Tang Shirt 101
1. What Is a Tang Shirt?
A Tang shirt, also known as a Tang suit jacket or Chinese jacket, sits at the heart of East Asian menswear, as opposed to the cheongsam for women. Originally from the Qing dynasty, this boxy-cut shirt was traditionally worn for weddings and formal, festive gatherings such as Lunar New Year. In the past few years, the Tang shirt has evolved into a massive trend. Adidas's "Chinese New Year Jacket" featured their three stripes, designed as a track jacket and offered in an array of colors.
2. What Makes a Tang Shirt?
Traditional Tang shirts are made from silk satin. Cut in a relaxed fit, they are defined by a Mandarin collar and fastened with frog buttons, knotted closures called pankou.
3. What Is a Tangzhuang?
A Tangzhuang, or Tang suit, is the dressed-up version of the Tang shirt, combined with matching pants. It features decorative silk jacquard patterns. For weddings or special ceremonies, the set is typically in red, symbolizing good luck.
4. If I'm Not Asian, Can I Wear the Tang Shirt?
Yes, of course you can. However, we highly suggest you style it your own way and never use stereotypes and caricatures. There’s a difference between being inspired by the traditional garments of a culture and making it your own versus cosplaying as it.
And if you're interested in purchasing a Tang shirt, we recommend supporting Asian-owned businesses that live the culture.
5. How Do I Style a Tang Shirt?
Tang shirts today come in a variety of materials, like crisp linen, cotton, and heavier fabrics such as velvet and corduroy. They can be worn as is, but for more everyday takes, they're layered over T-shirts for casual daytime wear, or paired with a dinner jacket and trousers for evening.
Jeans or khakis make for an easy way to update this style, giving it a contemporary appeal. Our denim-twill (Link to Cotton Twill) version offers the look of denim, but with polish, while our cotton-linen style (LINK to Cotton-Linen) is lightweight and easy to layer.
