旗袍是華人女性最具代表性的典型服飾，但「旗袍」二字從未在正史上出現過。從名字上「旗袍」總讓人直覺認為它就是旗人所穿著的長袍，屬於「寬鬆型」的連身袍衫，其結構較為簡單，具衣身連袖、右袵大襟、圓領盤扣、衣擺開衩與平片剪裁等特徵。其實就袍服通史而論，旗袍可溯源至春秋戰國時代的「深衣」。民國以後旗袍出現的時間點，目前主要有兩種說法：一是「1920初期說」，另一為「1920中期說」。至於旗袍款式的演變趨勢（1929-1934）為：先縮短後增長，由寬鬆走向合身適體；由無開衩、開低衩、開高衩，再回到開低衩。到1940年時旗袍長度瞬間縮短6吋，以方便跑警報躲防空洞。從旗袍形制來說，許多學者將民國旗袍名之為「改良旗袍」，從裁法到結構都更加西化，採用胸省和腰省，打破了傳統旗袍無省的格局。總結旗袍發展時期結構的變化，可分為古典期（清代旗袍）、過渡期（民國旗袍）、定型期（1950年代中葉至1970年代）三個時期。旗袍的現代設計，其實不必拘泥於旗袍本身的形制，可擷取旗袍上的各種元素融入其中，利用現代化設計的手法，與來自西方的蕾絲、網紗、亮片等素材，設計出帶有中華古風的時尚衣著。

Cheongsam is the most representative and typical dress of Chinese women, but the word “cheongsam” has never appeared in official history. From the name, “Cheongsam” always makes people intuitively think that it is the long gown worn by the bannermen. It is a “loose” jumpsuit with a relatively simple structure, with long sleeves on the body, a large right cloak, and a round collar button, Hem slits and flat cuts and other features. In fact, in terms of the general history of gowns, cheongsam can be traced back to the “shen clothes (深衣) ” of the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. There are currently two main versions of the time when the cheongsam appeared after the Republic of China: one is “the early 1920s” and the other is “the mid-1920s”. As for the evolution of cheongsam styles (1929-1934): first shortening and then growing, from loose to fit and fit; from no slits, low slits, high slits, and then back to low slits. By 1940, the length of the cheongsam was instantly shortened by 6 inches to make it easier to run the alarm and hide in the air-raid shelter. In terms of the form of cheongsam, many scholars refer to the civil cheongsam as “improved cheongsam.” From the cutting method to the structure, it is more westernized, and the chest and waist provinces are adopted, breaking the traditional pattern of no province in cheongsam. Summarizing the changes in the structure of the cheongsam during the development period, it can be divided into three development periods: the classical period (Qing Dynasty cheongsam), the transition period (Republic of China cheongsam), and the stereotyped period (from the mid-1950s to the 1970s). The modern design of cheongsam, in fact, does not need to be constrained to the shape of the cheongsam itself. It can extract various elements of the cheongsam and blend it into it. Using modern design techniques, with lace, mesh, sequins and other materials from the West, the design has an ancient Chinese style; Stylish clothes.