Your guide to shopping for beautiful little cheongsams, qipaos and Mandarin-collar shirts in Singapore.
Whether you’re a Chinese New Year newbie or a seasoned pro, kids of all backgrounds love dressing up for the celebrations. Little girls look pretty darn cute while wearing a cheongsam, and small dudes can definitely rock a Mandarin-collar shirt no matter how big they are! You’ll find traditional Chinese-style clothes for the young and old alike all across Singapore (Chinatown is a guarantee), but local labels are really taking it up a notch with cool Chinese-inspired threads for kids. Well, we’ve done all of the window shopping for you, so scroll away!
IN STORES
Chubby Chubby
This homegrown label is the brainchild of graphic designer Nix Deng, and her artistic eye certainly shows through in her fun prints. Everything in her boutique is lovingly made in Singapore, from the kids’ fashion to the toys and accessories. Make a beeline for the 2020 festive collection (pictured up top) and snap up a cheerful cheongsam for your little girl. Or, pick out a smart cotton/linen Mandarin-collar shirt for your young boys to sport. There’s also matching Mandarin-collar shirts for dads and cheongsams for mum – but get in quick, they sold like hotcakes last year!
Where: Tangs at Tang Plaza, 310 Orchard Road, Level 2, Singapore 238864; Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238905
Le Petit Society
We’re not gonna lie: we’re frequent visitors to Le Petit Society’s Downtown Gallery store (and it’s fair to say we also indulge in the odd online delivery straight to HoneyKids HQ), so we’re super excited for the new CNY collection. Cherry blossoms, Chinese knots, Dragons, cranes, rainbows and of course, cute little mouse prints are all available for pre-order right now.
Where: 6A Shenton Way, Downtown Gallery #03-10, 068815; 290 Orchard Road, The Paragon, #05-35
Elly
Toys, art and baby gifts aren’t the only things Elly has in stock. Its popular Chinese New Year collection is back and even better than ever thanks to a cool collab with Disney. Thank Mickey the collection has hit the shelves for more cute twinning outfits for kids from 0 to 14 years, as well as for mums and dads. You’ll find a variety of new year outfits for your little ones: think cheongsams lined with lace, shirts for your little man and rompers for all seasons. Don’t forget to snag some shoes and snap up one of those adorable pineapple bags before they’re all sold out!
Where: #02-31/33 Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259760
ONLINE
Sea Apple
We absolutely adore local label Sea Apple for the lovely illustrations that feature on its tees and onesies for little peeps, and dresses that we always wish came in our size (some do!). Sea Apple’s A Mouse Who Loved Red collection is inspired by a cute little story of a mouse who adored anything crimson. Tasty and tropical, these are some of the sharpest Mandarin-collar shirts we’ve seen for little guys. Plus, check out the tiny rompers, pretty cheongsams and flutter sleeves.
Maison Q
We’re impressed by local label Maison Q‘s collection of reversible clothes for kids in fun fabrics – two outfits in one item of clothing! Look out for dashing Mandarin-collar shirts for boys, cheongsam dresses for girls and rompers for bubbas. Love!
Matter Mini
We’ve told you before how much we love the Matter Mini range by local label Matter: the coolest way to go matchy-matchy, we say. Not strictly for Chinese New Year, but something to rock all year round. #practical! We’d go for the pomegranate red #mattermini dress for the little one and the side-swept dhoti pant in the ‘mobi’ print. Bonus: you’ll also be supporting sustainable fashion together!
Little Qipao
This online boutique stocks cheongsams all year round. Using beautiful patterns and colours, you’ll be able to find something pretty spesh for girls up to age 14. And, if you have a little one, rompers and toddler dresses bring major cuteness. Also, check out the ‘Kung Fu’ tops in fun fabrics and cute Mandarin-collar shirts for young boys age two-10. Psst, there are collections for the grown-ups, too!
Luna & Moon
Singapore clothing label, Luna & Moon is the brainchild of mums Caroline and Melissa. They’ve created comfortable and classic kids wear with a modern twist that looks and feel great even in Singapore’s blazing heat. We’re loving all the bright colours and floral prints to suit your bubbly child from as young as six months up to 10 years old. Plus there’s sibling twinning sets available and we do love when everyone matches!
Peas n Plums
Twinning just got this much easier thanks to folks at Peas n Plums! We love that mums can choose whether or not they’ll twin with cheongsams or tops. The best part? All clothes are made out of fabrics from natural fibres such as cotton and Tencel, so you can be sure to be comfy and cute at the same time. Winning!
