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Qipao
unknown - Enlarge image
Qipao
- Place of origin:
Hong Kong, China (Tailored)
- Date:
1940s (Tailored)
- Artist/Maker:
unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Rayon (or silk) chiffon plain weave ground with self patterned designs.
- Credit Line:
Supported by the Friends of the V&A
- Museum number:
FE.42-1995
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The qipao was traditionally the costume of the Manchu people, and the style was adopted by Chinese women from the Qing Dynasty. By the twentieth century the shapes and styles of the traditional dress were changing. The qipao, or cheongsam as it is also known, became fashionable amongst women, especially those living in urban areas. To some, the qipao was a risqué garment because it exposed female flesh and accentuated the curves of the body. It is often associated with the high life of Shanghai and its glamour, and the style was popularised by cinema and the advertising industry.
This sleeveless qipao is made from diaphanous silk chiffon with a woven pattern of bulging-eyed and large-tailed fish in shades of red with touches of black, blue and yellow. Weft threads crossing behind the fish pattern have been trimmed away, allowing for translucence through the pattern.
The neck fastens at the front with a loop and knot button fashioned into the shape of a fish. A similar fastening closes the dress at collarbone level. A loop and knot formed into a spiral shape closes the garment beneath the arm and the rest of the fastenings are press studs.
The dress is edged all round with a double binding of white and red bias-cut satin which also forms the decorative fastenings. This is a feature of good traditional dress-making found around the 1940s to 50s. At the base of the neck, there is a triple edging - one red and two white rows of satin. The absence of sleeves is an influence of western-style sleeveless dresses.
