QIPAO - history
- Simona
- Nov 3, 2022
- 2 min read
I have watched this interesting documentary about the most famous traditional Chinese dress and I want to recommend it to those who might be interested in knowing more about it.
The QIPAO (旗袍) is a long figure-fitting garment: one piece, with a standing collar, an asymmetric, left-over-right (youren) opening and two side slits, and embellished with Chinese frog fasteners on the lapel and the collar. The word qipao literally means "Bannerman robe" and originally referred to a loose-fitting, trapezoidal-cut garment.
It also known as Cheongsam, which is a romanization of the Cantonese word chèuhngsāam (長衫; 'long shirt/dress'). The term originally comes from the Shanghainese term zansae. However, in the Chinese Mandarin (the official language, the PuTongHua) chángshān (長衫) refers to an exclusively male garment, and the female version is known as the qípáo.
The dress took inspiration from the qizhuang, the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people and became popular in China from the 1920s to 1940s, during the Republican period after the end of the Imperialism. It was especially made famous by the high society women of Shanghai, to the point of being recognized as one of the national dresses of the Republic of China in 1929. Still today it symbolizes the whole Chinese national identity, in comparison to all the local ethnic groups that constitute the Chinese population.
Despite being considered a traditional Chinese clothing, the qipao continues evolving with times as it responds to the contemporary modern life. The documentary, in fact, shows several gorgeous contemporary garments, that would be a great addiction to anyone's wardrobe!
Do I have a qipao in mine? Actually... no!!! What a disgrace! The reality is that I'd love to have one custom-made and I am really dreaming about going back to Shanghai and have it made there! Meanwhile, it is one of my goals to start introducing some in cotton or linen in my spring and summer clothing collection. I have found some good options in Etsy. I'll give it a try and share my experience!
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