The Lunar New Year isn’t only about food, but clothing as well. Many people buy complete new outfits – from head to toe – just for the occassion (historically, the new year was the only time people got new clothes). However, this can be difficult, as the lunar new year always in late January to mid-February, meaning that it is next to impossible to get nice winter clothes. In addition, buying a completely new outfit is expensive. The best way is, of course, to buy things in increments. For example, the below outfit was bought over a period of two months. The scarf (Dora d’Angelo, first featured here) was purchased in December, as were the shoes (Stuart Weitzman), while the bag (442 McAdam) and dress (Banana Republic, purchased from a blogger) were acquired in January. In all cases, the clothes were not specifically bought for the New Year. Of course, an alternative is to purchase something at one time at say, Boxing Day or early enough that good, winter-appropriate clothes are still available AND with discounted sale prices.
There are also those who buy one or two pieces just for the celebration. Some people may just buy bottoms – usually pants, as the Cantonese word is pronounced “fu” a homonym for the word for luck and wealth. Sometimes, parents may dress their young children in Chinese style clothing (usually not seen in kids over the age of say, six. It’s more for the cute factor than anything else). Red is, of course, big, since it’s considered a lucky colour. What DON’T people wear? Anything too old or too worn. And since family-related New Year meals are usually on the casual side, “dressing up” is not common, either. Business casual is often the standard at these dinners, though some are even more laid back (of course, yoga pants or ripped jeans would never be considered acceptable).
