Fashion during Chinese New Year

Fashion during Chinese New Year

Posted by Malin Angell on

Chinese new year is the time when families gather for annual dinners and get togethers. Chinese New Year is the most important festival/holiday of the year and the one with the most traditions, customs and rituals. The tradition is not only restricted to food and spiritual rituals, but also fashion. Big brands are now launching limited edition Chinese New Year collections which feature different elements of CNY. It has become popular collecting items and is different from year to year because of the change of the Chinese Zodiac animals. 


In the earlier days Chinese New Year was (still is today) the most important time of the year. This meant that things needed to be prepared a long time in advance, and especially when it came to clothes. It is said that people should wear new clothes on the first day of the year for new lucky beginnings. 

Colours of Chinese New year

Colours have a lot to say during Chinese New Year. There are certain colours that are more lucky than others. Red, gold, yellow and blue is considered lucky. Some unlucky colours include white and black. Wearing red is usually what people wear for CNY as it brings luck. Gold is also a winner during CNY as it symbolises wealth, and who dont want some wealth in 2021? 

Black is associated with death, depression and in general bad things, so wearing black for CNY is not a great way to start the year as it symbolises everything not lucky. Same goes for white, as it is associated with funerals and death. Another thing that is a big no no to wear for CNY is damaged clothes, for example ripped jeans. It is said that damaged clothes attract bad luck, which is not good for the new year. 

Buying new clothes

In the older times it was normal for people not to own many clothes, but for Chinese New Year they would wear new clothes. This meant that the mom or grandmother in the family would knit or sew new clothes for the family. However, today people can easily buy new clothes. Even though there is not a need for new clothes for CNY these days, people still tend to wear new clothes on the first day of the year to keep the tradition alive and get good luck in the new year. New clothes symbolises new beginnings, the idea of change and getting rid of the old. 

Sentimental piece

Traditionally it's normal to wear new clothes for Chinese New Year, however some people also say that it's good to wear a sentimental piece. The new clothes represent a new beginning but the sentimental piece would symbolise and honor the family around you. 

Traditional cuts

In the past, it was normal that people would wear traditional Chinese clothing for Chinese New Year. The traditional clothing includes the tang suit, which is a mens jacket and qipao, which is a fitted dress for women. Both the style for men and women is traditionally made with silk of bright colours and have traditional chinese designs. There are unlimited options for traditional clothing depending on regions and/or minorities. However the tang suit and qipao is the most common one. 

However, in the modern times, the young generation is not wearing traditional clothes as much as before. This is most likely because of the easy access to modern fashion. 

Don't buy shoes 

It is said that its not good to buy shoes during the new year celebration. This is because the Chinese word sounds like the expression “sigh”, which indicate that when you buy new shoes you start the year stressed. Rather buy shoes before the new year or after! 

Have you planned your Chinese New Year outfit yet? 

We still have sale on HKTV Mall! Get 20% off by using the code CNY2021!

 

References:

https://chinesenewyear.net/clothes/

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-clothes.htm

https://www.shopback.my/blog/chinese-new-year-clothes-customs

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/traditional-chinese-clothes-tang-suit.htm

 

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