nannaia:

A while ago I was asked about the construction of the Vietnamese Ao Dai and Chinese Cheongsam/Qipao. I had a few dresses at my disposal and figured it would be fun to do a compare and contrast. Due to the small collection, I was only able to photograph a few samples (all tailored circa 2000s, except one I’m sure…). This basically just covers the “classic” tailoring styles of Ao Dai and Cheongsam/Qipao. The latest trends may not adhere to it!

NOTE: For simplicity’s sake, I primarily used the word Cheongsam (Cantonese) instead of Qípáo (Mandarin) because its wider use as an English loanword.