Blue cheongsam with geometric pattern

Title
Blue cheongsam with geometric pattern
Creator
Year/Period
1960s - 1970s
Region
Singapore
Dimension
Object size: 107 x 54.5 cm
Accession No.
2008-00130
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs Anita Benson, daughter of Amy Ede nee Laycock

This is a blue short-sleeve cheongsam with geometric patterns allover. The flap on the right hand side is secured by press studs while the zipper is on the side. This cheongsam belonged to Amy Ede nee Laycock, the adoptive daughter of John Laycock who was instrumental in founding the Singapore Progressive Party in 1947 and later the Liberal Socialist Party in 1956. Amy Ede nee Laycock was one of the earliest women in Singapore to join politics. She won a seat in the Municipal Council in the 1949 elections when she was 26 years old. She quit politics in the mid-1950s, and helped John Laycock to run his orchid garden in Mandai. She has 3 orchid hybrids Aerides Amy, Vanda Amy and Dendrobium Amy Ede named after her.