Dress codes for China

If you are traveling to China, you may be wondering how to dress appropriately and how the dress code in China compares with other countries you have visited. Hence, the Conde Nash Dress Code Guide (which is available on the Conde Nash website and is also downloadable in pdf format) offers a very handy and useful reference guide for how to dress appropriately in a number of countries around the world.

According to the guide, dress codes for meetings in China consists largely of homogenous suits and ties – no matter what the weather conditions are outside. Businesswomen will tend to go without makeup and jewelry while everyone in general tries to shy away from conspicuous consumption in order to demonstrate that they are focused on business.

On the street, the arms, chest and back should remain covered and women generally dress conservatively. However, dressing unconventionally will not offend anyone so long as one presents him or herself in the best light. Moreover, Chinese women will tend to not wear any footwear without straps as such foot wear will reveal to much of the foot and have a tendency to resemble flip flops – which are seen as cheap.

And finally, party goers should be aware that exaggerated styles and silhouettes monochromatic palettes by Comme des Garçons, Martin Margiela, and Yohji Yamamoto are now considered to be hot.