Dark-blue Jacquard Silk & Wool Lined Cheongsam with Long Sleeves and Double Plackets Front

This cheongsam was made of a dark blue twill interwoven with silk and wool and padded with flannel via a technique known as “flannel padding”. In this way this item realized the function of warm-keeping while being spared from a heavy, thick look of winter wear.
What makes this gown rare lies in its double diagonal plackets, the right one of which functions with hidden snap fasteners while the left only serves as an ornament. The symmetrical plackets make this already simple piece only adorned with three wrapped buttons look even more elegant and decorous.
Donated by Mr. Zhou on behalf of his family, this cheongsam was worn by his mother-in-law Ms. Lin in the early 1950s.