Abstract

Chinese theme or style has a long history in international fashion design; it is a common theme for Chinese and western designers to pursue Oriental sentiment and express Oriental aesthetics. However, for contemporary Chinese theme fashion design, Chinese and western designers have different understanding and interpretation, and there are many differences in design techniques and effects. In this paper, we propose to research on contemporary Chinese theme fashion design based on the theory of aesthetic distance, and interpret the essence of Chinese theme fashion design from different aesthetic distances. In addition, the basic principles of contemporary Chinese theme clothing design are summarized through the analysis and comparison of Chinese and western design cases. The results show that Chinese theme design, to the West, represents “the other” and “exotic theme” in a modern way; while in the eyes of Chinese people, it is a contemporary embodiment of “retro theme”. The clothing design in modern Chinese fashion should, based on the design elements collected in an expansive and deep way, pursue the balance and integration of “conservative” and “avant-garde” elements and the harmony of “form” and “spirit”, abiding by the fundamental principle of “absorbing tradition” to “create the present”.

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