ago. The sexy mini Asian skirt looks best on teens and young women, especially those with good legs and a shapely figure. Many women like to wear a mini leather Chinese style skirt when they go to a club. While dancing in a short skirt can be fun it also attracts attention, especially from the opposite sex. You can try them on before you purchase them or view them online to see what the modern sexy Asian inspired skirt will look like. No fashion week would ever be complete without fashionable long elegant traditional Chinese style skirts. The long Oriental inspired silk skirt is a timeless creation and it would probably never go out of fashion, just like the traditional Chinese apparel. Online shopping You can purchase them in the above mentioned online shops for kids as well as for girls, children, young ladies, mature women and in plus sizes. You can get Chinese style blouses, Asian sexy skirts and Chinese inspired shirts for evening, party and cocktail events for both summer and winter. Various motives are used like dragon, phoenix, butterfly, plum blossom, cherry blossom, fish, flower, peony, chrysanthemum, peacock, longevity, bamboo, lotus und you can get them embroidered. In many online shops you can purchase cheap Chinese blouses, cheap Asian shirts and cheap Oriental skirts for less than 100 $ or € on sale. In internet web stores you often can buy inexpensive discount Oriental blouses, discount Chinese shirts and discount Asian skirts under 100 $ or € sales and many more cheap items. In general they are made of different high quality fabrics, like silk, brocade, satin, cotton, silk brocade and thai silk.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - December 22, 2010 at 6:47 pm

Categories: Chinese Jacket & Blouse, Qipao Knowledge Base   Tags:

The Vicissitudes of Shanghai Style Costume

Cheongsam: Classical Shanghai Style Originally the cheongsam was a kind of broad-sleeved and baggy robe worn by Manchurian women. This style went on for about 300 years without any change. But it wasn’t until the 1920s that the cheongsam began to be popular among people all over the country, due to the influence of Occidental fashion, which changed the cheongsam’s style in ways such as reducing the length and tightening the waistline. The style of the cheongsam The style of the cheongsam in the 1930s, absorbing the peculiarity of western dress into the traditional Chinese dress, became a combination of Chinese and Western dresses, which brought forth new ideas and changed continuously, led by Shanghai. The style of the cheongsam During the 1930s and 1940s, Chinese modern couture (fashion) reached its peak, with the 1930s in particular being the gorgeous pinnacle. At that time, the cheongsam became the representative and typical attire. Overnight, the cheongsam, formed in the Shanghai style that is modern in touch and Chinese in feel, came into fashion all over the country and even the world. The lifestyle of Shanghai’s swelldom (people of rank and fashion) and gentlefolk (prominent families) followed the fashion and enjoyed luxury, enjoying Western leisures such as swimming, promenades, dance and golf. Influenced by the Occidental fashion, the cheongsam became more slender, slinky, and skintight with a high kick pleat (allowing the wearer to walk easily) so as to match the delicate and lively figure of the Shanghai women in the 1930s. The cheongsam of that time had two traits: combining Chinese with Western style and varying a lot. Elegant ladies, including movie starts and noblewomen, had many different ways to wear the cheongsam: a partial Western style with a matching surcoat (an outside coat of rich material). Partial western style meant that the collar and sleeves were tailored according to the western-style fashion’s craft such as the lapel, lotus-leaf-like sleeves, flouncing lap and so on. The style of the cheongsam However, the majority of women preferred to wear the cheongsam with a western-style costume, such as, for example, wearing a cheongsam with a western-style coat, fur coat, or woolen coat and vest outside. Or the women would tie a scarf around the cheongsam or attach fancy decorations to the dress. All of these styles could show the women’s brilliant and charming figure. Neatness was a new trend of the cheongsam in the 1940s, reflected most progressively in summer, when the cheongsam generally was sleeveless, shorter in both length and collar height, and not over-laden with decorations, which made it lighter and more suitable for the body. At the same time, the slender cheongsam, with a woman’s marcel (deep wavy hair), silk stockings, high-heeled shoes, necklaces, earbobs (earrings) and handbags, was the most fashionable attire for women. Later, a kind of improved cheongsam with western tailoring craft developed, which made the cheongsam more fitted and applicable. The cheongsam, then, turned into a Chinese national dress with a unique style. It can be said that without modern Shanghai’s opening to the world or the combination of the Chinese and Occidental cultures, there would be neither the Western-style cheongsam nor the Shanghai-style cheongsam.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - January 9, 2012 at 1:02 am

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Chinese Silk and it’s Silk Road

