Culture & Society - History of Chinese Costume Clothing

History of Chinese Costume Clothing

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History of Chinese Costume Clothing

Jakob Montrasio: Flickr.com, Fattylai:flicker.com

Only the wealthy and powerful could wear the elaborate costumes favored by the rulers of Chinese dynasties of the past. But in today's China, her people have taken old fashions and turned them into gorgeous flowing garments that are appealing to the eye and flattering to the body. The Chinese costumes of today are for those men and women who like style as well as tradition.

Clothing of Early China

1. 
   
    
   
   
   Garments for the Wealthy
   In China in the 1400s, the only people permitted to wear silk and fine clothing were members of the upper class. Everyone else wore common clothes. For the ordinary woman, ankle-length tunics were the norm, and men would wear knee-length tunics. It used to be only the elite could wear clothing rich in color while the less fortunate were forced to wear clothes colored blue and black.
   

   Costumes of the Ming Dynasty

2. China had many dynasties that set the fashion for its people. One of those dynasties was the Ming Dynasty. Its costumes, though still fashioned in the tunic style, included buttons instead of the band knots that fastened in the front. For the woman, she wore a pleated long skirt beneath her tunic and an embroidered cape to wrap around her shoulders. The woman's clothing would also be adorned with expensive jewelry such as gold, jade and pearls.

Costumes of the Qing Dynasty

3. Qing is another dynasty of China. It was the queen who set the dress code for women. There were three ways a woman was permitted to dress. She either wore court, ceremonial or a casual costume. Lay people such as servants or laborers could not wear such garments on any occasion. If you were a lower-grade person according to the queen, your costume would be made out of sheepskin, raccoon or dog fur, or tatting cloth. However, you would still dress in the style of long tunics and skirts.

The Modern Costume

4. With the Ming and Qing dynasties no longer in existence, there is no rule stating what one can and cannot wear as a costume. For instance, a man can wear a mandarin jacket over a long traditional gown. He can wear a sleeveless waist coat. Women can wear a costume called a cheongsam that has been updated from its regular appearance of a big, baggy robe. Now she has the choice of wearing a slim-fitting and modern cheongsam dress showing off her figure. Some women wear fur coats with this silk dress or decorate it with a scarf.

Dressing for the Chinese New Year

5. When it comes to dressing up for special occasions, Chinese New Year tops them all. Some women wear traditional garments, but some others wear cheongsams, qipaos, Mandarin blouses and jackets with pants for the occasion. The men step out in kung fu suits, Chinese coats and dragon shirts