Qipao
The close-fitting Chinese dress with a high collar, worn by brides, often in red.
Also: cheongsam, qi pao, changshan
The qipao, known in Cantonese as cheongsam, is a one-piece dress with a high collar, a diagonal or round closing and side slits, developed in Shanghai in the 1920s from earlier Manchu women's robes. Brides wear it at a Chinese banquet in red, gold or other lucky colours, often changing between it and a Western white dress and a traditional gown over a banquet of several courses. The groom may wear a long changshan. A qipao for a wedding is often tailor-made, and embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
Region: East Asia