Business In The Front, Party In The Back
January 9th, 2008 @ 4:53 pm by Mrs. Toucan
MULLETS!!!!!!!!!!
What exactly do mullets have to do with my wedding planning?
Absolutely nothing.
When I thought of the title of the post, I figured this was a good enough excuse as any to make a collage of mullets and glorify them on the ’bee. Why, you ask? Simply put, mullets are funny.
Okay, on to the real reason for the title of the post… my “business in the front, party in the back” qipao!
Huh?!
I’ll explain. While in Hong Kong, my family and I took a side trip to Shenzhen, China to go shopping and have my qipao made. Since I was having the qipao made custom for me, I could do anything (well, almost anything) - the possibilities were endless!
Step One of my custom qipao: Picking a fabric!
I had books upon books of fabric swatches to choose from - gahhh! SO many choices!!! And then, I came across this:
Perfect! I didn’t want a red qipao because I was worried I’d clash with my teal and magenta color scheme, however my parents thought if I didn’t choose red, it wouldn’t look “bridal” enough. This fabric was perfect. It was pink like I wanted, and it was was bridal enough for my parents because the pattern was phoenixes and dragons!! (Miss Canary’s qipao post explains the phoenix and dragon symbolism) So, the fabric was picked! YAY!
Step Two: Picking the qipao design.
I knew I wanted a mostly traditional Chinese looking dress, but I also wanted to add in my own flair. I ended up with what I call, my “business in the front, party in the back” qipao. So without further ado…
Business in the front:
(On my tip-toes because I’m not wearing shoes)
Party in the back:
(I didn’t bother to get up on my tip-toes here, as you can see)
Okay, so maybe my qipao isn’t quite as fun as a mullet… but, it’s backless! And, that’s kinda fun. 
Here are a couple of other shots of the qipao.
A close-up of the standard mandarin collar:
(I was having a bad face day, so I kindly cut my face out)
So, there you have it my traditional qipao with an untraditional twist. What do you think?
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47 Responses to “Business In The Front, Party In The Back”
well, duh! Why didn’t I make the “sexy back” connection?! Of all things, I chose the mullet angle.. 
that dress is HOT. i wish i had a reason to buy a qipao like that!
Oh, but I bet it was fun to make the mullet collage… Interesting that Mel makes two appearances!
A backless qipao? That’s awesome (and different!)!! 
I love the color.
whoa!! my eyes popped when i saw the back. haha. it’s cool that your parents are liberal enough to let you do that with something so traditional. and you’re super tan!
You look gorgeous!
gorgeous! that’s how I’m getting my qipao made, as I had it made (in shenzhen as well) like that for my prom dress and I loved it!
Hot! I love it Miss Toucan! Yeah I wish I could get away with something sexier but my family is ultra conservative. I love the color too!
ooh so cool! i get to start thinking about what i want for my qi pao soon. i have a few ideas in mind, but i never thought of backless.
your dress (and you) look stunning!!
Such a gorgeous, sexy dress!
I think its awesome. The title is priceless.
sexy! you look awesome
Oww Ooowwwww! (catcalls) Love that you whited out your face, too funny =)
I would have never thought to do something like that with a twist! Ah well, I couldn’t have pulled it off anyways (my back aint so slim like yours!) and my in-laws would NOT have approved, heh heh.
Chicago Sarah - Mel is only in there once, I swear!
Row 1: Brad, Patrick, John
Row 2: Keifer, Sting, Mel
Row 3: David, Michael, Kevin
haha, can’t believe I listed out the mullet men.
wow — schexy! nice modern spin on a traditional dress. can’t wait to see it on the wedding day.
Aaah, Mrs. Emerald, you’re so right - I mistook Kevin for Mel in Braveheart. Haha!
I love it!!! I’ve never seen a qipao like that before. What kind of bra are you gonna wear with that?
Its nice and modern! but just a kind fyr - pink is traditionally not worn at chinese weddings because it symbolizes “concubine” or “2nd wife”.
yay, thanks for the nice comments!
