Red Chinese New Year Outfits For Luck

When traditions go back thousands of years, you can say that the pressure is on... Every year, Chinese tradition celebrates a fresh start and the people joining in on all the fun are clad in their finest Chinese New Year Outfits. Are you one of the lucky party-goers? Are you freaking out about what to wear? Are you excited about all the food coming your way? Well, let us help you out with what you're going to be wearing. 

Depending on your family and where you're going, there really aren't too many strict rules on what you can or cannot wear. But to narrow it down for you and give you all the luck you deserve; let's focus on the colour of luck: red. You'll find that most people will opt for this colour as it is believed to scare away spirits of bad fortune (great stuff!). Stay away from black or white which is not very appropriate as it symbolises mourning and death (bad stuff!). So with that in mind, I've gathered some inspiration for you to create that red-hot outfit of yours. 

Give Your own Spin To Tradition

One of the more traditional Chinese New Year Outfits would be to wear a classic Qipao Cheongsam and if you have one or buy one in red - even better. These type of dresses are usually worn around Chinese Celebrations, have a flattering body-hugging silhouette and feature signature Chinese motifs and detailing. 

Even if a Qipao dress oozes tradition, were not stuck in time and you don't have to dress like we are either. Use the dress as the basis of your look and style around it to suit your own personal style. You can make it cute and girly with jewellery, laidback with sneakers or add some Nineties flavour as I did with this look. The feminine feel of the dress is perfect for this nostalgic trend that we're seeing everywhere, just add some strappy sandals, a stylish headband and a chic shoulder bag and you're looking 90s fresh. 

Go for Glamour

If you and your family are planning to go all out this year, or if you just love any excuse to dress up and wear fancy jewellery, then this is the Chinese New Year Look for you. Find an extravagant dress that turns heads (new year new, fabulous you). As it's still really hot outside, I'd say to avoid any evening gown, maxi dress or even sleeves for that matter. If you can't find a dress that screams glamour, you can always accessorise one that is a little more basic. The key here is in the jewellery, whether fake or real diamonds are a girl's best friend for glamorous evenings. Go for a pair of studded heels to take it juuust a step further and unleash that luxury-loving beast inside of you with a designer bag. 

Mix and Match Shades Of Red

Not every family goes all out, and it's not always very appropriate to show up in your most glamorous dress... This is a Chinese new year outfit that works great for your family get together, but at the same time, you can head over to your friends after or before without changing. When putting together a red outfit for Chinese New Year you don't have to stick to just one shade of red, actually, it will look even better if you mix and match. Make sure these contrast enough, in this look the top is much brighter and lighter than the shorts but if the shorts were just a tad bit different from the top it wouldn't have worked very well!

In any case, a top and shorts work perfectly for these hot summer days in Australia and if bought well can be dressy enough for family celebrations yet still 'chill' enough to go somewhere else as well. Add in a pair of espadrilles for a beachy, summer vibe and bring along a big tote bag to carry all your things in. 

 

Accessorize with Red

Instead of creating a full red Chinese New Year Outfit, Let the colour be your lucky charm with red accessories. This could be anything from chic bags, to hair clips, glamorous jewellery and shoes. A silk scarf is also a perfect accessory to tie in your hair or neck and for something more laidback you can accessorize with subtle jewellery from our favourite brands like Forever New and Country Road. 

I've selected a few style saviours here for you to shop, but for more, you can head over to our shop pages and just use the red filter to find all things red! 

Wear a Red Dress

The easiest way into zero-stress Chinese New Year Outfits is to buy a red dress, that way you don't have to worry about mix and matching items. Make sure to buy one you know you'll wear for more occasions, whether it's dressy or more laidback. To be safe get a slightly-basic dress that you can dress up or down easily and if you go for something a bit bolder, make sure you love it enough to outfit repeat! Most of your favourite brands like Chancery, Zimmermann and Forever New will have red dresses in their collections, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one for your splendid Chinese new year outfits!