The trick of the chipao's enduring popularity lies in its variety, infinite though subtle. There are no fashion arbiters to dictate Chipao styling, but an elusive word-of-mouth grapevine makes for definite chipao ins and outs.
Major points of contention are the collar—high or low; the slit—up or down; the waist-darted or not; and the fit—snug or loose. The yearly question of what's stylish and what's passe brings about a battle only slightly less monumental that the combats of Parisian haute couture.
The collar—known as the mandarin collar to Westerners—is high and uncompromisingly stiff. At its extreme, it has gone up to three inches in height to lend a certain swan-like grace to the wearer. At the same time, it tended to give even the seasoned chipao wearer a sensation of choking. This year moderation is the keyword and collars are a bare inch and a half high.
In the past, collar rigidity was achieved by layers of flour paste spread on cloth inserted between the outer material and the facing. With the popularity of more practical washable fabrics, the paste tended to disintegrate with the first washing and a new method had to be developed to prevent wilting. A removable piece of plastic, was inserted. This made the collar rigid but hot. Plastic is still used today. Put it is perforated for coolness, slightly flexible for comfort, and is sewn in to eliminate the bother of reinsertion with each wearing.
How High the Slit?
Hottest controversy revolves around the slit. Extremists want it thigh-high a la Suzie Wong. Moralists frown and permit a mere three inches, the absolute minimum possible for mobility.
The issue is not only one of morality but of practicality. The slit height depends in part on dress length and width-the longer the chipao, the higher the slit; the wider the skirt, the lower the opening. The narrow skirt and low slit of two years ago did not remain fashionable for long. It necessitated lengthy and cautious maneuvering with each visit to the powder room.
With skirts barely skimming the knees these last two years, the fashion has been for a short chipao with modest slit.
Contrasting scroll border trim brightens evening-length chipao (left); A matching stole is worn with butterfly embroidered costume (center); Fringed jacket makes ensemble of wool challis (right). File photo
A few ingenious minds—feminine, naturally—have gotten around the problem of comfort versus propriety. By using frog openings at the top of the slit, or by inserting zippers, modesty can be achieved in public without foregoing comfort at home. Some have adopted the inverted pleat for the same reason.
Next in fashion importance is the fit. Diehard conservatives stick year-in and year-out to the same tub-shaped, straight up-and-down silhouette. Most women prefer a chipao that does justice to their figures. Some even joyfully take a chance on injustice.
Chipao shaping is achieved through the cut of the front and back pieces—both curve inward from the bustline to the waist—and by darts, placed at a slant at the bosom and vertically at the waist.
Figure Still Counts
Whether the chipao fits as snugly as a second skin, or whether it only hints vaguely of the form underneath, depends more on the wearer's physical proportions and personal preference than on fashion trends. A skin-tight chipao can look striking on a moderately curved figure. On the over or underendowed, it can be deadly. The shift-like looser chipao tends to fill out the too slender and minimize the chubby, making its comely lines ideal for just about any type of figure.
China is the home of the silkworm. Appropriately, its silk fabrics are the most representative and beautiful. The Chinese woman has ample opportunity to indulge her love of finery in the many lustrous and ornate silk fabrics for evening wear. Because the lines of the chipao are simple, she can wear the most ostentatious of materials without seeming overdressed.
Colorful Touches
Milady has the choice of silks-plain or embossed with traditional medallion designs or longevity symbols; satins—embroidered with a skill handed down through hundreds of years; brocades—evocative of oriental splendor in blacks, reds, and blues threaded with silver and gold. All are fashioned into short chipao for cocktails, the theater or supper parties, and long chipao for formal occasions.
Contrasting scroll border trim brightens evening-length chipao (left); A matching stole is worn with butterfly embroidered costume (right). File photo
The basic chipao also can be elaborated or spiced up through the use of lining, piping, binding, border trimming, or frog openings.
Sides slits make an interesting lining or a pretty lace-edged slip a must. A flash of bright red revealed by a flip of the hem adds life to a black, white or somber print. A colorful print lining with an over blouse of the same material can enlived a plain chipao. Or the lining may match a jacket.
Lining is most important with peek-a-boo materials such as lace or eyelet cotton. Matching or contrasting colors can be used. The lining of the lace chipao, especially popular in the evening, can be cut very low in front and back for an alluring decollete effect.
Piping, binding, or border trim usually traces the edge of the collar, runs down the opening that cuts diagonally across the upper bodice, and then along the lower hem edges and sleeves.
Frog openings appear at the neck and along the bodice hem. They can be a series of sedate little frogs, or one or two large ones. Large frogs are made in the shape of chrysanthemums, peonies, or Chinese characters. Used high on the bosom, they give the effect of a brooch pinned below the right shoulder.
