Chinese Costume front view

A pale turquoise silk jacket and skirt. The jacket is embroidered in couched gold and silver thread, and features designs of flowers and butterflies. Large bird motifs on the back and front of the jacket have been separately embroidered and appliqued to the garment. The sleeves, neck, hem and side slits are finished with narrow pink braid enclosing a band of repeat design in alternating couched gold and silver floral motifs. The skirt consists of eight panels, each embroidered in couched silver and gold thread with designs including lotus flowers and buds, birds and waves, butterflies and dragon flies. The panels are separated by applied machine-made pink braid, and the hemline is finished with similar pink braid over-laid with silver gimp braid.

Gladys Sym Choon was a member of the Sym Choon family, who lived and operated as retail traders on Rundle Street from the 1920s to the 1980s. John Sym Choon, Gladys' father, was one of a small number of Chinese settlers in Adelaide in the 1890. Unusually, he was able to bring his wife So Yung Moon to South Australia in 1899 just prior to the introduction of the White Australia Policy that prohibited the migration of Chinese wives. The Sym Choon's are both representative of Chinse migrants of the period, and the issues they faced under the White Australia Policy, and, unusual in terms of their rise in social status. This ensemble is perhaps indicative of that rise.