Wearing the Mood for Love

Reliving and revering the resplendent ’60s and Su Lizhen

Ranked within the world’s top 100 movies, Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The poised back of Su Lizhen has yet to fade in the hearts of movie fans. Indeed, recalling her character invariably brings to mind vivid images of her colourful qipao dresses. Art director William Chang prepared a whole rack of qipaos for the role; Maggie Cheung wore 42 pieces in total while filming, though the final cut wasn’t able to show off all of them. Maggie Cheung’s hair and makeup reportedly took five hours a day to complete, and her final look on camera imprinted a classic portrayal of beauty and grace in the eyes of both local and foreign fans alike.

Today, city women don’t wear qipao dresses as casual, everyday wear anymore. Years ago, however, the qipao was once the most fashionable must-have for women, showcasing a blend between the Manchu cheongsam of the Qing Dynasty and Western-style tailoring. It was an avant-garde symbol that deviated from the typical formal style of dress an elegant lady of the house might typically wear to attend banquets at the time.

In the Qing Dynasty, the Han women normally wore a top with a skirt or pair of trousers. Flowing one-piece outfits were actually reserved for men, in a concept wildly different from modern clothing nowadays. The introduction of the qipao offered women the chance to dress in the same kind of clothing men would normally wear – a major breakthrough in sexual equality.

Influenced by Western culture, some ladies chose to wore qipao dresses to dismantle the traditional Chinese image of women. During this era, female students in Shanghai wore modern qipaos to make a statement. Today, some famous girls’ schools in Hong Kong still retain this tradition and take pride in wearing qipao uniforms.

Photo: Old Shanghai Cheongsam (Source: https://www.sohu.com/a/205538963_800190)

During the days of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Shanghai – where a large number of foreigners resided – was influenced by the golden age in Europe and the US. This was an age where ladies in the upper class would perm their hair, dress up in gorgeous qipaos and furs with sparkling headwear, and participate in trendy jazz parties. These extravagant parties were no less luxurious than those in The Great Gatsby. We see how the qipao wave swept from Shanghai to Hong Kong, with the Shanghainese landlady donning an exquisite qipao in In the Mood for Love.

Su Lizhen’s qipao is designed in a more Westernised style that came into fashion after the 1940s. It boldly emphasises the female curves with a smart stand-up collar, defined waist, and two versions: with sleeves, or sleeveless. With slits on both sides or just the right side, the whole piece can be quite short and stop just above the knee; on Su Lizhen, such cuts revealed her slim figure. Somehow, her outfits made the implicit and reserved love between her and Chow Mo-wan more fascinating. Westernised qipaos were much loved by intellectual city ladies, and were regarded as a sign of the liberation of women. Translating that into a more modern perspective, the qipao was almost like a beret or tote bag – an essential item for young hipsters.

Time flies, and the qipao, which was once the most trending fashion item, has been replaced by Western fashion and casual wear. Over time, the qipao was gradually relegated into something only worn occasionally, often for fancy dress. Women casually dressed in qipaos and high heels on the streets are now a distant memory that can only be seen in movies or historical photos. People still appreciate qipaos, but it is not easy to pull off nowadays, so some people are reluctant to wear it. To reinvigorate the beauty of qipaos in recent years, some modern qipao or Tang suit stores have emerged in Hong Kong for purchase and rental. Thanks to this, it is completely possible in this day and age for a group of friends to pull on colourful qipaos and take Instagram-worthy photos in Central and Sheung Wan for a fun day out. Couples may get a kick out of dressing up in these classic outfits together and reenacting the sweet chemistry of Su Lizhen and Chow Mo-wan while tucking into classic Hong Kong-style Western dishes at an old café.

One of the most popular qipao rental stores is Yan Shang Kee, owned by a young woman who calls herself Ding. Inspired by her kimono rental experience in Japan, she thought: if they can rent out kimonos in Japan, why can’t we do the same with qipaos in Hong Kong? Yan Shang Kee’s fabrics are sourced from Japan and Taiwan, with a wide array of materials, patterns and colours. Although its Instagram features plenty of photos that spotlight conventionally pretty female influencers, Ding wryly noted that she herself is not as skinny, and welcomes ladies of all shapes and sizes to try on the shop’s dresses and get a feel for them. Her philosophy is that as long as the qipao is tailored to fit, it will look beautiful on any body shape. Some of the qipaos in the store are made of stretchy fabrics, attracting many mums-to-be to rent such qipaos for photoshoots. In fact, the store has also partnered with photographers that offer a range of diverse styles. Ding provides professional advice to help her customers select the right qipao for them, so the ladies come out of her store in qipaos that bring out the best in their height and feminine charms, ready to take advantage of the unique backdrop of Central’s side streets and narrow lanes. Male friends can rent a classic kung fu suit from the store to match with the ladies.

After renting a few times, some girls are tempted to have their very own custom-made qipao. Yan Shang Kee has recently launched a customisation service that allows customers to choose desired fabrics, buttons and even the color of the qipao’s ties, for a qipao tailor-made to the customer’s size and fit. For more options that offer contemporary styles, local brand Classics Anew uses denim, patchwork, hand paint, irregular cutting and more to produce a unique qipao that is only limited by the strength of your imagination.

Photo: Yan Shang Kee qipao (Source: https://www.instagram.com/yanshangkee/)

Qipaos had meaningful and liberating significance back in the ‘60s, but in In the Mood for Love, it also acts as a symbol of tradition that restricted Su Lizhen’s true feelings. No matter how beautiful her qipaos were, the colours would often match her surroundings, representing her repression. Nowadays, women in most modern societies are able to express themselves by wearing whatever they want. There ought to be no need to constrict them with the labels of “fashion” or “tradition”. Let new life be breathed into the qipao as its associations with repression are eroded away. After all, unlike Su Lizhen, women should no longer need to wait for a man to grant them a ticket to freedom. With the beauty and grace of Su Lizhen both inside and out, let women walk with their heads held high.