This is an example of a bridal ceremonial costume worn during the traditional 12 day Peranakan Chinese wedding. It is a T-shaped garment with broad, straight sleeves that are broad, heavy and long. It is richly embroidered with auspicious symbols in silk and gold thread couchings. The decorative motifs on the piece include peony flowers, phoenix and pairs of butterflies. Peonies symbolise spring, love, beauty and good fortune while the phoenix can represent beauty, grace, high virtue, the Empress and the bride. In the same vein, butterflies are symbols of joy, beauty, romance and thus associated with weddings. The bride was expected to strike a formal pose which required her to fold her hands in front of her and adjust the ends of the two sleeves in such a way that one slips into the other.