Yes, the mullet collage was fun to make, and it serves a purpose too! I told Mr. Toucan not to read the “mullet post.”
mrs. e, haha, I LOVE that you just listed the mullet men.
sanfran, yikes! I didn’t know! shhh… we’ll just keep that quiet. As much as my parents are all for Chinese traditions, I don’t think they actually KNOW all those little details. They just requested I not wear a blue or black qipao.
oh miss lb, I missed your comment! For bra, I’ll go with backless stick like Nu Bra.
that’s one hot dress and it looks great on you!
i thought the middle guy in the 2nd row was richard dean anderson of macgyver? i love him.
Like cindy and Miss Canary, I’m surprised but also think it way awesome your parents are okay with. I’m going to have to save your pic and see if my parents will be down for it when my time comes…I personally LOVE it though. =)
Gah, I meant to say “…I’m surprised but also think it’s way awesome your parents are okay with it.”
My friend really wanted to wear a pink qipao for her wedding because her colors were pink.. but the ‘rents were strongly against it. Oh well! To each their own! As long as you feel good and sexy in it, go for it!
cute dress, and i have to agree with aylee-that totally looks like macgyver.
It IS like a mullet, but much hotter!!! Let me know how that NuBra works out for you, I’ve never tried one!
ROTFLMAO!!! I love any excuse to put up pictures of mullets!
And your qipao is beautiful (much nicer than a mullet)!
Scandalous!!! I love it!!! And the color will look AWESOME with a teal color scheme. Shweeeet.
haha i like the mullet montage in the beginning. Good correlation between business in the front, and party in the back 
Oh, I didn’t read the whole mullet identification list. Aylee and ayu, you are correct. It is Macgyver, not Sting.
Whoo hoo! Super Sexy! I LOVE ShenZen! You can get anything made! Love the backless. I didn’t know about the pink either - I really think very few people remember all the old traditions anymore.
My MOH wore a black backless (but it had two straps on the side by your arms (if that makes any sense) qipao. Her parents are super traditional but they were okay with it. You totally rock the dress!
that’s exactly like my back of my qipao except that it’s in gold color! I didn’t want to go with the traditional red either since I will leave that for the morning tea ceremony. My qipao is a bit form fitting and I had them add the tail flair at the end. Don’t you just love China! only got it for $40 each for my qipao and my kwa dress for the tea ceremony.
Love the “qipullet”! And hey… if you’re the first AND second wife AND the concubine, you are pretty much the perfect woman, right??
LOVE IT! I’m hoping to find the same thing. And I was really worried that you somehow DID incorporate mullets in your wedding…you wouldn’t believe the sigh of relief when I read “absolutely nothing.”
I don’t know the first thing about qipaos, but that one looks absolutely lovely. Mullet hunters unite!
Oops… how could I mistake MacGuyver for Sting?! Clearly I’ve never watched MacGuyver, hahaha…
Awesome. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!
[...] from ordering my custom qipao, we also bought Mr. Toucan a custom tuxedo in Shenzhen. My aunt in Hong Kong recommended Cheng Shu [...]
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I love this dress! That’s actually similar to how mine is, except higher in the back, with a corset-style back, and a long, Western-style train. You look hot!
[...] I thought I had all my outfits for our wedding planned. White wedding dress - Check! Qipao - Check! And, I thought that this would count as my third [...]
Mrs. Toucan, Boston
Age and Occupation: 25, Full-time Research Assistant, Part-time Graduate Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Actuary
Engagement Date: February 18, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: November 07, 2007
Venue: St. Catherine of Genoa, Jin Asian Cuisine Restaurant
About Me: I’m a Gemini to the extreme. On one side, I’m a girly girl. I read countless bridal and fashion magazines, and have an obsession with keeping up with the latest Hollywood gossip. On the other side, I’m a sports fanatic. Despite being a full-time bride-to be, full-time research assistant, and part-time student, I’m also a full-time Red Sox fan from spring training to October, and a full-time Patriots fan from mini-camp to February. I devote almost as much time researching my for fantasy football team as researching for our wedding!
Oooh, sexy! Way to put a modern, personal spin on tradition. I love mandarin collars.