The Qipao is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.
It is also named "cheongsam," meaning simply "long dress," entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as "qipao", which has a history behind it.
When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into "banners" (qi) and called them "banner people" (qiren), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which, likewise, came to be called "qipao" or "banner dress." Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.
Characteristic
Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the Qipao fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full length, depending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.
The Qipao is not too complicated to make. Nor does it call for too much material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.
Another beauty of the Qipao is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. No wonder it is so much liked by women not only of China but of foreign countries as well.
1.特征
旗袍的外觀特征一般要求全部或部分具有以下特征：右衽大襟的開襟或半開襟形式，立領盤紐、擺側開衩，單片衣料、衣身連袖的平面裁剪等。開衩隻是旗袍的很多特征之一，不是唯一的，也不是必要的。
古代旗袍：大多採用平直的線條，衣身寬鬆，兩邊開叉，胸腰圍度與衣裙的尺寸比例較為接近；
近代旗袍：進入了立體造型時代，衣片上出現了省道，腰部更為合體並配上了西式的裝袖、旗袍的衣長、袖長大大縮短、腰身也越為合體。
2.工藝特點
古代旗袍的工藝特點：是精細的手工制作，適用各種刺繡、鑲、嵌、滾等工藝；
近代旗袍的工藝特點：是式樣簡潔合體的線條結構代替精細的手工制作。
3.審美
近十幾年來，時裝中重新出現的旗袍，在國際時裝舞頻頻亮相，風姿綽約有勝當年，並被做為一種有民族代表意義的正式禮服出現在各種國際社禮儀場合。
4.旗袍的京派與海派
京派與海派代表著藝術、文化上的兩種風格。海派風格以吸收西藝為特點，標新且靈活多樣，商業氣息濃厚；京派風格則帶有官派作風，顯得矜持凝練。
5.藝術家與旗袍
藝術，是通過塑造形象具體地反映社會生活、表現作者思想感情的一種社會意識形態。
6.設計師與旗袍
經過20世紀上半葉的演變，旗袍的各種基本特征和組成元素慢慢穩定下來。旗袍成為一種經典女裝。經典相對穩定，而時裝千變萬化。但時裝設計師常從經典的寶庫中尋找靈感，旗袍也是設計師靈感的來源之一。
旗袍是中國婦女的傳統服裝，而並非已經湮滅失傳的歷史服裝。它既有滄桑變幻的往昔，更擁有煥然一新的現在。旗袍本身就具有一定的歷史意義，加之可欣賞度高，因而極富有收藏價值。現代穿旗袍的女性雖然不多，但現代旗袍中不少地方仍保持了傳統韻味，同時又能體現時尚之美，所以也具有一定的收藏價值。
制作
1.裁剪
（1）確定衣料的正反面——把衣料的正面疊在裡面，將粉線畫在反面，淺色衣料勿用過深色的畫粉；
（2）確定衣料的對折線——因旗袍前后中心都沒設縫，所以排料時可以把面料獨邊對折，折夠身肥為止。
（3）確定衣料圖案的方向，使衣片、袖片、領片上的圖案方向一致；
（4） 裁剪絲絨面料時，注意使各衣片毛絨倒向一致，以免有色差；
（5） 裁剪時，要在輪廓線外加適當的縫份和貼邊。 如裝縫普通拉鏈，止口需1.5cm，隱形拉鏈，止口需1cm，包邊和嵌邊的止口也有所不同。
（6）檢查面料裁片和裡料裁片的數量和質量。如一片右底襟（正反有無錯裁）。
2.縫制
（1）衣片歸拔
（2）側縫貼牽條
（3）襟邊貼牽條
（4）縫制
