Clothing is a kind of culture, which can reflect a nation's cultural accomplishment, mental outlook and the development of material civilization. It is also a kind of "language", which records the historical changes of social politics, economy and culture in a non-textual way. As one of the cultural representatives of various countries, there are huge differences between China and the West.

Influenced by different philosophies and cultures, Chinese and western costumes show different characteristics: the aesthetic consciousness of ancient Chinese costumes is deeply influenced by China's ancient philosophical thought-Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism pursues the fundamental ideas of interpersonal harmony, the unity of heaven and man, and the unity of body and mind, and pays attention to "righteousness" and "dressing appropriately". The corresponding clothing space is called the opposite beauty, which is proud of the center and emphasizes the upper body space centered on the crown and clothing. Taking Hanfu as an example, the emphasis on rank and etiquette runs through the whole development of Hanfu, which is reflected in the clothing shape-upper and lower clothing system, deep clothing system, Confucian skirt system, color matching and decoration-with five colors of green, white, red, yellow and black as positive colors, and dress etiquette. Different parts of clothing symbolize heaven and earth, the four seasons of the year, December and so on. It embodies the ideological pursuit of the unity of heaven and earth and people, and so on. This shows the influence of Confucianism on China's clothing culture. The influence of Taoism on China's clothing culture lies in the idea of "harmony between man and nature". Taoism believes that the pure natural state is the most ideal state of human beings, so clothing should also conform to nature, tend to nature and blend into nature. It advocates that five colors are not expensive and not easy to decorate. Modeling, advocating simple, simple style, reducing redundant and cumbersome decoration. Generally speaking, Confucianism makes clothing culture tend to be simple, square, rigorous and humble, while Taoism emphasizes pure, calm and detached emotional artistic conception. Under the joint action of the two, China's clothing gradually formed a free and easy elegant, dignified and elegant style.

Unlike China, western civilization is characterized by democracy and science. Compared with China's clothing culture, which is inclined to spiritual beauty and personality beauty, the core of western clothing culture is to highlight the beauty of human body. Secondly, the functionality and rationality of clothing. They advocate the tradition of human body and demand that clothes better express and embody the beauty of the wearer's body. The western concept of dress serves the human body, highlighting and displaying individuality through clothing, and showing the affirmation and attention to self-worth.

There are also various differences between Chinese and western clothing in terms of patterns, shapes and colors. In terms of patterns, Chinese and western costumes have a variety of patterns to choose from. China clothing always likes to use auspicious patterns such as peony, auspicious clouds and dragons and phoenixes to express good wishes and reflect people's yearning for a better life. In the west, clothing patterns are mostly flowers and plants of various colors, which are gorgeous and diverse. In terms of appearance, the appearance of China traditional costumes emphasizes the sense of longitudinal direction, and they often use drooping lines, long-sleeved and tubular robes and skirts. Vertical decoration technology makes the wearer look slim. The slender appearance of clothing makes up for the short stature of the orientals and creates an illusion in the senses, thus achieving a more harmonious and perfect proportion. The appearance of western classical clothing emphasizes the sense of lateral, and adopts enlarged shoulder contour, enlarged sleeves, huge skirt and overlapping lace. The overall clothing presents the effect of exaggerated outward radiation, which conforms to the characteristics of westerners' enthusiasm, outstanding personality and tall figure. In terms of color, the choice of clothing color can often confirm the personality characteristics of a nation's subconscious. Black was considered by the ancients to be the color that dominated everything in the world, and the crown of Xia, Shang and Zhou emperors was black. Later, there was a saying of "green, red, black, white and yellow", which was called positive color. In the west, the choice of color is influenced by religion, and people like pure white and noble purple. Later, influenced by the luxury of clothing after the Renaissance, bright colors were favored.

Whether in the East or the West, costume culture can always clearly reflect the characteristics and national characteristics of different countries in different times. However, with the development of economic globalization, various cultures of China and the West have been continuously blended, and the clothing culture has also been merged in this process. While trying to keep up with the world, China's clothing has taken nutrients from other countries and embarked on a fashion road without losing its national characteristics.