Fashionable women liked to wear a slip with lace borders underneath their cheongsams where the exquisite borders would be visible through the slits. Taken in Hong Kong, 1930s.
Lined camel-coloured mid-sleeved silk cheongsam with horizontal stripes 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection This cheongsam is made of very soft and lightweight silk woven with fine black horizontal stripes irregularly punctuated with black dots. It is furnished with 14 pairs of frog closures and double bindings in a style that the tailors called a 'tramway'.
Blue mid-sleeved silk cheongsam with vertical stripes 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection The shell fabric of this cheongsam is woven with vertical stripes in three shades of blue. The sewing displays a fine execution. The dress is furnished with 12 pairs of bright blue frog closures, while the edges are adorned with bindings almost one inch wide alongside piping of a similar width.
Mid-sleeved cheongsam with stripes on grey ground 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection This cheongsam features blue and white knot-shaped buttons that produce a sharp contrast while echoing the colours of the collar, cuffs, front-flap, binding and piping and the pattern found on the shell fabric.
Camel-coloured mid-sleeved lace cheongsam 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection The rhombus-shaped flower buttons on the collar perfectly complement the pattern of the shell fabric. The collar uses a V-shaped button and loop, as opposed to the usual knot-shaped buttons that form a straight line.
Mid-sleeved cheongsam with vertical stripes on beige ground 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection The short collar of this cheongsam limits the number of buttons it can carry, prompting the design of having just one pair of relatively large knot-shaped buttons. Another unique feature lies in the style of the bindings, which echoes the slanting lines of the shell fabric.
Mid-sleeved cheongsam with jacquard-woven floral motif on tangerine ground 1930s to 1940s Hong Kong Museum of History collection This cheongsam has a full opening on the right side and a slit on the left. The thick binding, sewn on by hand, is of a completely different colour from that of the shell fabric, visually accentuating the cheongsam's form. The shape of the flower buttons echoes the pattern of the shell fabric, while the colour is similar to that of the binding. Facings have been added to the sides to conceal the stitching and attest to its exquisite craftsmanship.
Short-sleeved linen cheongsam with blue floral prints on white ground 1940s Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection Adorned with circular prints and narrow blue bindings, this cheongsam features a style that was typical of the 1940s. The collar, the front-flap and the right-hand side are sewn with 13 pairs of blue bud-shaped frog closures, and the dress can be fully opened from the right. Machine-sewn stitches are visible along the seams and the bindings.
Lined mid-sleeved cheongsam with floral motif on lilac ground 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection This cheongsam has a full opening on the right and a slit on the left. The collar, cuffs, front-flap and hem are adorned with hand-fastened binding and piping. The opening of the collar has triple pipings of even width, displaying sophisticated craftsmanship. The shape of the flower buttons echoes the pattern on the shell fabric. The flower buttons, shell fabric, bindings and pipings are of similar colour tones and successfully convey a sense of harmony.
Light gray short-sleeved linen cheongsam 1930s Hong Kong Museum of History collection The shoulders of this cheongsam were pressed with an iron to form the curves for a better fit. Two kinds of buttons are used: the flower buttons at the collar and front-flap are in the shape of flowers, while those on the side are in the shape of leaves. The collar, front-flap, cuffs and hem are adorned with a narrow binding that was sewn on by hand.
