Categories

www.agoda.com

Recent Forum Posts

Recent Comments

Matching Outfit for Couples

情侣装

Matching clothes for couples

If you are looking for matching outfit for couples (eg. matching shirts) – I can recommend you a site which specializes in different kinds of matching items for lovers: shirts, mugs, pillows etc. [Click here to visit]
And if you are looking for more information about this weird but cute fashion, continue reading…

What do you think of a couple which expresses their love by wearing completely matching clothes with the same style, color and fabrics?
“Funny” would be the warmest compliment to such an outfit from a westerner. Contrastingly, in Asia (Korea, China, Japan) this is quite a popular trend.

It’s a really good example of cultural difference.
After writing the draft of this article I googled for a term “couple outfits” hoping to see a gallery of matching T-shirts for lovers (as in the pictures below), but instead got the collection of costumes for Halloween or adult games.

I did not give up and after few more searches found an article from a blog of Canadian couple living in Korea in which they describe the local fashion of wearing similar clothes, and present cute paparazzi-style photos. But from comments to that post I could understand that this style did not conquer hearts of the readers.

The last blow was provided by an article of a fashion critic who noted the following:

For adult couples, fashion is not child’s play. It’s all about subtlety, knowing how to complement your mate’s clothing without looking like you’ve tried.

Oops… Still I want to share my thoughts about this adorable style and explain why it is being cultivated in China and other Asian countries.

Obviously, this is a way to show affection to each other and claim the existence of relationship. While public display of affection is not welcome in China young people seek for other ways to express their feelings. And the fashion industry comes to their rescue offering a big choice of outfits for couples. Besides clothes there is a wide range of other matching items – such as pillows, underwear, cups, watches, necklaces, bracelets, rings and so on.

Isn’t it sweet to have some common little thingies?

Maybe it is childish. But who doesn’t want sometimes to take off the dull suits and feel naughty and young? It comes naturally when you are two and in love and don’t care about what other people think. On the contrary, strangers turn into witnesses of your love.

Sentimental Crystal Tao

Matching Clothes - 1

Matching Clothes - 2

Matching Clothes - 3

Matching Clothes - 4

Incoming search terms:

  • matching couple shirts
  • matching outfits for couples
  • matching clothes for couples
  • matching shirts for couples
  • cute matching outfits for couples
  • couple matching clothes
  • matching couples shirts
  • couple clothes

If you liked this article, consider to subscribe to new LoveLoveChina posts by RSS. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

And most important! I want to invite you to join LoveLoveChina forums where you can read posts on different topics, leave replies and post your own threads.

«  
  »
  • nathalie

    hello,

    The need to wear this kind of WEARS means the Chinese young people have difficulty in saying to themselves their feelings in a directly way???

    Because, yes for my part, I find that really very childish and precious.
    I prefer to kiss(embrace) my lover to return the foreigners witnesses(batons) of my love, I find that more sincere and cheaper.

  • Booger face

    It is the most gayest thing I have ever witnessed. If this happened in a western ‘civilised’ country, the couple would be ridiculed and beaten by the general public as they walked down the street.

    Don’t do it. Protect your self.

    • China Shark Mike

      It’s quite ironic because I purposely didn’t read the responses before I posted my response. That is exactly what would happen in a cultured progressive society. Yes, it is childish I do agree wholeheartedly.

  • http://laowaiink.blogspot.com Mark

    My wife (a Chinese girl) and I play a game to see how many couples shirts we can see when we go out walking on the street. We both think it’s immature and usually the shirts are really stupid and childish. Why does a couple need to shout to the world “Hey look at us, we’re a couple!” Why not hold hands or kiss each other? I think a lot of couples are very insecure about their partners and this a way to stay to others “keep away, he/she is mine!”

    • Nick

      Mark,

      I agree with you on this one. I just hold hands with my angel instead of trying to find matching outfits. It’s much easier and clearer.

