The Pankou has launched its first collection – qipaos and accessories with a modern attitude. It is a small, curated and accessible collection that is affordable and easy to integrate into the modern wardrobe.
I’ve been obsessed with qipaos for most of my life. And I’ve been writing about them on thepankou.com for the last 2 years. In this time, I have heard from so may passionate readers from all around the world, asking for advice about how to add a qipao into their wardrobes.
This was incredibly heartening, as my goal has always been to bring qipaos back into the modern woman’s wardrobe. But in the many years that I have been buying and wearing qipao, I have not been able to find an accessible qipao shop that I could depend on, especially outside of Asia.
Sure, there were many cliched, low-end garments available in markets in bright blue and red brocade with gold dragons; or else there were the up-market stores with silks, embroidery and prohibitively expensive made-to-measure offers. I desperately wanted dresses that were easy for me to integrate into my wardrobe, but I could not find them.
So I did not have an answer for my readers, there was not a simple recommendation that I could give you. As I searched, I thought more and more about this problem… and finally earlier this year I made the decision to launch The Pankou collection. A collection of qipaos and accessories for the modern wardrobe.
The Pankou Collection: Curated, Accessible, Qipaos with a Modern Attitude
This collection is inspired by my readers, and I really, really hope it can help you add a qipao into your wardrobe. Because it was built for you, I also wanted to share here some of my thoughts and goals as I worked on this collection.
To start, the collection is quite small but well curated (I think so anyway!) I spent a long time thinking about each and every piece (mustering up all of the buying and merchandising experience from my days at Louis Vuitton). I wanted a well-thought and well-rounded collection where every piece had a purpose and occasion. More on in the section on my picks.
Then I wanted all of the pieces to accessible – and to me accessibility is a very multi-faceted term. Accessible meant easy to wear – so you’ll find many of the qipaos made from comfortable, flattering fabrics. Accessible means an affordable price – so you will find dresses with prices comparable to what you will pay for many other day dresses out on the market. And accessible also means a website that is easy to navigate, easy to understand, and good customer service – so as you scroll through the website, you’ll find detailed photos, product information, and I promise that we will always do our best to help you with any questions you have either before or after purchase.
But most importantly, I wanted dresses that could be easily integrated into the modern wardrobe. This is after all, what you are all asking for. So besides comfortable and flattering fabrics, I also chose colours which are versatile, and prints which are pretty, but without the heavy and contrived feelings of traditional silks. So whether it be for a weekend brunch, a date, a cocktail event, or even a wedding, the qipaos could easily substitute another dress you might have picked out for the occasion. They look chic, and effortless.
I have to admit though, that my collection does not turn any new pages in qipao design. To me, the design of qipaos had already been so innovative and varied through the 1920s-1960s, that making them relevant today was less a matter of adapting the design, but more a matter of changing ourselves, and our attitude.
As much as we all drool at the glamourous images of 1930s Shanghai women in qipaos, what they represent is simply not relevant for most of us today – demure, upper-class ladies and mistresses who spent hours setting their hair, dressed up everyday, and considered mah-jong a social duty.
What we need is to wear qipaos with a modern attitude. An attitude of passion, of confidence, of being willing to laugh, of working hard, of being free to pursue our dreams. We need to mix and match these dresses with modern accessories, and adapt them to the modern lifestyle. And more than anything else, this is what I have tried to capture in this website over the years, and what I have tried to capture in this collection.
My picks from The Pankou Collection
I mentioned before that I wanted every piece to have a purpose and occasion, so here I’ll write a little bit about what they are without getting too technical… Before I start, just a quick note that all of the qipaos in this collection are Shanghai-style qipaos, and so tend to be more form fitted and not A-line.
To start, there are the day qipaos. This classic cap-sleeve qipao made from cotton/viscose is my absolute go-to for everyday in the summer. It’s difficult to over-state just how comfortable it is – light and soft, does not cling and drapes in all the right places. It is classically styled with a 5cm (2 inches) high collar, and buttoned up with only pankous from the base of the collar down the right hand side. To me, it is the epitome of effortless elegance, and I often wear this dress with some simple flats.
There are two other qipaos made from the same fabric, one in a garnet or dark red, and another in a bold but feminine magenta floral print. Both are also great for everyday wear, although a little more dressy than the basic navy.
I added one other dress to the day qipao collection, and that’s this fun feather print cotton qipao. This qipao is almost not a qipao at all, just a fun, easy summer day dress. The base colour of navy is flattering and versatile, while the colourful feathers gives the whole collection a more light-hearted and whimsical edge. It also uses a zipper – made for the more lazy among you.
Then we have the dresses that cross between day and night, two stretch velvet qipaos. I actually already wrote a blog post on the black velvet qipao late last year when I first had a sample of it. I consider it the LBD (Little Black Dress) of qipaos, as it is extremely versatile and slimming.
So today I want to mention the forest green velvet version, which is a twist on the black, (and one I’m more naturally biased towards as my favourite colour is green!) Forest green is a classic colour for velvet, and in the last few years has become very popular for casual wear, so you can easily dress this qipao down with flats or even sneakers and a leather jacket. In my pictures, I’ve chosen very feminine black slingbacks, and you can see this forest green velvet qipao is also gorgeous as a cocktail or night out dress.
And finally we have a very special qipao – this ivory lace piece which I think would be perfect for a modern wedding, or gorgeous for any other special occasion. It is made from a richly embroidered ivory floral lace, with the effect of hand embroidery on voile (but without the hefty price tag). This dress is a beautiful blend of Chinese and Western traditions for a wedding. (The silk slip for this dress sells separately here).
For those of you who are regular readers, you’ll know that my obsession with qipaos started with the film Lust, Caution. And with a particular scene where Tang Wei, as Mrs Mak, is walking in the rain wearing a qipao, paired with a trench coat, hat and T-bar heels. I fell in love with not just the qipao, but the whole outfit, the accessories, they way they worked with each other. So it was impossible for me to launch a qipao range without including some accessories. And in this collection I included two, a glamorous large mushroom brimmed hat (available also in chocolate), and also a chic bamboo accordion bag (available also in a large size). I love both of these, and have been using them non-stop this summer.
The collection as a whole is available here. You can also click on individual styles above where you see hyperlinks.
Thank you
So this is The Pankou’s first collection, – thank you for reading, and I hope you will take a moment to stop and explore the collection. To receive an exclusive offer of free shipping on your first order (we lovingly courier all our pieces from Shanghai), please sign up on our website.
As much as I have worked hard on this and given it a lot of thought, I’m sure there are many things I could do better. Please email me at Miranda (at) thepankou.com to let me know how I can improve!
Thank you, and as always, enjoy –
Leave a Reply