FASHION TELLS STORIES TOO
FASHION TELLS STORIES TOO
Travel back in time with INEZ ONG as she shares more on the beauty of ancient Chinese fashion through the Asian Civilization Museum's Fashion and Textile gallery.
Warm lights lit the small gallery on the third floor of the Asian Civilization Museum (ACM). Gold embroidered details on robes sparkle in the dim lights as they hang majestically on the racks. Walk into ACM’s very own Fashion and Textile gallery and be awed by the fascinating displays.
The Fashion and Textiles gallery was brought to ACM in early April. It houses a variety of fashion and textiles which showcases Asian histories, cultures and identities through dress.
Ms Heike Bredenkamp, a volunteer docent with the Friends of the Museum, says: “The new fashion gallery fits in with the developing profile of the ACM as the leading Asian decorative arts museum. The current Chinese theme was chosen to fit with the year of Chinese art, which was the ACM’s focus for 2020.”
At a glance, the yellow robe at the entrance of the gallery caught my attention. Named the Dragon Robe, it was worn by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty between 1644 and 1911. Nine dragons are embroidered onto the robe using gold thread, and each dragon features five claws and 117 scales each.
Ms Bredenkamp explains: “Nine is a divine number. There are 117 scales because there would be 81 yang (positive essence) and 36 yin (negative essence), which are your multiples of nine. Only the imperial family could have dragons with five claws.”
Loungewear in the Qing Dynasty was definitely not T-shirts, shorts and slippers. As you walk around the gallery, you would come across a beautiful lilac gown worn by the Empress Dowager Ci Xi.
Turquoise chrysanthemums and peaches are hand embroidered onto the gown. You would also be able to see the Chinese character ‘shou’ (longevity) embroidered all over the gown.
This gown is especially unique because it is lilac in colour. According to a report published by LiveScience, lilac was a colour that was associated with royalty. It is so expensive because more than 9,000 mollusks were used to produce the dye.
This lilac gown inspired the Chinese traditional costume widely known today as the ‘qi pao’ or ‘cheong sum’. The design of using two slits at the side of this gown has remained in current day fashion.
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Opposite the lilac gown is a display of shoes worn by Manchu women. These heels are made up of wood and covered in white cotton. Girls as young as 13 years old would start wearing these heels and practising how to walk in them.
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Ms Elise Loke, 19, a student studying interactive design in ITE Central, says that her favourite was the Dragon Robe.
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"I would say that it is better than what it looks like on TV because you can see all the minor details and stuff like that.”
“I felt that every part of [this gallery] was well-curated and presented in a way that attracts your attention,” said Mr Vegas Lee, 18, a student studying Film, Sound, Video in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Overall, I would recommend to pay a visit to the Fashion and Textiles gallery. There is much to learn about the history of fashion at this gallery. The artefacts highlighted allows us to learn about the history of fashion during the Qing Dynasty and appreciate how these artefacts have become rare in today’s society.
As Ms Heike says: “The artefacts tell fascinating, thrilling and significant stories layered with facts, legends and beliefs of humans and cultures. There are still new chapters being uncovered and written, keeping ‘the old’ thrilling and most pertinent in the world we are living in today.”
Unlike the other galleries, the Fashion and Textile gallery is dimmed to preserve the quality of the exhibits.
Photo by INEZ ONG
The ‘Dragon Robe’ worn by emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
Photo by INEZ ONG
Empress Dowager Ci Xi’s casual gown.
Photo by INEZ ONG
‘Flower Pot Heels’ worn by Manchu women.
Photo by INEZ ONG