It is well known that silk is discovered in China as one of the best materials for clothing – it has a look and feeling of richness that no other materials can match. However, very few people know when or where or how it is discovered. Actually, it could date back to the 30th Century BC when Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) came into power. There are many legends about the discovery of silk; some of them are both romantic and mysterious. Legend has it that once there lived a father with his daughter, they had a magic horse, which could not only fly in the sky but also understand human language. One day, the father went out on business and did not come back for quite some time. The daughter made him a promise: If the horse could find her father, she would marry him. Finally her father came back with the horse, but he was shocked at his daughter’s promise. Unwilling to let his daughter marry a horse, he killed the innocent horse. And then miracle happened! The horse’s skin carried the girl flying away. They flew and flew, at last, they stopped on a tree, and the moment the girl touched the tree, she turned into a silkworm. Everyday, she spit long and thin silks. The silks just represented her feeling of missing him. Another less romantic but more convincing explanation is that some ancient Chinese women found this wonderful silk by chance. When they were picking up fruits from the trees, they found a special kind of fruit, white but too hard to eat, so they boiled the fruit in hot water but they still could hardly eat it. At last, they lost their patience and began to beat them with big sticks. In this way, silks and silkworms were discovered. And the white hard fruit is a cocoon! The business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons is now known as silk culture or sericulture. It takes an average of 25-28 days for a silkworm, which is no bigger than an ant, to grow old enough to spin cocoon. Then the women farmers will pick them up one by one to piles of straws, then the silkworm will attach itself to the straw, with its legs to the outside and begin to spin. The next step is unwinding the cocoons; it is done by reeling girls. The cocoons are heated to kill the pupae, this must be done at the right time, otherwise, the pupas are bound to turn into moths, and moths will make a hole in the cocoons, which will be useless for reeling. To unwind the cocoons, first put them in a basin filled with hot water, find the loose end of the cocoon, and then twist them, carry then to a small wheel, thus the cocoons will be unwound. At last, two workers measure them into a certain length, twist them, they are called raw silk, then they are dyed and woven into cloth. An interesting fact is that we can unwind about 1,000 meters long silk from one cocoon, while 111 cocoons are needed for a man’s tie, and 630 cocoons are needed for a woman’s blouse. Chinese people developed new way by using silk to make clothes since the discovery of silk. This kind of clothes became popular soon. At that time, China’s technology was developing fast. Emperor Wu Di of western Han Dynasty decided to develop trade with other countries. To build a road becomes priority to trade silk. For nearly 60 years of war, the world famous ancient Silk Road was built up at cost of many losses of life and treasures. It started from Chang’an (now Xi’an), across Middle Asia, South Asia and West Asia. Many countries of Asia and Europe were connected. From then on, Chinese silk, along with many other Chinese inventions, were passed to Europe. Romans, especially women, were crazy for Chinese silk. Before that, Romans used to make clothes with linen cloth, animal skin and wool fabric. Now they all turned to silk. It was a symbol of wealth and high social status for them to wear silk clothes. One day, an Indian monk came to visit the Emperor. This monk had been living in China for several years and knew the method of raising silkworms. The Emperor promised a high profit of the monk, the monk hid several cocoons in his cane and took it to Rome. Then, the technology of raising silkworms spread out. Thousands of years have passed since China first discovered silkworms. Nowadays, silk, in some sense, is still some kind of luxury. Some countries are trying some new ways to make silk without silkworms. Hopefully, they can be successful. But whatever the result, nobody should forget that silk was, still is, and will always be a priceless treasure. Written by our column writer Hao Zhuo.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - January 8, 2012 at 8:35 pm

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How to Celebrate Chinese New Year of 2012

Chinese New Year, or Chinese Spring Festival, ["holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays."It's also called the Chinese Lunar New Year, because its date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls sometime from late January to late February and varies from year to year. The celebration lasts 15 days. There are many exciting things happening during this New Year. If you want to participate in the celebrations, there are many things you can do to join the festivities and to pay homage to Chinese traditions; the Chinese people have many ways to celebrate this special time of the year, such as putting money in red envelopes to give to children; writing Chinese lucky symbol Fu and putting it on the door. Steps 1 Research Chinese New Year. If you're already familiar with the Chinese New Year, take a little time to learn some more about it. It's a very significant holiday in Chinese culture and the festivities extend over a period of two weeks. The Chinese New Year is accompanied by a belief in good fortune, and there are many decorations around to herald the new year Step 2 Clean your home in time for New Year. This tradition is founded in the belief that cleaning the house at this time of year will "sweep away the bad luck" that has accumulated inside over the past year.[2] Cleaning also makes the house ready for the good luck to start entering again. Put away dustpans and brooms so that the good luck won’t be swept away after cleaning. Keeping fresh and hygienic is also an important part of celebrating; even a new haircut will do. Be aware! Do not clean your home during the New Year, such as sweeping or wiping the windows. To do so is to “sweep away” the good luck you’ve just received for the New Year. Over the following 13 to 15 days, you’re relieved of cleaning duties. It may be a little dirtier than usual but it is an important part of observing the tradition.

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - January 8, 2012 at 9:34 am

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Distinguished Peony Embroidered Silk Cheongsam

Distinguished Peony Embroidered Silk Cheongsam (clipped to polyvore.com)

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - December 30, 2011 at 8:47 am

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Aristocratic Peony Embroidered Cashmere Jacket

Aristocratic Peony Embroidered Cashmere Jacket by sinkice featuring suede heels Yves Saint Laurent suede heels$795 - net-a-porter.com frame square redhome.comcast.net Oriental Wool Pantseaststore.com Aristocratic Peony Embroidered Cashmere Jacketeaststore.com

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Posted by Qipao Cheongsam - December 30, 2011 at 7:43 am

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