ABOUT THE "CHEONG SAM"

A 'CHEONG SAM' is an oriental dress with an exotic image.

It is also known as "Qipao" or "Chipao" in Mandarin, meaning "Manchu Banner Gown," while Cheong Sam came from a Cantonese word meaning "Long Skirt." It sublimely falls of richly embodied silk sheathes that slight the figure of the body, which makes it more seductive. It is has never gone out of style ever since movie stars started wearing it in the 1960's.

By the mid 1920's and early 1930's, the Cheong Sam had become the major urban woman's fashion garment, surpassing all other styles of dresses. This elegant garment was traditionally made from two pieces of cloth, which was cut in a certain way to emphasize the form of woman's body. Two slits at the side allowed flexibility and movement. Under the influence of western fashion, the Cheong Sam revealed a woman's body unlike any other Chinese garment ever had. It was an elegant and highly successful union of Chinese style and western tailoring. The Cheong Sam came to represent modernity in "Chinese Dress."