What To Wear To A Lunar New Year Party
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16 minutes ago
Let the celebrations begin
Ready to shed 2025’s snakeskin and gallop into the Year of the Horse? It’s not long now until Lunar New Year takes the world by storm – 17 February, mark your calendars – bringing celebrations to streets, restaurants and homes near and far. You might have plans in the calendar, but one question remains: what will you be wearing? Here’s what to wear for the Lunar New Year celebrations, according to a fashion industry expert.
Lunar New Year: A Style Guide
While most of the world may have welcomed the arrival of 2026 on 1 January, there’s another new year’s celebration taking place this February: Lunar New Year. Following the lunar calendar, based on moon cycles – hence the date being different to the solar, or Gregorian, calendar – Lunar New Year is one of Asia’s biggest annual festivals. And, just like Western new year’s eve parties, the focus is on friend and family reunions, feasting and encouraging good fortune for the year ahead.
‘I love Lunar New Year, mainly because it’s such a good opportunity to see people,’ says Singapore-born fashion educator and social media star Andrea Cheong. ‘Life gets really busy during December and January, so celebrations like these are a great reason to get together.’
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What Do People Wear?
There are plenty of sartorial traditions that come with Lunar New Year – wearing red and gold, buying new and adopting the year’s zodiac animal, for example – but Andrea has noticed something of an evolution when it comes to how people choose to dress for the celebrations. ‘I think traditions have really developed over time,’ she says. ‘I’ve really enjoyed seeing new takes on the typical cheongsam/qipao, a traditional dress from Chinese culture.’
The influencer also points out that the need for new clothing isn’t as prominent. ‘The original concept of having new clothes for New Year was formed when people still made their own and there was no such thing as fast fashion,’ she explained in an Instagram post. ‘And I’ve never felt that I can’t participate in my cultural celebrations if I don’t wear red or buy all new outfits.
‘But I do feel I have that liberty because I didn’t grow up in Singapore, for example,’ she added. ‘Having heard a lot of feedback from those who feel the pressure to not repeat clothes in front of family and friends, it’s much deeper than the surface impression we may have that this is an excuse to go shopping. Sometimes, adhering to these expectations is a sign of respect.’
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A Stylist’s Top Tips
Below, Andrea Cheong shares her top tips for Lunar New Year party dressing:
Opt For Bright, Bold Colours
First things first: start with your colour palette. When it comes to Lunar New Year, you want your wardrobe to reflect the celebrations going on around you – which means bold and vibrant hues are a must. ‘Red, gold and other bright colours are always encouraged,’ says Andrea. Red and gold are considered particularly auspicious, with the former evoking good fortune, success and new beginnings (it’s also used for decorations and the envelopes given to family members), while the latter symbolises wealth and happiness.
Avoid White
‘The one colour to avoid at this time of year is white,’ warns Andrea. Where red is synonymous with luck and good fortune, white is quite a different story. In most Asian countries, white symbolises death, funerals and mourning – making it a less than ideal choice of your partywear ensemble.
Don’t Buy A New Wardrobe
New year, new wardrobe? Think again. ‘You don’t have to wear anything new for Lunar New Year,’ emphasises Andrea. ‘We’re out of the era where clothes are hard to come by and need to be custom made. No one should feel pressured to get a new wardrobe – especially at a time of year meant for celebrating and spending time with loved ones.’
Bring A Gift
Wardrobe-adjacent, but you don’t want your handbag to be the only thing on your arm at a Lunar New Year Celebration. ‘Traditionally, if you’re married you should bring a red packet with money in it to give to those who aren’t,’ notes Andrea. ‘But these days, it’s a bit more relaxed – bringing oranges, desserts or a bottle of something nice is totally fine.’
