SINGAPORE, Jan 29 — It’s that time of the year again, when the streets are awash with red banners, giant lanterns and enthusiastic Chinese New Year tunes blaring over speakers. And, yes, it also means it’s time to get a new wardrobe.

For some, though, there’s only one quintessential outfit for the season. The qipao, or cheongsam, which is known for its high collar, tight-fitting form and intricate buttons, traditionally emerges once a year as the choice garment to don for the festivities.

But while it boasts a long illustrious history, the question remains: Is the dress still in vogue or, for that matter, still de rigueur as an outfit for the Chinese New Year?

The answer is a resounding yes. Qipao retailers and designers told TODAY that the younger generation is taking to the outfit, but added that some modifications are required to match today’s style preferences.

The new fit

Michelle Ng, womenswear buyer for Robinsons, pointed out that qipaos are always popular during the Chinese New Year. “Apart from representing the Chinese culture and tradition, it highlights one’s elegance with flattering cuts and exquisite details,” she said. Sales for their qipao have been “getting stronger over the past years” and now account for at least 20 per cent of its business during the festive months.

Ng attributes this to the garment becoming trendier, as designers are constantly upping their game by experimenting with unique cuts, fabrics and embroideries to keep up with the times.

Contemporary pieces, for example, add a touch of youth through playful designs, while qipao designs are no longer restricted by a uniform cut. Designs, she affirmed, are veering away from traditional styles and moving towards “everyday dresses with an Oriental touch”.

“For example, we will be seeing more of cropped tops paired with high-waist jacquard shorts this year,” Ng said. She also noted that younger shoppers tend to go for “easy-to-wear flare cheongsam dresses”.

“An outfit that marries modern and traditional elements, such as easy-to-match tops with a Chinese collar, is also popular among the youth.”

Brigid Pang, co-owner and designer of The Cheongsam Shoppe, agreed, saying that styles in recent years have become more modern.

Little Qipao recently launched matching adult designs to pair with their little tots. — Picture by Little Qipao

Their store, which has been around for more than 20 years, is now seeing a younger profile of customers, and includes office executives and brides-to-be. Chinese New Year remains a peak period for business, as it typically sees an increase of 50 to 70 per cent in sales compared with non-peak periods.

Meanwhile, three-year-old PurpleCloud is another retailer that offers a “fresh interpretation” of the qipao. “Our designs match whimsical design and cheeky contemporary detail with modernity and comfort,” said co-owner Janel Kok, who set up the company with her friend Jaime Chua in 2013.

She added that their company “brings a new meaning to the qipao by retailoring the austerity of the conventional dress, while maintaining its demure elegance”.

“In this day and age, where we move around much more and faster, and where even bags have grown significantly in size from about the size of a palm to larger than a newborn baby, the clothes we wear also need to adapt to the changing lifestyle,” she said.

Kok, who designs her qipaos together with Chua, stressed how designers need to be “fluid, creative, (and) useful to current needs and style” for the dress to continue to be in trend and positively relevant. “To do this, we have to break the conventions of structure and shape, textures, colours and details of the traditional cheongsam. Until this is done, cheongsams will be viewed as traditional, stiff, boring, a thing of the past.”

The pair draw inspiration from modern wear, patterns, people around them, textures, and even travel experiences, to innovate the qipao “to make it more wearable, flattering, and relevant while maintaining its structural elegance”. They also play around with interesting fabric, such as Balinese silk, tartan, camouflage, denim and silver studs.

The right fit

Doris Lee, founder and designer behind Little Qipao, a Singapore-based children’s fashion boutique, pointed out that people are now spoilt for choice with new designs emerging.

Instead of the traditional silk with embroidery, fabric choices now vary from satin, silk and knit to cotton. There are also qipaos of shorter lengths or qipaos that come in looser cuts (instead of being body-hugging) to allow for better walking. 

She pointed out that designers now use different colours, such as black or grey, instead of sticking to the typical red.

The bridging of two worlds is also evident in Little Qipao’s designs, which tend to have a “retro” feel but are coupled with vibrant colours. It’s because she wants to make this ethnic wear fun, fashionable and comfortable, even during non-festive periods.

The qipao’s increasingly popularity among the young ones have also been bolstered by various school events, such as Racial Harmony Day or International Friendship Day, she said. 

That, and the fact that more families are looking to don similar outfits during Chinese New Year.

This increasing demand led Lee to expand the company’s children’s collection. She also recently launched a matching adult-and-child Chinese New Year qipao collection.

That said, those intending to wear the qipao need to know it’s not as simple as grabbing a design off the racks. There is a certain art to wearing it well.

It may seem trivial, said Kok, but a qipao should make one feel comfortable, so interested buyers need to consider things such as material and how it folds and shapes one’s body.

The next thing to look at would be the way the sleeves are cut. The most flattering ones tend to be sleeves that stop at the edge of the shoulder, she added.

Lee said a regular fit qipao with traditional short sleeves “will generally look great on anyone”, but agreed that comfort is key. 

Meanwhile, Pang said that ultimately, a good qipao requires a “very good master tailor” to ensure a good fit. As different fabrics react differently to different body shapes, people really need to try on the dress to see how it fits them. 

“The right cheongsam will make a customer look slimmer and younger, regardless of her size, like a makeover,” she said, as they should also paint the image of femininity, sophistication and elegance.

People tend to be drawn to a qipao’s material or cloth pattern, before they look at its shape and colour, so the more unique the material or pattern, the more popular it will be, Kok pointed out. For instance, Purple Cloud’s GI Jane piece, which features a camouflage pattern, and its Westie, which features a tartan pattern, have flown off the racks very quickly.

Ng said interested buyers should go beyond the traditional jacquard and play with various combinations of fabrics, such as organza and velvet. 

“To look chic without compromising the cheongsam’s delicacy and femininity, go for pieces with lace or embroideries near the collar and/or sleeves,” she added.

Now is certainly a good time to explore new interpretations and fit, keeping in mind that the qipao trend could very find new life outside the festivities. — TODAY