      Also, as I’ve stated before, women use fabric softener to mark their territory. One sniff and it’s obvious you’re taken, because no self-respecting man would use “Spring Meadow” scented _anything_. :-)

  • Pedantic James

    Whatever. My Chinese girlfriend loves them and I can’t complain when she’s happy.

    But, I do think this whole article is a little over the top. The “cultural differences” and references to “civilized” whatever is just plain silly. That is because it’s just a fad. I’ll bet that in ten years, it’ll be rare to find some of these matching clothes. These matching clothes are just an example of rebellious desires for expression coupled with a relatively sudden freedom in clothing.

  • http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

    “Sudden freedom in clothes” might explain this kind of fashion in China, but how about Korea where matching outfits are popular as well? So – I guess there IS place to talk about it in the context of cultural differences.
    Anyway, I agree to wait for 10 years and see what happens then ;-)

  • Thomas J.

    Here is a great ChinaHush entry to show more examples of this style of clothing. One thing that Crystal does not show is that matching underwear sets are also popular. Now who could possible complain about that?? :razz:

    http://www.chinahush.com/2010/04/12/the-aesthetics-of-two-in-defense-of-childishness/

  • TLB

    Interesting article Crystal, as always :smile:

    I don’t think you were over the top at all, BTW. That this apparent fad (we only know it’s a fad after it goes out of favor!) is happening in East Asia and not in other parts of the world proves some difference in culture. That it has some controversy within China shows it’s more popular with some subculture groups than with others. Your comment that it’s a way of showing togetherness in a culture that generally frowns on public displays of this seems reasonable to me. Maybe this is just part of a growing trend of showing relationship in public (I saw lots of youthful hand-holding on the streets of Beijing last summer) — i.e., it’s just one more way the young are beginning to publicly display their ‘coupleness.’

  • will

    i see this crap all the time. if couples want to dress alike (same shirt same hat or what ever) when they go to a very populated place so they can easily find each other if they get split up thats perfectly fine. and in korea hong kong most of china and japan this is always the case. however, i find it crap and also somewhat gay because of the designs. if both partners wear blue or green or red outfits or something with stripes that is one thing. i guess my point more directly is look at what’s on the shirts. no one, not even the people wearing them, would wear them by themselves. the patterns are horrible. the designs are too childish. they say i love you or have things holding, or have something that extends from one t shirt onto the other. my gf and i have some matching clothes. like two evisu tshirts that look the same, but one is for girls and one is for guys. we both don’t wear ones that are for girls like most of these couples do. we have matching cell phones. well did before hers was stolen. we have matching manchester united tshirts that we got when they played in seoul. one is red one is white. we have some other things that match like that too. two t shirts from lijiang, different colors and different sayings on the back. little key chain things from japan. amongst other things. but at least we won’t feel strange or look strange wearing them or using them alone. a phone is a phone. also it is even possible to get matching sneakers. but for some reason here in asia when they do this matching thing they get the same pair of color shiny what ever they want to call the sneakers. why not get a mens pair of a shoe and the comparable women’s pair. i think that makes more sense and looks better than both parties trying to wear a man’s shirt or both parties trying to wear a females ensemble. i don’t have a problem with the matching stuff, i just think it looks gay when the guy wears stuff that is clearly for girls or is something that no one would wear by themselves. if it doesn’t look when you wear it yourself please don’t make someone else wear it too hahahaha.

    • China Shark Mike

      A year ago I flat out thought this was the gayest thing around yet in retrospect eventually I wanted to get a couples shirt with my old flame. The same design yet one was clearly male and the other clearing female. We could nevwer agree on a style therefore I never went through with it. Asian people are insecure about statuses of boyfriend/girlfriend therefore couple shirts, mugs etc were spawned in a childish like way. Sort of the way male Chinese carry the woman’s purse over his shoulder to metaphorically state outright alound this woman owns my gohonahs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • China Shark Mike

      A year ago I flat out thought this was the gayest thing around yet in retrospect eventually I wanted to get a couples shirt with my old flame. The same design yet one was clearly male and the other clearing female. We could nevwer agree on a style therefore I never went through with it. Asian people are insecure about statuses of boyfriend/girlfriend therefore couple shirts, mugs etc were spawned in a childish like way. Sort of the way male Chinese carry the woman’s purse over his shoulder to metaphorically state outright alound this woman owns my gohonahs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • TLB

    Will, it seems to me you also like having matching things with your gf, you just have different ideas about what looks good and what doesn’t — nothing wrong with that, but that doesn’t mean other folks with different ideas are wrong.

