Since the 17th century, Chinese arts and aesthetic were sources of inspiration to European artists, creators,[1]: 52  and fashion designers when goods from oriental countries were widely seen for the first time in Western Europe.

[9]: 437 In the 16th century, Chinese brocades were exported from China to Europe to make the vestments of priests in Roman Catholic cathedrals.

[5]: 91 In the 18th century, China was tremendously popular in France, leading to what was referred as the "Oriental Renaissance" by Edgar Quinet in 1848.

[14]: 152  Chinoiserie was also a popular theme in masquerade balls, and King Gustav III of Sweden was even dressed in Chinese robes by the Swedish royal family at some point in his lifetime when they were at the summer palace in Drottningholm.

[15]: 301  However, this period was marked by an era of universal colonial exchanges and exposure to various categories found in Orient, such as textiles (e.g. silk) from China and Chinese dress elements (e.g. the precursor of the cheongsam).

[19]: 260 [20]: 19  Looted items from the Old Summer Palace also flooded the markets of Britain;[21] a cap which was said to have belonged to the Chinese emperor was presented to Queen Victoria, along with a pekingese dog, which became known as Looty.

[18]: 239  At the end of the 19th century, British chinoiserie fashion had incorporated key elements from the construction design of Chinese clothing, including the use of wide sleeves and side closure.

[14]: 152 On the other hand, the 19th century was when chinoiserie was fully developed in America as a kind of "aesthetic colonialism" associating China with exoticism and fantasy, perceiving it as "a fantastic, uncivilized nation"; the upper classes, especially those in New England and the Middle Colonies, imitated chinoiseriee fashion; following their independence from Britain, they eventually ventured to China where they directly imported Chinese items.

[24]: 54  Wearing Chinese clothing at home in the West was not deemed as being done out of frivolity or fancy, but was itself an imperial act which signified having worldly knowledge.

[26] From the 1910s in the United Kingdoms, Chinese robes, which were perceived as being only suitable as a fancy or luxurious dress or a source of embroidery pieces, started to be worn by British women as a form of loose coats.

[3]: 19  When worn by Asian Hollywood stars, such as Anna May Wong, the sexualized version cheongsam was turned into a symbol of the exotic and erotic nightlife in Shanghai.

[30][14]: 187 On 23 February 1981, Princess Diana wore a red coloured silk, midi Chinese skirt known as mamianqun when she posed with Prince Charles at Clarence House prior to their official engagement announcement.

For instances, chinoiserie appeared have been a key seasonal influence to Louis Vuitton Spring/ Summer 2011 collections; for example, with the use of brisé fan by Marc Jacobs, etc.

[35] The Valentino Fall/Winter 2015–2016 depicted the use of colourful Chinese motifs, such as lion's heads, flowers, plants, in the embroidery work on their clothing and handbags, which were described as "reinterpretations of symbols representing human qualities and spiritual values" by the Magazine Vogue.

[36] Some famous fashion designers and/or creative directors, who are known to have adopted or incorporated chinoiserie aesthetics at some point in their fashion collection, include Mariano Fortuny, the Callot Soeurs who were known for their usage of Chinese silks, Chinese-style embroideries, had Orientalism as their favourite theme,[37] Jean Paquin,[4]: 4  Paul Poiret, Jeanne Lanvin,[3]: 17–19  Christian Dior,[29] Yves Saint-Laurent,[30] Alexander McQueen,[38]: 113  John Galliano,[39]: 9  Tom Ford,[28]: 270  and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Luxury fashion brands such as, Louis Vuitton,[35] Dior, and Chanel, etc., were also inspired by Chinese art and aesthetics, these influences are sometimes reflected in their creation of colours and the patterns found on their fabrics.

[29] Like Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent was very inspired by Chinese culture although he never visited China; this is also reflected in his 1977's collection "Les Chinoises":[30][14]: 187 Beijing, however, remains a dazzling memory.

[41] Some modern fashion designers, such as Roberto Cavalli, Guo Pei, were also directly inspired by Chinese blue and white porcelain.

In volume 57, The Delineator described it as being "Ladies' Chinese dressing" or as a "Lounging sack", and as having "a strong suggestion of the Orient".

[26] There was also a fashion trend for day-wear jackets and coats to be cut in styles which would suggest various Chinese items as was published the Ladies’ Home Journal in June 1913.

[26] According to the Ladies’ Home Journal of June 1913, volume 30, issue 6:Interest in the political and civic activities of the new China, which is more or less world-wide at this time, led the designers of this page [p.26] and the succeeding one [p.27] to look to that country for inspiration for clothes that would be unique and new and yet fit in with present-day modes and the needs and environments of American women [...]Garments displayed from The Chinese Summer Dress published in the Ladies’ Home Journal of June 1913, volume 30, issue 6, show influences of the Qing dynasty mandarin court gown, especially the bufu (a mandarin court dress with a mandarin square badge), the jiaoling ruqun, kanjia, mamianqun, yunjian, yaoqun (a short waist-length overskirt), piling (collar in Qing dynasty court dress), chenyi and changyi (Manchu women dresses), ao and gua, as well as traditional Chinese embroideries, and traditional Chinese lào zi, pankou, Mandarin collars, etc.

[40]: 248  The loosening of women's fashion found in the 1920s loose-fitting fashion, especially the disappearance of nipped-in corset, appears to have also been influenced by the loose lines and roomy armholes of the traditional Chinese robes and jackets along with other factors, such as the experience of freedoms of elite women at that time, the sportswear-designs of Chanel, and the garment designs by Paul Poiret who designed Middle-Eastern inspired garments.

[21] The cheongsam was created in the 1920s and was originally a symbol of women emancipation in China; when it was appropriated by the West, it was turned into a high-style evening wear.

[3]: 19 In the 21st century, some evening dresses designed by Tom Ford showed the influences of the sexualized version cheongsam in terms of cut and the imperial five-clawed Chinese dragon robes in terms of use of colour (e.g. imperial yellow) and Chinese motifs (such as xiangyun clouds, Lishui, and the Twelve Ornaments), as well as the Manchu's horsehoof cuffs.

[49] Despite the emerging local production in Spain, a large amount of Manila shawls continued to be manufactured in China for the sole purpose of the export market.

[52] Chinese shoes have influenced the design of European slippers with turned-up toes and with small low heels of the late 1880s.

[25] Europeans had visited imperial China since the 1500s at the times of the Ming dynasty and the difference of fashion was one of the first thing that they noticed.

[55]: 204  European writers at least since the 18th century, such as Jean-Baptiste Du Halde, Fernand Braudel, had held opinions that China had a static fashion.

[57]: 10  In the 19th century time, Europeans described China in binary opposition to Europe, describing China as "lacking in fashion" among many other things, while Europeans deliberately placed themselves in a superior position when they would compare themselves to the Chinese[57]: 10  as well as to other countries in Asia:[58]: 166 Latent orientalism is an unconscious, untouchable certainty about what the Orient is, static and unanimous, separate, eccentric, backward, silently different, sensual, and passive.