Photo of Lady in Diagonal-Placket Cheongsam with Embroidery-decorated Hem

This photo was taken in Shanghai in the 1930s or 1940s. The sleeveless low-collar cheongsam in this picture is made of plain satin. The highlight of this garment lies in its ingenious design of hem that crosses above the bust, embellished with embroidered patterns in light and shiny colors, serving as highly-decorative elements for this item. Such an innovative design based on a traditional Chinese model reveals the good understanding of differences between Chinese and western apparel by the Chinese garment-designers in the period of Republican China (1912-1949 AD), and their perfect combination of Chinese and western elements in apparel-design to present world-acknowledged modern Chinese models.