    And what’s with the “gay” comments?

  • will

    matching yes. the exact same clothes no. looks good because people will wear them on their own. gay because no strait guy i have ever seen has worn a tshirt by himself saying he loves someone or has some bubbly cartoon character like that sheep person thing in china. have you ever seen a guy with a forever love you sweat shirt on without a gf who also does. i would have to say that most people calling this gay is because 97% of the matching that goes on while wearing the exact same clothes is because the pattern or print on the clothes is for girls and way to cutesy.

  • korean_guy

    Saw a Chinese couple wearing the same clothing at Yosemite not too long ago. They stood out like a sore thumb and it was just awkward. I can understand how became a fad but it will be a good idea to keep this trend within Asia. Things like this only looks good in Asian magazine.

  • TLB

    “it will be a good idea to keep this trend within Asia.”

    Good point, korean_guy, and I think it hits the mark: these tourists brought their Chinese brains to the US, probably not understanding that Americans don’t dress like that, and even tend to think it’s just weird and silly.

    By the same token, we take our American brains with us to China and interpret (or misinterpret) everything we see through them. We can’t leave our brains behind, but we can try to be aware that we’re doing that and to understand that when we see things we think are weird or disgusting, that’s just our American culture talking to us, and in the context of the Chinese world our American culture might be telling us something that’s totally wrong.

    That’s why intercultural communication can be so tricky, but also so fulfilling and broadening. :smile:

  • korean_guy

    In Korea they have what they call “couple ring” trend where a young couple, usually bf & gf will wear the same ring. I’m not sure if this was started in Korea or if it was imported from else where. Is this also a trend in China?

  • will

    it’s a korean thing. and when i was watching kbs yesterday interviewing people about it girls were saying they are doing this to get their husband use to wearing a ring so he won’t take of the wedding ring later on saying he isn’t use to it and say it is uncomfortable. i seem to follow the idea that a large majority of this is like what the other guy said. the girl or the guy has the other one do this so that people can no they are together and won’t attempt to chase the other away.

  • http://pandastrong.com/ Erik

    I did a photo series about this in Beijing recently. I thought it was really cute and fun, and there’s still a lot of variety and individualism in the way people dress both individually and as couples. People match to different degrees and the style varies a lot. I think there are too many generalizations made about this in people’s opinions.

    In fact, I bought matching shirts for my girlfriend and I. We wore them once so far in Montreal and I did feel a little self conscious. I think it’s because it’s something that’s not part of our culture, so it looks different, *especially* in Canada. I think I might feel strange wearing a Scottish kilt or a Japanese yukata, in the same way.

    You can see my photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28053528@N05/sets/72157624586262124/

    • http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

      Wonderful pictures!
      I especially liked the photos of familes: dad, mom and kid – all in the matching shirts. Now this is really cute :razz:

      • PL

        Sorry Crystal, but I am going to have to disagree with you fundamentally on this. Hope I don’t offend too much…. :twisted:

        I have to say that far from ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’, I, and most people I know, find this kind of thing nauseating.

        I think there are a few things that I find particularly offensive about this ‘style’. Firstly, it seems to me to show a distinct lack of imagination. People not sure what to wear, so they decide to wear the same thing.

        Secondly, it seems to betray a distinct infantilism at play in the relationship. It’s the visual equivalent of couples talking to each other in ‘baby voices’ saying things like, “I wuv yoooooo, my litool wuvvy-duvvy !”
        “I wuv yoooo more Mr. tighty-tummy !” In each case my response would be “Pass me a bucket so I can be sick into it.”

