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Chinese New Year has come and is almost gone. You would no doubt have seen shops selling beautiful and sexy Cheongsam dresses (also known as qipao). Traditionally a wide, long flowing garment, the Shanghai beauties of yesteryears decided to make it more flattering by making it more fitted, giving it a more alluring and elegant look.

Although certain features remain like the high neck collar and piping, today, the cheongsam now comes in a myriad of styles and material. In case you missed out on the Cheong Sam chicks over CNY, you can still feast your eyes on these sexy cheongsam dresses and models.

But as with most things, there’s always a cause and effect. In order to wear the modified cheongsam well, the wearer needs to ensure that there’s no spare tyre or flabby arms. Of course, if the wearer is endowed with the proper curves, so much the better.

What I admire about this traditional costume is that it is still flexible enough that one can still look demure or sexy, depending on the cut and the length.

In fact, you can look quite school-marmish if the cheongsam is of plain material without any slit and you pair it with a severe hairdo.

But if brightly-coloured or patterned, then the wearer looks sophisticated. Add in slits at the side (or both sides), and jaws will drop.

And it is due to these very qualities that the cheongsam continues to make appearances in movies (Maggie Cheung – ‘In the Mood for Love’, Tang Wei – ‘Lust, Caution’, Kirsten Dunst -‘Spider Man’, Nicole Kidman – ‘Australia’) and on red carpets (alright alright, blue carpet too), both in the East and West.

In fact, I believe that both Gong Li’s and Celine Dion are wearing the same cheongsam! Fortunately for two different events. And if you look at this magazine cover, you will see that Charlize Theron has the same cheongsam as well.

Who wears it better? You decide! Perhaps a close up will help… wink, wink, nudge, nudge…

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