2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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 .
9. Chinese influenced makeup refers to
Peking Opera style make-up. The particularity of
this makeup is very exaggerated Asian eyes
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. China has carried out well-known
International Fashion Fair, such as China Fashion
Week 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 to
low product quality, gradually loses its
negative value.