        Next, it also seems distinctly artificial, like people are trying too hard. Not only are they trying too hard, they are trying too hard to be ‘cutesie’ – hence the ‘gay’ comments from some posters. The problem with ‘cutesie’ is that it is always artificially sweet. To most people I know, being artificially sweet seems, basically, crass. To be honest, as a Brit, I hate the word ‘cute’, as I actually associate it with artificiality. I prefer ‘sweet’.

        Let me give you an example of the difference between artificial sweetness (cutesiness) and genuine sweetness. First, artificial. You may be acquainted with the ‘Forever Friends’ bears, usually on cards and items of clothing (e.g. girls’ underwear). They are deliberately constructed by their designer to be ‘cute’ doing ‘cute’ things. In other words they are artificial. They are also aimed at very young girls. Most adults I know, if they were to receive an item with such a design on from another adult would be rolling their eyes and wondering about the mental development of the person who sent it, as the majority of adults (men and women) regard them as being infantile and (to quote my ‘friend’ ~) fake. They are designed to make money from people too young to have a sense of style.

        Contrast this with something I found genuinely sweet. Several years ago now, I was at the wedding of my brother and his wife. They had already been together for several years before and had a son from their relationship. At the time he was two years old. During the wedding vows, my nephew escaped from his grandparents who were looking after him and ran up onto the platform where the ceremony was taking place shouting “Mummy ! Daddy !”, he then stood between them holding their hands as the ceremony proceeded. This, of course, elicited cries of “Ah !” from everyone at the wedding. It really was sweet because it was spontaneous, unplanned, genuine and had real emotion. Something that these ‘couple outfits’ do not have at all.

        Something else I have noticed is that whilst the models in your photos look ‘good’ in their couple outfits, the genuine couples and families in Erik’s photos look, frankly, a bit dumb. In addition, the outfits do not actually suit one or other of the partners. As far as the models looking ‘good’ in the couple outfits, it is clear that they have been deliberately chosen to complement each other’s looks in the photos, but, as has been pointed out by China Shark Mike, the men definitely look effeminate. I would add that, to me, they look like they have been emasculated. Most women I know would not want their loved one to be like this. To quote the lovely Jolin Tsai “I don’t want a boyfriend, I want a real man.” A real man would not be seen dead wearing clothes like those. Sorry.

        • PL

          Just a thought, what does Eugene think of these outfits? Would he be happy to be seen with you wearing this kind of thing :?: :!:

          • http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

            Umm… so much food for thought. He actually doesn’t mind to wear matching T-shirts. Now I guess I should start wondering if he is mature enough :roll:

            • PL

              In which case, don’t listen to me. I know nothing ! :mrgreen:

  • China Shark Mike

    Have to say it is one of the gayest things I’ve ever seen. Never catch me dead playing dress alike with my woman, smecks of wimpiness big time. Can you say effeminite apparel? ;-) :mrgreen:

    • http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

      Wearing the matching T-shirts with your girlfriend is gay? Then how about wearing T-shirt with David Beckham’s name on it?

  • China Shark Mike

    Not really one for promoting sports stars. Maybe WWE stars but soccer yeah that would also seem gay to me. To each their own, personally I love the old WWF and the new WWE but in no way would construe it as having any kind of gay connotation. Wearing matching shirts with anything on it wreaks of possession, neediness, insecurity, etc.

    • PL

      Okay, time to see if I can actually get these html tags right this time…..

      @China Shark Mike

      I love the old WWF and the new WWE but in no way would construe it as having any kind of gay connotation.

      Hmmmm…. all those guys with muscles in skin-tight leotards writhing on the floor with each other. Not gay at all….. Nope, totally heterosexual….. ;-)

      Believe me, football (as it should be called), or ‘soccer’ as you guys call it, is absolutely infested with homophobia here in the UK. Any suggestion of gayness would almost certainly end up with the suggester getting a broken bottle in the face along with a serious kicking by the local thugs.

      • http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

        @PL – there are two kinds of tags: opening and closing.
        In order to put text in blockquote – before the text you put the opening tag and after it the closing tag. The only difference between them is that the closing tag has slash.

