ChineseTraditional ClothesInfluence in Western Fashion

The first one is Hanfu, which is

divided into informal,

formal and court dress. Generally, all three

types have in common wide and

voluminous sleeves and a very loose fit. Because

of the relatively

plain design, ornaments

were used at the collars

and sleeves to decorate

the garments

Darker colors were much more favored than lighter ones in traditional Chinese clothing so the main color of ceremonial clothing tended to be dark while bright, elaborate tapestry designs accented. Lighter colored clothing was worn more frequently by the common people for everyday use.

There are 3 main kinds of Traditional Chinese clothes

Hanfu

Mao Suit

.

Qipao

China has an ancient history of 5000 years as a civilization .The special allure and charm of Chinese clothing has fascinated Western fashion designers and consumers. It all began in 114 BC when The Silk Route connected important paths of West and East by merchants, soldiers, monks from China, India, Persia and the Mediterranean countries. Afterwards the trade had escalated demand in Europe and later in America. After China became no more isolated , the end of 1970s, China started to trade with the whole world. Many world famous brands like Lacroix, Christian Dior, Versace, and Ralph Laurent use Chinese traditional women's dress elements in their designs. The specific aims of this project are to identify the influence of the Hanfu, Qipao, and Mao suit along with other Chinese dress characteristics, including accessories, hair styles, and makeup, on Western women's dress.

Hanfu has a really rich history. In 3 millenniums it endured a lot of developments. It takes its roots from Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). During the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC)it became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from the sash which served to keep the yi (shirt) closed. The yi was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as “jiaoling youren”.

Hanfu of Zhou Dynasty

Hanfu of Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)

Hanfu is the traditional historical clothing of the Han

people in China. It was worn by ancient Chinese dynasties for millennia from 1600 year BC

until XVII century. The other title of it is the Silk Robe. This name is justified by the main feature of the garment – a huge loose

robe that wrap around the whole body.

Ruqun is the traditional Chinese attire for women. It consists of a blouse

(Ru) and a wrap-around skirt (Qun)

The first type is Informal Hanfu, which can be both male and female. It had many variants, as it was developed during the time. At the pictures is depicted Shenui (Ming Dynasty 1368-1644) - a kind of full-length, one-piece robe, which links the upper garment and lower skirt together to envelop the body. Here the two parts are cut separately but sewn together at the waist in a kind of a belt. They are called Yi (shirt) and Shang (skirt).

.Wedding

Costume

Yuanlingshan - a round collared robe used for

official or academicals

dress. Only those who passed the

civil examinations are entitled to

wear them. (Ming Dynasty 1368-

1644)

The next type is the formal Hanfu. Formal Hanfu was worn only at certain special occasions like important sacrifices and religious activities or by special people who are entitled to wear them such as officials and emperors.

Daopao/Fusha is the traditional

Chinese attire for men. It is a form of

formal wear in the Ming Dynasty

(1368-1644). It is a full-length robe with side slits beginning below

the waist

Wedding

Costume

The Chinese associate certain colors with specific seasons. Green represents spring, red symbolizes summer, white represents autumn, and black symbolizes winter. The Chinese are said to have a fully developed system of matching, coordinating, and contrasting colors and shades of light and dark in apparel.

Red is favorite for most Chinese people since Red symbolizes good luck. Chinese people prefer to wear red when they are celebrating some important festivals or events in their life, such as wedding ceremony.

Mianfu - the emperors‟ ceremonial

enthronement dress. (Han Dynasty 206 B.C.-

220 A.D.)

The court dress is now obsolete in the modern age, but it still could be an inspiration for fashion designers.

Tang Dynasty

court dress

The third type is Court dress, which is a ceremonial dress of officials or nobles. Court dress has additional adornment and elaborate headwear. The entire court dress type can consist of many complex layers and look very elaborate, and they are often brightly colored.

