The American Qipao my first project merging Eastern and Western styles of traditional dress: it is the combination of the standing collar and frog closures of the Chinese Qipao with the mermaid hem and petticoat of the American prom dress. At the time, I had no authentic training on qipao tailoring. Years later, I learned the proper way to tailor a qipao, as shown below. The process is laborious and meticulous. Creating Chinese Knot closures was the most challenging aspect of construction.