Mao suit

noun

1. an outfit worn in the People's Republic of China consisting of a Mao jacket and loose trousers.

Mao suit

/ maʊ /

noun

1. a simple style of clothing, traditionally made of cotton and commonly worn in Communist China, consisting of loose trousers and a straight jacket with a close-fitting stand-up collar

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mao suit¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mao suit¹

C20: named after Mao Tse-tung , who popularized the style

Example Sentences

Abandoning his usual Western clothes and genial manner, he appeared on television wearing a Mao suit.

From Washington Post

The two men struck a sartorial contrast — Jiang in a Western-style suit with red tie, Xi in a severe gray Mao suit — that seemed to communicate the more conservative cultural and political environment established under Xi, who has relentlessly cracked down on civil society advocates and religious and cultural minorities.

From Seattle Times

Mr. Xi’s signature blue jacket has echoes of the Mao suit, which was worn by many Chinese people, especially officials, before commercial fashion and Western-style suits took off in China in the 1980s.

From New York Times

It was exemplified by Fidel Castro’s preference for the army green military shirt and cap as his uniform, and the Mao suit as adopted by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party, both choices meant to conflate the leaders and their populace.

From New York Times

“I spent only a year and six months in South Korea, but every moment there felt like a decade, and every day was like hell,” Kang Chul-woo, dressed in a dark Mao suit with a pin of Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather’s face affixed near his heart, said in the video.

From Los Angeles Times