“Orient Beauty” Exhibition
“Orient Beauty” Exhibition
An exhibition entitled “Orient Beauty” is launched at the Experience Centre (C002), HKDI from 8-29 September 2015. It showcases a variety of Qipao, vinyls, movie flyers, vintage magazines in Hong Kong from the colonial period in 1920s to the contemporary era of 2010. The exhibition aims to reflect the relationship between changes in women's fashion and the historical development in Hong Kong over the past century.
Qipao has always been considered as the one of the major symbols for Orient beauty. In this exhibition, 20 valuable personal collections of qipao with diversified styles, ranging from those with loose body and straight cut as everyday wear, to tight-fitting qipao influenced by the West, as well as full-length gowns for formal occasions. Visitors would be able to obtain a deeper understanding on the history of Hong Kong through the changes in terms of the use of materials, the design and transformations on this special type of traditional dress. A master tailor's workshop is also installed to allow a glimpse into how qipao are designed and crafted.
In the Republican era of 1920s, female models were often found in hand-painted posters wearing the latest style of qipao with an air of elegance to promote lifestyle products such as Florida water, fragranced soaps and fabrics for garments. In the 1930-40s, as the society became more modernized, slit openings on both sides of the skirt emerged to make walking more convenient for women. Besides “small rouge-lips with sparkling white teeth,” curly hair with bangs and “new-moon-shaped eyebrows” were considered the most fashionable at that time. In the 1950s, Western influences were commonly found in movies as main characters were no longer wearing traditional dresses. In the 1960s, the style and cutting of qipao were further influenced by Western aesthetics and became more tight-fitting. Towards the new millennium, films with qipao as the major costume emerged once again to offer viewers a sense of nostalgia and recall the grace and charm of traditional Orient beauty.
Date: 9 - 29 September 2015
Time: 10am - 7pm
Venue: Experience Centre (Free Admission)