Black cheongsam with purple floral motif

This is a black cheongsam with an embroidered purple floral motif down the right bodice. This piece has a nipped-in waist, which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The flap on the right-hand side is secured by press studs while the zipper is at the side. This cheongsam belonged to Mdm. Wu Chuen Chuen, who enjoyed wearing it to work and parties, often with a corset underneath to achieve the desired hourglass figure. A leading businesswoman of her time, Mdm. Wu ran the former Stamford Café at Bras Basah Road for 30 years before it closed in the 1970s.