Title
Lace cheongsam
Year/Period
1930s
Region
Singapore
Dimension
Object size: 131 x 53 cm
Accession No.
2006-00492
Collection of
In the 1930s, style-conscious women also looked to Shanghai, seen as the 'Paris of the East', for inspiration. Like their contemporaries in Shanghai, Canton and Hong Kong, women in Singapore wore custom-made 'cheongsams' advertised in Shanghai calendar posters. This figure-flattering 'cheongsam’s' hemline reaches mid-calf, unlike earlier styles which were loosely fitted and ankle-length. It was made in Singapore by the tailor Wah Bee Singapore (华美女衣刺绣). Many Chinese tailors in Singapore trained in the Shanghai style came from Shanghai or Guangdong province.
