THEin fashion he looks east. After the recent fashion obsessions with oriental details, from Mandarin collars to Pankou buttons, the world of fashion takes a further step towards Asia: rediscovers the cheongsam, a dress symbolizing Chinese femininitytransforming it into one of the statement pieces of 2026.
Far from any folkloristic excess, the cheongsam frees itself from its more traditional dimension and reinvents itself in a modern key: high collars and side closures contaminate not only clothes, but also jackets and tops, giving life to a new, more essential and sophisticated aesthetic. Between cultural memory and experimentation, the trends of the moment look to Middle-earth: it is impossible not to be fascinated by it.
Cheongsam dress: story of an icon
The cheongsam, also known as qipaohas its roots in the Qing Dynasty era. But it is in the cosmopolitan China of the modern era that it finds its most recognizable form. In the Shanghai of the 1920s, in fact, it transformed intotight dress that we know, designed to enhance the female figure with rigor and sensuality.
After entering the global imagination through photography and cinema (from The World of Suzie Wong by Richard Quine until In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai) and having achieved popularity in the legendary Nineties thanks to the oriental looks of Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow, the cheongsam-style dress returns to inspire the contemporary wardrobe.
Kate Moss celebrated her 22nd birthday in London in 1996 in an iconic black qipao dress. (Getty Images)
Its distinctive codes remain, from the impalpable silk to the raised collar, but reinterpreted in a more essential and current key. The close-fitting silhouette is softened, the slits are reduced (Shiazy Chen): the result, short dresses with measured elegancewhich distance themselves from the seductive charge of the origins to embrace a more discreet and modern idea of femininity.
From Shiatzy Chen’s Spring Summer 2026 collection. (Spotlight Launchmetrics)
The cheongsam top, the most loved by It Girls
Although the dress remains central, it is the qipao-inspired top that won over the trendsetters in Spring Summer 2026. Monochromatic or embellished with refined floral prints, it maintains its original characteristics but is updated through styling. What makes the difference in the oriental look are the accessories: trendy mini bags, minimal sandals and sunglasses, which balance the traditionality of this garment with modern taste.
Alexandra Leclerc wears a cheongsam top with matching skirt. (Getty Images)
The cheongsam jacket, between street style and catwalk
Next to the tops, too the jacket inspired by the cheongsam dress, known as the tang jacketstands out among the key pieces of the season. Characterized by a mandarin collar and toggle closure, it has recently returned to the crest of the wave thanks to the model launched by adidas, which started a wave of more or less sporty reinterpretations.
Cheongsam jacket, midi skirt and pumps: a look in perfect balance between heritage and modernity. (Getty Images)
A trend spotted too on the catwalkWhere the tang jacket did not go unnoticed. On the one hand, simple and romantic models (Hui), on the other, more opulent versions, enriched with decorations and scenographic details (Kim Shui).
From Kim Shui’s Autumn Winter 2026/2027 collection. (Spotlight Launchmetrics)
Two different approaches that return the same image: the contemporary reinterpretation of a great classic.
How to match it today? With a pencil skirt or a pair of straight jeans. The East has never been so close…