This dress was made by the Shanghainese dressmaker, Mr Cheong Foo Yong, for his daughter May. Cheong was born in 1933 in China and migrated to Singapore at the age of seven. When he was about sixteen, Cheong worked as an apprentice dressmaker and subsequently became a bespoke dressmaker. In 1960, he opened his shop ‘DANA Gowns Dressmaker’ at Maju Avenue.When his daughters got married, Cheong personally made all their dresses. This dress was made for May, his third daughter. May wore the dress for her wedding at the Church of St. Francis Xavier. She later changed into a cheongsam, also made by her father, for her tea ceremony. Due to the complicated pattern of this dress, Cheong made a complete model in cheaper material before making the real version in Thai silk.