        For example, <blockquote> vs. </blockquote>.

  • PL

    Thanks !

  • China Shark Mike

    Hell, I was raised on Wrestling. It’s the male version of a soap opera. Those guys train just as hard as any soccer or football players. Personally could care less if the person are straight or gay. My issue is with males exhibiting female behavior as well as lesbians being oh so butch. My sister is gay and does not feel like she needs to prove anything to anyone. Sorry, men should be masculine as well as females should act feminine. Call me a traditionalist, 90% of Asian males in my eyes appear effeminite. I’m also including my own personal friends. My triad buddies dance with one another at KTVs. Freaks me out when I’m out partying and my best friend starts to dance with his buddy.

  • yoonmee

    well i think its a really cute idea

  • Caro

    What is the big deal? So what if these clothes are cheesy or “cute”. Let the people who like to wear them, wear them. Keep your negative opinions to yourself it’s not like its important & anyways they’re just clothes!

    • Moroes

      Everything is a big deal when its a trend.

      And we are very observant people.

      And within these couples most likely we will see the girl throw (what she thinks is cute) tantrums to get what she wants.

      “Be a Man! Do the right thing! buy the same clothes as me! NOOO?? You Cheap Xiao Qi Guai!” And she will repeat this until He says “FINE! I’ll Get it!”

      I know!!!!! This has happened to me before. Girl tries to throw a tantrum and had tears coming out. I said to myself “Be a man! Do the right thing!” And I DID! I turned away from her. Pretend I don’t know her! Started walking away and left her there! Got back to my home sweet home. Never heard from her again! Never regretted the proud manly move!

      • Caro

        Well you just had a psycho spoiled girlfriend and your fault from always saying yes in the beginning. You gave in too easily. I don’t blame you for doing something for someone you like but if you don’t feel comfortable doing then don’t. I would never force my boyfriend in doing something he doesn’t want to do. But people are different but I still don’t see the point your trying to make how it’s a big deal. I’m sorry you had a bad relationship but at least you got out of it I’m happy for you :)

  • Soldano

    Hi Crystal, came here after your comment on the wedding pictures.
    The concept of matching clothes is not unknown i the west, just like the wedding pictures exist here. It’s the shape it takes that differ.

    Here is one of the most popular (and i mean really huge) brands in paris on the latest two years : the kooples. It’s dedicated at fashion for couples : man and woman, but also gay or lesbian, old or young (which includes old guys whith young girls or old girls with young guys, but cool ones !). It’s dedicated to being open minded to lifestyles and present really stYlish MATCHING clothes, (not SIMILAR clothes).

    the adress is http://www.thekooples.fr

    I Believe the matching clothes example you talk about is dedicated to young couples, student or teenagers. I don’t think it presents asian culture as looking childish, but rather an aspect of young culture and the lack of market segmentation. Cute kawai and other things like that are not dedicated to adults, even if it’s normal in china for a 25 year old girl to wear a winnie the pooh shirt, but that’s not just cultural, it’s because westerners have been conditionned to react to consumer product for a long time and to reject what is not part of their “category”. In the west brands don’t just want you to like them, they want you not to like others. It means consumers are picky, or just discerning.

    Another notable difference is how the asian version always seem to present young and fresh couples while the French one has tattoed girls guys with beards etc. The French one is dedicated to people 25 to 40. In China there isn’t so much market segmentation for brands towards what public it aims. It’s either young or adult. They just put out a clothes and hope it’s going to be popular and that people are going to like it. I don’t think it’s an asian thing, because the japanese market is much more mature and it’s different there. They have specific ideas for specific ages and social groups, Kawaii is just one part of it. You’ll see tons of 19 year old japanese girls with Mickey mouse shirts, but never adults…

    In short i think what defines this kind of brand is not it’s asian cultural side but rather its fresh, naive side compared to really specific market segmetations we are used to in the west, where clothes says a lot about the choices you make. As a result it looks cute to you, but childish and tacky to us. But it’s not cultural : i know places in Beijing where no one would wear that….