How To Select A Universally Flattering Dress for Chinese New Year

By Crystal Tai (Star Patcher)

Chinese New Year has long been a big event in Silicon Valley, given the large number of the local Chinese population. The lunar-calendar-based holiday will fall on Feb 19 this year. While it’s less than a month away, it may be a good idea for local ladies to pick out a Mandarin dress for the upcoming celebrations.

Each with a traditional stand-up collar, Mandarin dresses come from Chinese culture, but they are not meant for Chinese ladies only. Many mainstream American celebrities have donned Mandarin dresses. Actress Nicole Kidman is especially a fan.

However, it doesn’t take Nicole Kidman’s willowy figure to pull off a Mandarin dress. Today’s Mandarin dresses are modernized. Some of them come in a universally flattering A line.

Since red is considered an auspicious color in Chinese culture, a red Mandarin dress will look the most festive for Chinese New Year. If scarlet red seems too bright and eye-catching for introverted ladies, many Mandarin dresses come in darker shades or quieter tones of red.

Another great alternative is a multicolored floral Mandarin dress with red flowers in the pattern. If the red flowers are printed on a black background, it will present the cheerful spirit of red and the slimming effect of black at the same time

A dress with flowers printed or embroidered along one side or both sides will be slimming, too. That’s because those flowers will optically trim the contour of the body.

While most women want to look skinnier, some in boyish shape would like to have more curves. In that case, a peplum dress will do the job. Although it’s uncommon for a Madarin dress to come with a puffy peplum below the waist, it can be found on line.

There are quite a few Chinese clothing exporters that sell Mandarin dresses on line. Some of them let customers submit measurements and place custom orders, which usually cost about the same as massively produced, ready made dresses, thanks to China’s low cost of labor.

Photo credit: Elegente

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