Why Every Chinese Bride Should Consider The “Kwa”

“Kwa”…”Qun kwa”…”Qua”…..it is known by many different spellings, but they all describe the super-rich, bright red, majestic, elaborately embroidered, culturally significant, and fabulously lavish garment specifically meant for brides of certain dialects (Cantonese among them).

Unless you’re here for the first time, you probably know how I HEART kwas in a big way. Cheongsams or qipaos you can wear any old time, even as evening wear to one of your bridal events. Well, depends on who you are. If you’re Maggie Cheung, you should probably wear them all the time, even to the local NTUC. (Give them ‘Ah Peks’ a treat bah kan.)  If you’re Rosie O’Donnell I’d say stick with elaborately & ingenuously structured gowns that can accommodate two pairs of Spanx underneath. And try to draw the focus upwards by making sure you have stunning hair & makeup. (Well, if you’re Rosie O’Donnell, the attention will be on the volume of your voice anyway, so this is a moot point. I’m just saying.)

Well the first few kwas I tried on with Babyduck next to me, were a complete disaster. I was utterly crushed since I had my heart set on wearing a kwa. Grand visions of myself in the majestic embroidered red garment somehow didn’t translate to reality very well. I’ve since discovered that the secret is in the FIT. With a loose boxy garment like the kwa, the right fit is really important. This is quite counter-intuitive, since most people think the exact opposite, ie. ‘Oh, it’s not figure-hugging, just a loose shapeless thing, so anyone can wear it & look halfway decent, never mind about the fit!’ BIG mistake.

The Chinese have perfected the art of enhancing allure through concealment. The secret is in what is revealed. A slender swan-like neck, delicate fair wrists, the mystery of what lies under pounds of embroidered beads & gold threads, and always, always, the focus is on the face & hair. The shell-like ear, the doe-eyes, the cherry blossom lips, the creamy skin tone. [Note: I'm not being perasan here, this is all referring to what the Chinese like to emphasise, not to qualities I presume to possess. Although my neck is not bad.]

Why is fit important here? Well the first kwa I tried on was gorgeous with 3-D type embroidery of dragons & phoenixes. Really an awesome piece of work. But it was too loose around my neck (swan-like neck, gone), too tight across my chest (illusion of a tidy figure, kaput), waaaaay too short (the art of concealment = beefy lower calves shouldn’t be on display), and the top had a typical square hem (not flattering on curves because I looked like a pillar in the palace of the Forbidden City!)

I almost gave up on the kwa right then & there. Thank God for JM, my BFF who encouraged me to keep searching. I finally found my dream kwa in The House of Etiquette. Now this one had none of the problems the first one had (especially after Angela, the sales assistant, so kindly added three layers of beaded fringe to the hem of the skirt!) AND the top had a scalloped tapering hem which kinda “broke” the square pillar illusion! I was so pleased I got it on the spot. It has been such a great investment, thanks in part to the wonderful service I had there. (That Angela’s a star!) And most importantly, Mr. Panda just loved it! And I got to wear something every Chinese bride only gets to wear once in her lifetime.

And here are some of the pictures taken from friends’ cameras:

Waiting for the young uns to serve us tea!

Putting on a necklace for my god-daughter.

Alone in my room, waiting for Mr. panda to arrive. (Doncha just love those shoes too?)

Serving tea to my parents.

Being handsomely rewarded for my efforts!

Emotional & bedecked with jewellery. The fate of most brides at tea ceremonies!

View from the side! Check out how short the skirt would’ve been for me, had it not been for the three layers of beaded fringe! Did I mention I was 5’10 & Mr. Panda is a giant at 6′?

The pictures from the photographer aren’t out yet. I sure hope he has better pictures of the kwa! 

Oh, and one more thing. Try not to have a hairstyle that hugs your head too much. The kwa is quite an overwhelming piece of garment and having too flat or severe a hairstyle will make you look like a large pin with a very small head. You want an updo (NEVER wear a kwa with your hair down. EVER.) but a fluffy kinda updo. Mine was PERFECT for the kwa. Traditional, classic, full & soft. (Hey, I did do some things right!) So try to do your hair like mine, and you’d be good to go! Don’t go for red flowers; go for something that would complement the beading without clashing with the colours, or going “matchy-matchy”. Pink is good. White is funereal. Orchids are just plain wrong (too tropical). Yam roses look the best! (But of course, I could be biased.)

I hope y’all will take Bridezilla’s advice and consider the kwa as your tea outfit of choice. My biggest regret? That this was a rental. Had I enough time, I would’ve ordered one to keep, no question about it. How cool would it be to pass this fabulous, culturally significant piece of wearable art down through your generations?

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