A cheongsam, a figure-fitting one-piece Chinese dress for women, originated in 1920s Shanghai and was made fashionable by socialites and upperclass women during that time. I love anything 1920s and I love Chinese, so a cheongsam seemed to be a perfect fit for me. Figuratively.
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| I am wearing an A-line cheongsam with full sleeves and a 3 inch slit. If you are not wearing high heels, you may want to do away with the slits as it could look a bit awkward. My cheongsam is made by Chichi Bernardus, Fit Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, and my shoes are 5 inch suede pumps I bought on my recent trip to Target in Cincinnati :p |
A traditional cheongsam is body fitting and has a high collar. It also tends to have two slits on the left and right of your leg. It could go as high as your mid thighs. It will look incredibly sexy if you have a perfect body. But if you don't, you may look either like a walking stick, or a sausage. Me, the latter.
So, if you are like me, what you need to do is "adapt" the cheongsam to suit your body. You may not be able to wear it exactly as how it intend to be, but you can still have a cheongsam "inspired" dress. Modify the dress a little, make it an A-line instead of super body hugging, do away with the slits if you have big thighs, and a choose a pattern that focuses on center of the body, instead of the sides (where your "curves" tend to be). And by all means, PLEASE use a SPANX if you really must wear it tight an all :p. Now, if you are stick skinny, I suggest you do push up parts that you need to, and there are a variety of undergarments out there that can do so. This will give your body the needed contour and would make the cheongsam look oh-so-sexy!
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| Coordinate your hair and make-up to match your cheongsam. I did a smokey eye with thin brows and a thin black liner on the lid of my eye. This gave the slanted-eye effect that fit the dress nicely. I also did a simple side sweep with a butterfly bun at the back (sorry, no pics on the bun!) |
