QIPAO

The Qipao is the traditional style dress of Chinese Women.  My friend put on a local Qipao Festival at an art gallery so I got to go and see a fashion show of different styles of Qipao.  I also got to learn a lot about this well-known style.  I thought the style had been around for hundreds and hundreds of years but really it became popular at the beginning of the 20th Century when women of the Chinese elite began to wear the design.  As years passed, others wanted to mimick and copy the style worn by the upper class and eventually it became a traditional style for all Chinese women.  I bought two Qipao tops a couple of weeks ago but they are the typical mass produced kind that you buy at the markets. I actually really like the ones I bought. One is a beautiful blue and the other is black. Both have the same design but I think it is really pretty. I bought a silk qipao shirt a couple of months ago but I wasn't able to try it on at the market and it ended up being too small. Qiapo is traditionally worn for special events  - birthdays, formal dinners, etc...  Here are a few pics from the fashion show