Dressmakers usually have samples of many frog designs on hand. Some women prefer to design their own. The dressmaker can be counted on to reproduce sketches faithfully.
The chipao lends itself to ensemble. A matching jacket, stole, bolero, three-quarter coat, an overblouse in contrasting color, or sweater with a boat, cowl or V-neck-all show off the high collar and side slits of the chipao to good advantage.
None on the Rack
Time-pressed tourists are sometimes disappointed to find they cannot buy a chipao off the rack. Chinese dresses always are made to measure. An obliging dressmaker can measure, cut, and have the first fitting of a chipao ready within the day. Ordinarily, a chipao takes five days from measurements to delivery.
Dressmakers do not provide the material unless they are working for a dry goods shop. Besides labor, the dressmaker will provide remnants for bindings, pipings, and frogs-nothing else. The lining comes from the customer.
Few Chinese women make their own chipao. Dressmaking is inexpensive and professional. Few amateur seamstresses can match the perfect fit.
The girl who tries to cut her own quickly finds there are no paper chipao patterns and no written directions. Amateurs invariably wind up with a frowsy, ill-fitting product. The collar is one obstacle, the side seams another. The front piece is cut shorter than the back to assure snug fit. This entails easing one piece into the other-a difficult task for the beginner.
The quick and easy way is to go to the dressmaker, submit to his or her measuring tape, and have the chipao turned out by experts. But woe betide those who rely on mail order. It's the personal fitting that smooths out the wrinkles and guarantees perfection.
Dressmaking charge for a plain cotton or silk chipao, sans lining or trimming, is about US$2, and for a plain chipao in a nylon-blend or brocade material, about US$2.25-2.50. A lined dress will cost US$3 to $4. Piping doubles the tailoring cost and frogs cost about US25-50 cents each.
Do-It-Yourself
Increasingly popular are chipao sewing courses. Conducted by some of the leading dressmakers in Taipei, the classes attract foreign residents, students, and diplomatic personnel who are going abroad.
The courses last from two months to two years. Classes meet once a week and the fee is US$10 a month - with the student providing her own dress material.
The class begins with lessons in how to cut and put together a simple cotton chipao. After absorbing the fundamentals of handling cotton, the student graduates to other materials. Some stop at this point. Others go on to the intricacies of lining, piping, frog fastenings, etc.
Many Chinese women avoid wearing the chipao to the exclusion of all other forms of dress. Those who do are usually of the older generation. Younger women usually wear skirts and blouses, sweaters, and western-style dresses for every day, saving their chipao for dress-up. Even so, a Chinese woman's chipao wardrobe will seem extensive by western standards. The low cost of locally made materials, ranging from U$30 cents a yard for cottons to US$4 for silks, and the reasonable dressmaking fees make this possible.
Ming Dynasty two-piece outfit with full skirt (left); Manchu robes were forerunner of chipao (right) File photo
Chinese women have not always worn the chipao. In ancient times, the predominant dress was a two-piece outfit with a flowing upper garment worn over a loose-fitting skirt. In the Ming dynasty (1368- 1644), women wore a long pleated skirt topped by a semi-fitted jacket with a high, loose collar.
The chipao is based on the Manchu style of dress in the Ching dynasty (1644-1911). Manchu dress featured a side-slitted skirt to allow greater freedom of movement to the sports-loving Manchu woman. This was worn with a loose jacket with straight lines and a high, tight mandarin collar. In court circles, many wore a loose one-piece version with side slits and mandarin collar.
The modern Chinese woman took over the Manchu robe and converted it in easy stages to the one-piece, figure-hugging sheath. A variation of the Manchu jacket can still be seen today in winter-a padded, brocade version worn over wool slacks. The summer version is a cotton night shirt worn over flapping trousers.
The chipao traditionally has been exclusively Chinese. But indications are that it is beginning to gain favor among foreigners.
This is not surprising. Through the centuries, Chinese clothes have found favor with outlanders. The ao dai of Vietnamese women features side slits and a mandarin collar. The Japanese women's kimono, wajuku, is similar to the dress of Tang dynasty (618-906) China. Korea's han-po of bolero jacket and flowing, high-waisted skirt originated in Manchuria where ponies were the principal mode of transportation.
The chipao has one other advantage that assures its perpetuation. Men like it. Those of the West enjoy that fleeting vision of leg and those of the East supposedly favor the rise and fall of the fitted bodice. Every hemisphere to its preference. The Korean gentleman may have expressed it best when he remarked to his Chinese friend: "We buy six yards of material and don't even know if our women are pregnant. You buy two yards and are sure of everything!"
The chipao is economical and sexy.
What more could a man ask?