Hanfu InfluencesBecause of the China’s essential economical and political influence throought the Asian countries, it culture was also spread to another Asian regions as well. This concerns the national costumes as well. Some countries such as Vietnam have traditional garments that are similar to Hanfu. Other Asian countries' traditional costumes, such as the Korean Hanbok and Japanese Kimono, do have some differences from Hanfu. Compared with the Japanese Kimono, Korean traditional dress is much more similar to Hanfu. Hanbok, have been heavily influenced by the Chinese due to the extensive cultural exchanges between the neighboring countries. In contrast to China, traditional Japanese and Korean dress have not been affected by similar changes like in China and thus have retained many core elements of the original Hanfu. Today for the Chinese Han the Hanfu is of great importance. It is not only a part of wardrobe, but a significant part of history, that represents an ancient legacy.

Another part of Chinese national garments which greatly contribute to the whole style of costumes is different accessories. The Chinese accessories which appealed attention in the whole world such as style hats, parasols, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and fans can beautify any dress.

Chinese hats have several different shapes. The most famous of them - a coolie hat, is a conical shaped hat with a chin strap. It is often used to protect the wearer from the sun and rain. The materials of a coolie hat could be straw, silk or other materials.

The hat with a round crown and upturned brim with a flaring edge originally comes from the Qing Dynasty. Its elements were used by modern designers such as Saint Laurent.

The Chinese oil paper umbrella or parasol is a type of a paper umbrella that originated from China. It is usually

made from  paper or silk with bamboo ribs. It was later adopted by Japan and Korea and also introduced to Western countries via

the Silk Road. It subsequently spread across Asia to Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos.

Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants are another example of Chinese accessories. They are usually made from jade, wood, lacquer, and cloisonné. Designs such as dragon, bat, and crane appear frequently to symbolize power, blessing and peace.

The Chinese style umbrella or parasol appeared in American Vogue 47 times.The use of parasols were seen in photographs of live models showing John Galiano's Chinese look for Dior in July 1997. The small parasol is decorated with Chinese style motifs, which adds a strong eastern effect to the ensemble.

A great number of different fabrics were used in Chinese garments including silk, cotton, hemp, chiffon, satin, and other natural fibers. Many of these fabrics were patterned with Chinese motifs such as birds, fine floral scrolls, asymmetrical designs were patterned on the cloth. Chinese fabrics have influenced Western fabric over an extended period of time.

The accessories such as jewelry, hats, fans, umbrellas and hair styles have a great effect on Chinese dress appearance. 

There were multiple peaks of their popularity, with the highest point in 1979. After that they were no longer

considered as exotic items. Some Chinese influential jewelry appeared in advertisements.

The fan became an essential accessory to women's dress. The fan took place from China and later appeared in Japan and other far eastern countries. The fan was adopted in Europe in the sixteenth century. It was not only a fashionable feminine ornament , but but also became a personal statement. Karl Lagerfeld, a famous fashion designer,who always wears sunglasses and carries a folding fan when he appears in fashion shows. Fans often worn by Western women add some exotic mood to the design .

Chinese influenced makeup refers to Peking Opera style make-up. The particularity of this makeup is very exaggerated Asian eyes

Several celebrities were photographed wearing Chinese influenced dresses. Famous fashion model Heidi Klum showed her gorgeous dragon gown in the issue of October 2004 . Among the eight celebrities who were wearing Chinese influenced evening dresses, Gong Li and Nicole Kidman both walked the red carpet wearing Ford‟s dragon dress and Michael Obama in a chiffon and velvet gown by Jason Wu.

Linda and Esther Chang , the daughters of Korean immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1981 and opened up a store called Forever 21 in Highland Park, California.Both sisters joined the family business after attending Ivy League schools and helped turn the company in to the country’s 122 biggest company. Linda runs the marketing department and Esther looks over graphics and store displays.

Fashion Awards, comprised of fashion retailers, journalists, and more than 450 designers, awarded Richard Chai (menswear), Jason Wu (women’s wear) and Alexander Wang (accessories) as best new designers of the year.

China has carried out well-knownInternational Fashion Fair, such as China FashionWeek 2013, MODE Shanghai in 2013, held in Shanghai,and the spring-summer session the week of Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring / Summer 2014, which held in Hong Kong. Now the word "Chinese"which had often been used to refer tolow product quality, gradually loses itsnegative value.