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In China, women had different had different kinds of clothes in ancient times. Those clothes changed with the revolution of dynasties. In the 1920s, the Cheongsam was fashionable among socialites and upper class women. During the 1960s, very austere clothes styles were imposed on women.  Today, particularly in the coastal cities, a wide variety of fashions are worn.

Chinese fashion has drastically changed over time. Following the relaxation of communist clothing standards in the late 70s, the way Chinese dressed and the fashion trends of the country were also changing. Contemporary urban clothing seemed to have developed an obsession with brand names. In major urban big cities, especially Shanghai (上海), an increase western look is preferred, and there’s an emphasis on formal suit over casual costumes for adults.

Chinese traditional clothing-Ancient Chinese clothes

The traditional cheongsam (旗袍) is back in fashion among the women of China. This was a dress popular with the women during the Ching (清) Dynasty. It was a special dress that the women would wear on formal occasions. Much of the Chinese dresses worn by women today are actually modernized versions of traditional dresses of China. The most prominent example is the dudou (肚兜). This was an undergarment that covered the entire area of the chest and abdomen which would be covered by a jacket. The dudou (肚兜) was actually worn as an undergarment back in time but today it has become a popular trend amongst the women of China. Fashion designers have also brought the modified cheongsam back in fashion. This is a one piece body hugging suit that has become extremely popular amongst the women. The mandarin gown is also another traditional dress which has been revamped and reintroduced to the public. Women on the streets can also be seen sporting Chinese style coats with low straight collars, embroidery patterns and coiled buttons.

Evolution of Qipao (旗袍)

The qipao had an extremely loose fitting and would cover the entire body of the woman. The baggy feel of the qipao was meant to conceal the figure of the feminine form. With time however the Chinese women started to alter the qipao. The movement was towards giving it a tighter fit and making it more revealing. The modern standard qipao is a slender fitting high cut dress that is not at all like the original dress. It was worn by the upper class women in top notch social gatherings and awards nights. Today you will find the qipao in many different forms and cuts. From bell sleeves to sleeve less and high necked to back lace frothing the qipao is available in an unlimited variety of styles.

Top 10 Chinese women clothes brands: Girdear (哥弟), Only (from Denmark), ETAM (艾格, from France), Geolia (歌莉娅), Peace bird (太平鸟), Chongchong (虫虫), Hopeshow (红袖) , Tahan (太和), Sierli (斯尔丽), Joyschee (千百惠) and Le Peignoir

Girdear was origined from Taiwan (台湾) and founded in 1977. The brand includes 4 lines: Girdear (哥弟), Amass (阿玛施), e-Li (易俪) and ma’am (梅). Girdear does well in marketing segmentation, and it targets mature women over 30 years old who are decently wearing and elegantly behaving. The purchase group-white collars are powerful to buy and sensitive to fashion. So far they have several franchised stores all over the country. Only is a popular Denish brand, it gets welcome among teenagers and young women. The French brand ETAM is quite similar as Only based on its distributions and channels. However, it positions itself as a brand for young girls. They all got successful in China not only because of frequent sales promotion but also awareness of Chinese young customers.